- 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…”
Why are sentence starters important?
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.
How You Can Use Sentence Starters
To introduce a topic This is especially necessary when you’re writing an academic paper 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: In this essay, I will discuss the pros and cons of using disposable plastic water bottles. Below, you will find 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. Other examples include: This essay discusses… The key aspect discussed… I plan to emphasize…
To conclude an essay or narrative The conclusion of your writing is just as important as your introduction. Sentence starters can help you wrap up all of your ideas in a neat and concise way, as well as let readers know that your writing is coming to an end. Use phrases like, “In conclusion…” “In summary…” and “Therefore…” to draw your writing to a close and give a brief summary of your main ideas. For example: In conclusion, we need to stop using plastic bags for the sake of preserving wildlife. Therefore, I urge all of you to talk to your local politicians about this law. In summary, the experiment yielded extremely positive results. Other examples include: To summarize… In short… Hence… All things considered… Overall…
To list out items or a sequence of events Using transition words and phrases can help you make your sentences flow much smoother when you’re listing out a series of events or steps. This is especially helpful if you’re writing something like a recipe or listing out events in chronological order. Words like, “First…” “Next…” and “After that…” will help keep your overall writing coherent. First, preheat your oven to 350ºF (176ºC). Next, lightly grease your cake pan with butter or oil. First, I met up with my friends at the nearby cafe. After that, we drove to the party. After doing a short survey, the participants were asked to leave the room. Other examples include: Later… Eventually… Afterwards… Then… Sometime later…
To make a comparison Sentence starters like, “Similarly…” “Along those lines…” and “Like…” help show that the idea you’re about to present is similar or somehow related to another idea you previously presented. This kind of sentence starter is helpful when you’re trying to emphasize the likeness of two objects, concepts, or pieces of evidence. For example: Similarly, not getting enough sleep has also been linked to people feeling more stressed. Along those same lines, starting to study for an exam earlier will help you get a better score. Like fish, rats are extremely low-maintenance pets. Other examples include: In the same way… Likewise… Again…
To contrast two or more things When you’re trying to emphasize the differences between two or more ideas, use sentence starters like, “However…” “On the other hand…” and “Unlike…” This lets readers know that you’re about to say something that’s the opposite or contradictory to the previous sentence. For example: However, the movie also received some criticism from older viewers. On the other hand, nuclear energy might actually be better for the environment than solar energy. Then again, the exact opposite might be true. Unlike my sister, my brother enjoys studying math. Other examples include: Although… Despite this… Yet… Rather… Instead…
To add new information Sentence starters like “Additionally…” “More importantly…” and “Furthermore…” will help connect your ideas when you’re adding new information to your writing. For example, if you have multiple pieces of evidence you want to add to back up your claim, use these types of sentence starters to make your ideas flow smoothly from one to the next. In addition to that, sitting for too long has also been shown to be bad for a person’s health. Furthermore, several studies have supported this claim. Additionally, I’m going to record some video trainings to help new employees. Other examples include: Also… Next… In the same way… As well as… Equally important…
To provide the time and/or place The beginning of your sentence is a great spot to introduce important details about the setting of the events taking place. Use prepositions such as, “In…” “At…” and “Around…” along with specific times or locations to tell readers where and when the events within your sentence are occurring. For example: At 6:00 p.m., he went to the dining hall to eat with his friends. In the middle of winter, a flower unexpectedly bloomed. At the back of the room, the girl talked loudly with her friends. Near the edge of the woods, the dog spotted a fox. Other examples include: Above… Below… Among… Beside… Before… After… Here… There…
To introduce examples You might’ve already seen these kinds of sentence starters earlier in this article. Phrases like, “For example…” “For instance…” and “Specifically…” are all common ways people introduce examples or specific scenarios in their writing. This is usually very helpful when you’re trying to illustrate a more complex idea or provide real-world examples that your readers can relate to. There are plenty of hobbies you can try. For example, baking is great if you love to cook. For instance, you could try making a pros and cons list to find the best solution. Specifically, they decided to pass the law once a majority of people had voted in favor of it. Other examples include: To illustrate… This is evidenced by… Consider the example of…
To show cause and effect In this case, your sentence starter acts as an important bridge between two related sentences. Phrases such as, “Therefore…” “As a result…” and “For this reason…” all highlight an event or idea that resulted from the content in the previous sentence. For example: People are consuming more junk food on a daily basis. Therefore, obesity is becoming more of a problem. The scores were inconclusive. As a result, we’ll have to run the tests again. College tuition is becoming more expensive. For this reason, more students are having to take out loans. Other examples include: Consequently… This means that… The evidence suggests… Hence… Due to this…
