Left Branching Participial Phrases

Removing his glasses, the professor shook his head with

disappointment.
When a sentence is structured this way, use a comma to separate the
participle phrase from whatever it's modifying (the professor in this example).
The comma will always be near the noun thats being modified.
Shivering, the couple ran out of the rain and into the house.
Shivering modifies the noun couple.
Left

Branching Adjectives

Speechless, Bryson scanned the small living room

An opening adjective is followed by a comma.

Left Branching AAWWUBIS(although, as, when, while, until, before, if, since)
If I had a million dollars, Id buy you a monkey.

The AAWWUBIS begins a dependent clause (cannot stand alone.) A comma

separates the dependent from the independent clause (simple sentence.)

Only at the beginning of the sentence

Right

Branching FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so)

I want to eat more ice cream, but my stomach hurts.

A FANBOYS connects two independent clauses (simple sentences.) The comma

always comes before the FANBOYS.

Only in the middle of the sentence

EXPLODING THE MOMENT

Exploding the moment is a technique authors use in which a moment that

could easily be described in a sentence or two is stretched out and exploded
with details. Sometimes the moment might be only a split-second of action!