I've come across several sentences in which I was not sure whether or not I should place a comma before the word before.
The following are my own examples, so don't expect any further context:
"He already lived in the house for a month[,] before he signed the rental contract."
"The king sent a messenger in advance[,] before departing for London."
"I will first focus on plants[,] before turning to the animals."
Personally I tend to not placing the comma, but I'm especially unsure about the second and third example - maybe this is because the sentences appear inverted and I'd rather say "Before departing to London, the king...".
I can't think of any comma rule I'd apply to these examples...
The following are my own examples, so don't expect any further context:
"He already lived in the house for a month[,] before he signed the rental contract."
"The king sent a messenger in advance[,] before departing for London."
"I will first focus on plants[,] before turning to the animals."
Personally I tend to not placing the comma, but I'm especially unsure about the second and third example - maybe this is because the sentences appear inverted and I'd rather say "Before departing to London, the king...".
I can't think of any comma rule I'd apply to these examples...