Search results
Aug 19, 2021 · How to Start a Sentence: 10 Tips for Starting Sentences. Whether you’re an ESL student learning the fundamentals of English writing, or a language arts student looking to improve your essay writing skills, knowing how to start a sentence can improve the flow, coherence, and quality of your writing.
People also ask
How do you start a sentence?
How do you write a good sentence starter?
How can sentence starters transform your writing?
How do you write a great sentence?
- Overview
- Why are sentence starters important?
- How You Can Use Sentence Starters
- How to Choose a Sentence Starter
- Types of Sentence Starters
The start of your sentence is the very first thing that will reach out and grab your readers’ attention. But there are so many ways to start a sentence, how can you know which one to choose? Don’t worry, that’s why we’re here! Whether you’re an ESL student wanting to master the very basics or an English major looking to improve their writing skills, we’re here to introduce you to all the different ways to start a sentence. We’ll also be sure to provide you with tons of examples as we walk through different types of "sentence starters." By the time you’re done reading, you’ll be ready to add some flair to your next piece of writing.
Use sentence starters such as, “Similarly…” “However…” and “Like…” and “Unlike…” to show readers that you’re about to compare or contrast something in your sentence.
Introduce new information by using sentence starters such as, “Additionally…” “Furthermore…” and “More importantly…”
Emphasize your point or main idea by starting your sentence with phrases like, “Certainly…” “Of course…” and “Obviously…”
Sentence starters help maintain the flow and coherence of a paragraph.
Sentence starters, or words and phrases that are meant to grab readers’ attention at the beginning of a sentence, are extremely important in connecting the various ideas throughout your writing in a smooth and coherent way. A good sentence starter lets readers know ahead of time what kind of content they should be expecting. For example, a transition word such as “additionally” hints to readers that you’re about to present them with new information.
Sentence starters are typically set apart from the rest of the sentence by a comma.
Sentence starters also provide key details that provide readers with important context or background information.
For example, in the sentence, “Gasping for breath, John trudged up the hill,” the sentence starter “Gasping for breath” provides readers with more details about John’s state.
Using a variety of sentence starters is a great way to keep your writing from sounding too repetitive.
This is especially necessary when you’re
or informative essay. Phrases like, “In this essay…” “Below, you will find…” and “Here, I will discuss…” are all introductory phrases that will let your readers know that you’re about to state the main theme or argument of your overall essay. Some examples of a good introductory sentence starter include:
I will discuss the pros and cons of using disposable plastic water bottles.
a three-point argument that seeks to persuade you that smoking is bad.
Here, I will attempt to argue
for the continuation of standardized testing.
Determine the main point of your sentence.
An important part of picking the correct sentence starter is first deciding what the following sentence is going to be about and what you’re going to focus on. Are you trying to emphasize one specific action of a character? Are you going to provide specific examples for your readers? Before you think about your sentence starter, think about the rest of your sentence first.
For example, if your goal is to write a sequence of events in a way that’s easily understandable by your readers, you might choose sentence starters like, “First…” “Next…” and “To start…”
Or, if you’re trying to emphasize a point to your readers, choose an adverb like, “Of course…” “Obviously…” or “Certainly…”
Examine the context of the surrounding sentences.
In order to keep your writing flowing smoothly, it’s important that all of your sentences link together somehow to form a larger, coherent paragraph. For instance, you don’t want to be talking about the negatives of some idea and then suddenly begin talking about the positives without a good sentence starter to prepare your readers. As a general tip, look at the sentences directly before the one you’re writing to see which sentence starter you should choose.
Many sentence starters are conjunctive adverbs, which are transition words or phrases that modify an entire sentence. Phrases such as, “For example…” “In addition…” and “Therefore…” are all examples of adverbs. Words that end in -ly, such as “Certainly…” “Unfortunately…” and “Additionally…” are also adverbs that come at the beginning of a sentence, and you usually separate them from the rest of the sentence with a comma. For example: [21]
, I will also be staying for an extra 10 minutes to answer questions.
, it’s extremely important to wash your hands.
, you might be more comfortable sitting instead of standing.
, we don’t have enough books for each person.
, we’ll also look at other works from the same author.
Jun 2, 2022 · Sentence starters are the words you use to start off a sentence. Here’s how to start stronger sentences for every part of an essay.
Apr 16, 2023 · In this piece, we’ll break down the art of crafting killer opening lines, from when to use them to specific examples so you can learn all you need to know about writing the best sentence starters possible.
- Adverbs of viewpoint. An adverb of viewpoint is simply an adverb that we place at the beginning of a sentence. It shows how we feel or explains our viewpoint about something.
- With and without. A nice way to begin a sentence is using with or without: Example 1: Without you, my life is meaningless! Example 2: With the help of my friends, I was able to complete the project.
- After/before + ING. Many English learners don’t realise that you can shorten a clause with after or before, like this: Original sentence: After I ate, I washed the dishes.
- Like and unlike. We can show similarity or dissimilarity by starting a sentence with like or unlike: Example 1: Like me, George grew up in a poor family.
Aug 2, 2024 · Whether you're writing an academic paper, a blog post, or crafting a story, using a strong sentence starter sets the tone for your entire text. We've explored a variety of sentence starters that can help introduce new ideas, contrast concepts, and wrap things up neatly.
prowritingaid.com · sentence-startersSentence Starters: Ultimate List to Improve Your Essays and ...
Sep 12, 2022 · This full list of sentence starters will help you write your essays with ease. Never get stuck starting a sentence again.
