SENTENCE STARTERS FOR ESSAYS
TOPIC Sentence starters
In this essay I would like to discuss….
In this essay I would like to express my opinion on the topic of……
This paper discusses…….
In this paper……
To begin with….
It is an interesting fact, that…..
Good sentence starters for sequences or lists
Sentence starters are quite useful for lists of instructions or explaining a series of events.
These items aren’t always related in obvious ways, but sentence starters link them together,
and in the right order, so that your reader can organize them properly in their head.
First . . ., Second . . ., Third . . ., etc.
Next . . .
Then . . .
Subsequently . . .
After that . . .
Afterwards . . .
Eventually . . .
Later . . .
Moving on . . .
Good sentence starters for comparisons
Use sentence starters to show that two things are related or alike. Although the topics may
be similar to yours, your reader may not yet understand the connection.
Similarly . . .
In the same way . . .
Along those lines . . .
Likewise . . .
Again . . .
Good sentence starters for elaboration or adding new points
For times when one sentence isn’t enough to fully explain your point, adding sentence
starters to the subsequent sentences can tie them all together.
Additionally . . .
Moreover . . .
Furthermore . . .
Even more important . . .
Just as important . . .
Also . . .
Good sentence starters for introducing examples
Especially for essays, you want to use evidence to support your claims. Sentence starters
ease the transition from explaining the big picture to showing those same ideas at work in
the real world.
For example . . .
For instance . . .
To illustrate . . .
Specifically . . .
We can see this in . . .
This is evidenced by . . .
Consider the [case/example] of . . .
Good sentence starters for contrasts and abrupt transitions
Sentence starters work best at times when you must change topics abruptly. Without them,
the text becomes jarring and scattered, so use them to keep your reader on the right path,
especially when contrasting topics.
However . . .
Although . . .
Otherwise . . .
On the other hand . . .
On the contrary . . .
Nevertheless . . .
Then again . . .
Conversely . . .
Notwithstanding . . .
In contrast . . .
Despite that . . .
Yet . . .
Rather . . .
Still . . .
Instead . . .
Good sentence starters to establish cause and effect
It’s common to use two different sentences to discuss a cause-and-effect relationship, as in
something making something else happen. Sentence starters can make this relationship
clear and show which sentence is the cause and which is the effect.
As a result . . .
Accordingly . . .
Consequently . . .
Due to . . .
For this reason . . .
Hence . . .
Therefore . . .
This means that . . .
That is why . . .
Good sentence starters for emphasis
In some situations, sentence starters aren’t necessary, but they help make a point stand out.
Save these for the sentences you really want your readers to remember above all else.
Above all . . .
As usual . . .
Certainly . . .
Indeed . . .
Undoubtedly . . .
Of course . . .
Obviously . . .
Namely . . .
Generally speaking . . .
Good sentence starters for references
If you’re citing an idea other than your own, like in research papers, it saves space to put the
attribution in the words to start a sentence. Use these sentence starters before a quote or
concept from another work.
According to . . .
Based on the findings of . . .
As seen by . . .
As explained by . . .
With regards to . . .
Good sentence starters for historical or generally accepted concepts
Some sentences don’t make sense without context. This could be a popular, mainstream
idea that the reader is unaware of, or some historical background that is not common
knowledge. In these instances, sentence starters can provide that context without becoming
a tangent.
Traditionally . . .
Historically . . .
Customarily . . .
In the past . . .
Conventionally . . .
Initially . . .
Recently . . .
Until now . . .
Good sentence starters to show uncertainty or doubt
If you’re writing about facts, your reader will assume everything you write is a fact. In
situations that something is unproven or uncertain, it helps to mention that there’s room for
doubt so as not to misinform the reader.
Perhaps . . .
Although not proven . . .
It’s possible that . . .
It may be that . . .
Arguably . . .
While debatable . . .
CONCLUSION Sentence starters
In conclusion,
To summarize,
In summary
In short
All in all
All things considered
