Comma or not - again!

[Davequa]

In my simplistic mind I have always assumed that a comma in a sentence basically indicated a slight pause, or was used to improve clarity of the sentence.
I would appreciate some guidance with the following sentences.

a) In the final section he gives us some useful advice.
or
In the final section, he gives us some useful advice.

b) In this day and age we are constantly bombarded with information.
or
In this day and age, we are constantly bombarded with information.

c) In doing so he looks at the science behind the claims.
or
In doing so, he looks at the science behind the claims.

To my mind, a comma is not needed in any of the above sentences but I'm slowly arguing myself around in circles.

Some help would be greatly appreciated.

[MrsCatInTheHat]

In all of the above sentences, the comma sets apart the introductory phrase.

[ems1schafer]

Since setting apart an introductory phrase IS a reason to use a comma, the comma IS needed to be grammatically correct. Plus, if you go by what you said about putting a comma where a natural pause occurs, that also would suggest you use a comma in each situation:

In the final section, (pause) he gives us some useful advice.
In this day and age, (pause) we are constantly bombarded with information.
etc.

Notice the use of commas in my writing above, then mentally take them out and read through the sentence. Is it harder to understand without the correct punctuation to separate clauses? I think so. Even look at your own post:
¨To my mind, a comma is not needed...¨ This is correct!

[CinWin]

I think of it this way - If you can make a complete sentence after an introductory phrase, a comma should go before the complete sentence.

[Brendan Donaghy]

I think of it this way - If you can make a complete sentence after an introductory phrase, a comma should go before the complete sentence.

That's a very useful way of looking at it. I often think that grammar should be taught by way of examples like that, as it makes it easier to understand and much more likely to stick. I like the one that helps people determine whether its 'Joe and I ' or 'Joe and me': forget about whether it's the subject of the sentence, or the object of the sentence, simply remember to remove the named person and see how the sentence reads. 'She gave it to Joe and I' might sound reasonable, but 'she gave it to I' sounds silly. Likewise, 'Joe and me went to the shops' becomes 'Me went to the shops', which sounds reasonable only if it's being said by a 3 year old.

[CinWin]

I think of it this way - If you can make a complete sentence after an introductory phrase, a comma should go before the complete sentence.

That's a very useful way of looking at it. I often think that grammar should be taught by way of examples like that, as it makes it easier to understand and much more likely to stick. I like the one that helps people determine whether its 'Joe and I ' or 'Joe and me': forget about whether it's the subject of the sentence, or the object of the sentence, simply remember to remove the named person and see how the sentence reads. 'She gave it to Joe and I' might sound reasonable, but 'she gave it to I' sounds silly. Likewise, 'Joe and me went to the shops' becomes 'Me went to the shops', which sounds reasonable only if it's being said by a 3 year old.

Exactly! I agree with you 100%!