Particularly when the sentence is not as a response to something else.
It's just a trend I noticed in a book I'm reading - every chapter starts with one (on, about, in, there). Maybe I should have asked that question instead. I think the writer's trying to make it read sort of a like a memoir, where the deeper meditations go on later without thrusting us in to with an adjective or a noun.

It almost guarantees that the sentence will be complex, or possibly compound-complex (assuming that it is a complete sentence). Starting a simple sentence with one of those is a great way to add variety to your writing and speaking.

Thanks,
Your Friendly Neighborhood English teacher

It has no general effect at all; the substance of the sentence would depend upon what was said, not on whether it starts with an adverb or preposition. There are countless ways of starting out that way that would yield no general effect.

"In Baghdad, it hardly ever snows."
"Simply put, it's usually hot in Baghdad"

Both of those can be said in countless other ways, to say the same thing, and starting out that way has no general effect.

It depends who does it

"To be, or not to be...."

"Particularly when the sentence in not as response......"


See what I mean?

One gets famous and the other doesn't.

What do you think I am a Maths expert

Promptly replying to this question could be disadvantageous.