This article was co-authored by Richard Perkins and by wikiHow staff writer, Ali Garbacz, B.A.. Richard Perkins is a Writing Coach, Academic English Coordinator, and the Founder of PLC Learning Center. With over 24 years of education experience, he gives teachers tools to teach writing to students and works with elementary to university level students to become proficient, confident writers. Richard is a fellow at the National Writing Project. As a teacher leader and consultant at California State University Long Beach's Global Education Project, Mr. Perkins creates and presents teacher workshops that integrate the U.N.'s 17 Sustainable Development Goals in the K-12 curriculum. He holds a BA in Communications and TV from The University of Southern California and an MEd from California State University Dominguez Hills.
There are 21 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
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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.
Things You Should Know
- 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…”
Steps
Expert Q&A
Tips
Expert Interview
Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about writing, check out our in-depth interview with Richard Perkins.
References
- ↑ https://wts.indiana.edu/writing-guides/paragraphs-and-topic-sentences.html
- ↑ https://online.op.ac.nz/assets/Uploads/f373ebe246/Sentence-starters.pdf
- ↑ https://www.touro.edu/departments/writing-center/tutorials/transitional-words/
- ↑ https://www.wlwv.k12.or.us/cms/lib/OR01001812/Centricity/Domain/1843/TransitionWordsinNarrativeWriting.pdf
- ↑ https://online.op.ac.nz/assets/Uploads/f373ebe246/Sentence-starters.pdf
- ↑ https://online.op.ac.nz/assets/Uploads/f373ebe246/Sentence-starters.pdf
- ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/transitions/
- ↑ https://sites.muscogee.k12.ga.us/lva/wp-content/uploads/sites/126/2022/07/Sentence-Starters-and-Transitions.pdf
- ↑ https://yoast.com/transition-words-why-and-how-to-use-them/
- ↑ https://achievethecore.org/content/upload/ELL%20Supports%20for%20Writing%20and%20Discussion.pdf
- ↑ https://www.aate.org.au/documents/item/892
- ↑ https://www.is34.org/pdfs/Examples_of_Argumentative_Language.PDF
- ↑ https://www.monash.edu/student-academic-success/improve-your-academic-english/strategies-for-writing-academic-english/express-uncertainty-in-writing
- ↑ https://www.solonschools.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=955&dataid=4287&FileName=Sato%20Copy%20of%20Transitions%20that%20Lead%20Into%20Evidence%20and%20Explanation.pdf
- ↑ https://online.op.ac.nz/assets/Uploads/f373ebe246/Sentence-starters.pdf
- ↑ https://www.sjsu.edu/writingcenter/docs/handouts/Sentence%20Types%20and%20Functions.pdf
- ↑ https://www.strose.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Transition-Sentences-Handout-2012B.pdf
- ↑ https://www.strose.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Transition-Sentences-Handout-2012B.pdf
- ↑ https://www.strose.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Transition-Sentences-Handout-2012B.pdf
- ↑ https://writing.wisc.edu/handbook/style/transitions/
- ↑ https://www.sjsu.edu/writingcenter/docs/handouts/Conjunctive%20Adverbs.pdf
- ↑ https://www.esu.edu/writing-studio/guides/participles.cfm
- ↑ https://www.sjsu.edu/writingcenter/docs/handouts/Sentence%20Openers.pdf
- ↑ https://www.sjsu.edu/writingcenter/docs/handouts/Sentence%20Openers.pdf
- ↑ https://www.hillcrest.bham.sch.uk/_site/data/files/documents/knowledge%20organisers/english/year%207/DED96EECFAB64BCCF1317D0707474164.pdf
- ↑ https://www.hillcrest.bham.sch.uk/_site/data/files/documents/knowledge%20organisers/english/year%207/DED96EECFAB64BCCF1317D0707474164.pdf
- ↑ https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED598862.pdf
- ↑ https://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/wlf/what-onomatopoeia