When they introduce a sentence, transitional statements should be set off by commas.
Transitional statements include:
- However
- Moreover
- Therefore
- Furthermore
- Consequently
- As a result
- For instance
- For example
- In other words
- On the other hand
These examples only touch upon the diversity of transitional statements used in the English language. These statements are often used to introduce sentences to transition into a related idea.
Examples:
I do not like your mother’s cooking. Consequently, I do not want any of her mashed potatoes.
She’s always making excuses. Moreover, she’s lazy!
Commercials never depict men buying refrigerators. On the other hand, commercials never depict women buying electric shavers.
Notice that there is a comma after every transitional statement used. This convention should be consistently practiced in your own writing.