To emphasize an important point The right sentence starters can also be especially helpful when you’re trying to persuade someone and make your argument more appealing. Use phrases like, “Clearly…” “The fact is…” and “Obviously…” to show the reader that what you’re about to say is very important and that they should remember this particular point above all else. Obviously, it’s extremely important to stay hydrated throughout the day. The fact is that more and more people are becoming addicted to their phones. Clearly, there needs to be more work done to improve our neighborhood. Other examples include: Above all… Indeed… Certainly… Undoubtedly… Most importantly…
To state the same idea in a different way Sometimes you might need to write the same sentence using different words to make your message clearer to readers. Use sentence starters like, “In other words…” “To put it simply…” and “That is to say…” to let your readers know that you intend to restate your thoughts in a new way or add a bit more specification. They weren’t satisfied with her performance. In other words, she’s getting fired. To put it simply, we don’t have enough money to continue this project. They’re voting no. That is to say, they’re using their vetoing power. Other examples include: This means that… To rephrase… By way of explanation… Specifically…
To express doubt Use language that is a bit more indirect when you want to warn your readers not to believe everything you’re writing word for word. This is helpful in cases where your claims aren’t backed up by research, or you want to avoid making a broad generalization that could be wrong. Use phrases like, “It’s possible that…” “However…” and “While debatable…” to let readers know you’re being cautious. While debatable, many people seem to agree that water with lemon is better than regular water. It’s possible that new evidence will come to light. However, a person’s opinion can change depending on their unique situation. Other examples include: Although not proven… Arguably… Perhaps…
To introduce references These kinds of sentence starters are extremely important if you’re writing an academic paper or essay and need to cite sources. Use phrases like, “According to…” “The author states that…” and “Research shows…” to lead into your specific evidence. After your sentence starter, fill in your specific evidence by either using a direct quote or paraphrasing in your own words. For example: The author states that people with more hobbies tend to feel more fulfilled. According to research, people who are married tend to live longer than those who aren’t married. As Theodore Roosevelt once said, “The joy of living is his who has the heart to demand it.” Other examples include: As seen by… As explained by… Based on the findings of… With regards to…
To present a historical or background idea Certain sentence starters are helpful when you’re introducing a fact or phenomenon that happened in the past. Use phrases like, “Historically…” “Traditionally…” and “In the past…” This could also help in emphasizing how things are different in the present. For example: Historically, there’s always been a rivalry between the two men. In the past, people would have to travel about 2 hours on foot to get clean water. Traditionally, the youngest of the family would get married first. Other examples include: Initially… Until now… Back then… Previously… Customarily…
How to Choose a Sentence Starter
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. For example, if you want to talk about the negative effects of a certain medication, but were previously talking about the positive effects in the last sentence, use a sentence starter like, “However…” “On the other hand…” or “Conversely…” to show your readers you’re about to contrast the two. Or, if you think the idea you presented in the previous sentence could use some clarification, choose a sentence starter like, “In other words…” “For example…” or “To clarify…”
Determine the contexts of each individual paragraph. If you’re writing something like an essay or academic paper, transition words and good sentence starters between paragraphs are the key to making your overall writing smooth and comprehensible. As you write an outline for your paper, determine what the main point of each paragraph will be, then choose the appropriate sentence starters that fit best within each one. For example, your paper might start with your introduction and thesis (“In this essay…”), then move on to a paragraph comparing and contrasting two arguments (“Similarly…” “However…”). After that, you might have a paragraph that provides more specific examples (“For instance…”), and then end with your concluding paragraph (“To summarize…”).
Determine what information is vital to your readers’ understanding. Sentence starters not only improve the flow of your writing, but they also sometimes provide key information that will help your readers better understand the plot or main message of your writing. For instance, if you’re writing a fictitious story, providing lots of descriptive details about the story’s setting or your characters at the beginning of your sentences will help readers better picture what’s going on. You can’t always assume that your readers know what you know or are picturing the scene exactly as you are. Good, descriptive sentence starters will keep your readers hooked and help them follow along with your story and logic. For example, instead of just writing, “The boy ran home,” write something like, “Trying to hold back his tears, the boy ran home” to provide your readers with important information about how the boy is feeling.
