6th grade commas after introductory phrases worksheets
Sixth graders handle longer and layered openers (at the edge of the meadow, by the time we arrived) and place the comma at the true boundary, exactly where a natural reader takes a breath.
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The kind of sentences you'll fix
Add the missing comma to each sentence.
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Throughout the long windy night the surf rearranged the beach.
Fixed: Throughout the long windy night, the surf rearranged the beach.
- During the timeout the coach redrew the play.
- Against all odds the lost letter arrived intact.
Every print pulls a fresh set of sentences at this level, so a make-up test or a second sibling never gets the same sheet.
What's on each sheet
- Fix it. Add the missing comma to each sentence. 8 sentences to fix per page.
- Choose the sentence. Circle the letter of the sentence with the comma in the right place. 8 questions per page.
Every version prints on US Letter or A4, with its answer key on the last page.
How to teach this
Have students write their own pairs: the same sentence with and without its opener. Moving the opener around (or deleting it) shows that it's a detachable unit, which is exactly why it takes a comma. In editing work, hunting for lost introductory commas in their own drafts transfers the skill where it matters.
Watch for: The comma comes at the end of the whole opening phrase, not after its first word. Short openers like 'Yesterday' follow the same rule: Yesterday, we won.
Common questions about commas after introductory phrases
- What kinds of openers show up at this level?
- Prepositional phrases (under the new schedule), dependent clauses (although the problem looked simple), and transitions (according to the survey). Longer openers make the comma more necessary, not less; without it, readers crash into the subject.
- How does this skill improve writing style?
- Varied sentence openings are what make paragraphs sound mature, and the introductory comma is the license for that variety. A writer who can front-load a sentence confidently, and punctuate it correctly, escapes the subject-first monotony typical of middle school drafts.
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Reviewed by the One more sheet team. Content version 137, updated August 2026.
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