Use transition words only when they’re needed. Even though we’ve given you plenty of transition words that can act as great sentence starters, be sure to only use these words when they’re absolutely necessary to the context of your sentence. If you use too many, you risk overexplaining things to your readers and making sentences more complicated than they probably need to be. Consider this example: “Dogs make great pets. Similarly, cats are also great to have as pets. Along those same lines, mice are also very easy to care for.” In this short paragraph, the overuse of transition words actually makes the writing choppier and a bit less understandable. Instead, write something like, “Dogs make great pets. Similarly, cats and mice are also great to have as pets and are easy to care for.” Be sure to also use a variety of transition words and sentence starters instead of choosing just one and using it 3 or 4 times within the same paragraph. Using different sentence starters will keep your writing from sounding repetitive.
Types of Sentence Starters
Adverbs 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: In addition, I will also be staying for an extra 10 minutes to answer questions. Therefore, it’s extremely important to wash your hands. Of course, you might be more comfortable sitting instead of standing. Unfortunately, we don’t have enough books for each person. Similarly, we’ll also look at other works from the same author. Typically, you’ll want to wait at least 20 minutes after eating before you go swimming.
Gerunds A gerund is a form of a verb that ends in -ing and acts as a noun within a sentence. For example, “running,” “smiling,” and “crying” are all gerunds. Starting a sentence with a gerund allows you to give your readers more descriptive details about the subject of your sentence. When forming your sentence, write your gerund first in a short phrase, then place a comma between that phrase and your longer sentence. For instance: Running as fast as he possibly could, Jack rushed to find his friends. Smiling softly, she hugged her mother. Thinking about his past, Rob wondered why he chose the career he did.
Past participles Past participles are verbs that typically end in -ed and indicate that an event has happened in the past and is complete. For example, “loved,” “completed,” and “managed” are all past participles. Place a past participle at the beginning of your sentence to give a more detailed description of your sentence’s subject. For example: Loved by many, the King made sure to listen to each of his subjects’ problems. Injured after the fire, the man was unable to return to his job. Viewed by more than 1 million people, the group’s music video became a hit.
Adjectives Adjectives are words that describe nouns or pronouns. When starting a sentence, adjectives that end in -ed usually work best. Some good adjectives to use include words like, “irritated,” “confused,” and “bored.” Place the adjective at the beginning of the sentence, then follow up with a comma and your main sentence. For example: Bored, Jenny called her friends and asked them to hang out. Confused, Dave went to ask his teacher what he was supposed to do. Amused, the boy laughed at his friend’s terrible joke.
Similes A simile is a phrase that compares two things using the words “like” or “as.” For example, the phrase, “Warm like the sun” is a simile. Starting your sentence with a simile is a great way to add some colorful descriptions to your writing and really catch your readers’ attention. For example: As fierce as a lion, he charged into battle. Like a flower, the girl grew up to be a beautiful woman. Slow as a sloth, the man took forever to finish his work. Sleeping like a log, my brother didn’t wake up even when they started setting off fireworks.
Prepositions A preposition is a word that connects a noun in a sentence to another element. Use prepositional phrases such as “after,” “on,” “beneath,” and “before” to provide details about the location or time at the very start of your sentence. The prepositions “with” and “without” are also great ways to start a sentence to better describe the state of something. For example: Before we left, we went to go visit our favorite cafe one last time. Around lunchtime, Frank’s mother called him with good news. At 7 p.m., Christian left to go pick up his brother. In the small conference room, Amy waited anxiously for her coworkers to arrive. Near the lake, the friends set up their campsite and started building a fire. Outside of the arena, a fight broke out. With the help of my best friend, I was able to get really great concert tickets. Without my car, I can’t go to my office.
Infinitives An infinitive is the most basic form of a verb that doesn’t have any inflections that bind it to a specific subject or tense. Infinitive verbs are usually preceded by “to,” such as, “to see,” “to eat,” and “to do.” Place the infinitive phrase at the very beginning of your sentence, then place a comma after it before writing the rest of your sentence. To lose weight, exercise regularly and eat a healthy diet. To get the highest score, you need to practice every single day. To find the restaurant, open the message I sent you and put the address into your GPS.
Onomatopoeias Onomatopoeias are words that resemble the sounds they represent. Words like, “crash,” “boom,” and “splash” are all examples of onomatopoeias. When you start your sentence off with one of these sound words, you’re more likely to catch your readers’ attention while also adding a fun and creative element in describing the events taking place. For example: BOOM! The car erupted in a fiery explosion. Splash. The boy watched as the mermaid dove back into the dark ocean. Squawk! Johny’s parrot let out a loud cry.
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