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Sentence Starters: Useful Words and Phrases You Can Use As Sentence Starters

Posted on Last updated: October 24, 2023

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Sentence Starters! Here you will find a useful list of common sentence starters that you can use in a discussion as well as in essay writing. Learn these sentence starters to improve your English speaking and writing skills.

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Sentence Starters

Sentence starters | common phrases.

• (The topic) has fostered a debate on …
• A sensible idea would be to…
• We all know that…
• It is said that…
• It is believed that…
• People assumed that…
• There is growing support for the notion that …
• The data gathered in the study strongly suggests that …
• The supposition drawn from this being that…
• Leading to the supposition that…
• This can be argued that..
• The source suggest…
• My own feeling on the subject is that …
• Generally speaking…
• As far as I know…
• As far as I am concerned…
• I believe that…
• The focus of discussion in this paper is …
• The premise of (the topic) seems to be based on …
• Latest research corroborates the view that …
• Most people would agree that…
• It is estimated…
• The reader supposed that…
• It is clear that…
• Everybody knows that…
• Surely you would agree that…
• This clearly shows that…
• I discovered…
• We always…
• This indicates…
• Demonstrating that…
• It is vital that…
• It wouldn’t be very difficult to…
• The real truth is that…
• Are we expected that…
• The fact is that…
• I felt as…
• I think/ I believe that…
• It seems to me that…
• We concluded that…
• My perspective is…
• I agree with…
• Have you thought about…
• In other words…
• I see what you mean but…
• I share your point of view on…
• In my opinion…

Transition Words Used as Sentence Starters

Words to add an idea

• In addition to
• For instance
• For example
• As an example
• Additionally
• Furthermore
• Another reason
• Coupled with
• Correspondingly
• In addition
• Identically
• One other thing

Words that show cause

• Accordingly
• As a result
• Consequently
• For this reason
• For this purpose
• Subsequently
• This is why
• Following this
• As you can see
• For all of those reasons

Words that show contrast

• Comparatively
• Different from
• Even though
• However ( however synonyms )
• In comparison
• Nevertheless
• In contrast
• On the one hand…
• On the other hand
• On the contrary

Words that add emphasis

• Generally speaking
• For the most part
• In this situation
• No doubt (undoubtedly)
• Particularly
• Unquestionably

Sentence Starters | Infographic

ALIYI Ahmad

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Wednesday 7th of December 2022

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Thursday 1st of December 2022

Amazing list. It helps change up how you start your sentence, and it helps for writers to keep readers engaged.

Friday 27th of May 2022

so i think that there should be more expansion so we can tell the reader a bit more about what is happening

Wednesday 6th of April 2022

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Sentence Starters: Definition, Rules and Remarkable Examples

Sentence starters, also known as transition words or phrases, are vital tools for essay writing. They play a key role in formulating an interesting and well-written introduction, providing smooth transitions between sentences and paragraphs, and writing a proper conclusion that summarizes the main points covered. Sentence starters are one of the essential tools of a skilled writer.

Table of Contents

What Are Sentence Starters and Why Are They So Important?

The main function of sentence starters is to tie together words, sentences, and paragraphs in an essay so that the writing flows logically. The sentence starters will help the readers comprehend the content more easily and absorb the meaning. The writing will be well-organized and cohesive.

Reading an essay containing well-placed and thoughtful sentence starters will be much easier, more interesting, and far less tedious. Most readers will be comfortable reading the material and will understand the writer’s intent. Students who use sentence starters expertly can expect to receive higher grades on their essays and exams.

What Are Some Examples of Sentence Starters?

Sentence starters for introductions.

• This essay discusses…
• The definition of…
• In my opinion…
• A popular subject of debate lately has been…
• Until now, I believed…, then I found out that…
• Most people assume that…
• The most recent data suggests that…
• A popular topic for discussion recently has been…
• Recent headlines have shown…

Sentence Starters for Transitioning Between Sentences and Paragraphs

• In contrast,
• Furthermore,
• In addition,
• On the other hand ,
• Consequently,
• As a result,
• Additionally,
• Even though,

Examples of Sentence Starters Used in Sentences

In contrast , Representative Smith supported the new bill enthusiastically.

Moreover , data from a follow-up study found an even better outcome for patients who used this treatment.

Furthermore , other researchers had similar promising results.

Similarly , Dr. John Blake, Professor of Political Science at Stanford University, agreed with Dr. Johnson’s findings.

While the news was positive, experts were cautious about becoming overly optimistic at this point.

On the other hand , the lead engineer, Edward Boswell, disagreed with the proposed remodeling plans.

Although Rachel Turner was against the tentative schedule, she compromised with the rest of the committee .

Whereas Fairfield amended its town ordinance, Weston decided to postpone the action indefinitely.

Sentence Starters for Conclusions

• In summary,
• In closing,
• Ultimately,
• In the final analysis,
• In essence,
• All in all,

Examples of Sentence Starters in Conclusions

• In summary , this analysis shows promising possibilities for new treatments and better outcomes.
• In closing , there are substantive arguments on both sides of the issue. However, I believe that passing this legislation would be the best course of action.
• To sum up , there needs to be more extensive research on these proposals in order to make a sound decision.
• Ultimately , the voters will decide whether the downtown transformation is in the best interests of the city.
• In the final analysis , I believe that Morgan’s proposal is the most promising.
• In essence , Dr. Jackson is advocating for increased spending now which will compromise the town’s future goals.
• All in all , it seems that the proponents of the project have more evidence than does the opposition.

Sentence Starters | Infographic

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Sentence Starters: Ultimate List to Improve Your Essays and Writing

Ashley Shaw

This blog post is going to be about … No. Too boring.

Today, I am going to talk to you about ... No. Too specific.

This is a blog post for all writers ... Nope. Too generic.

Has this ever been you while writing? I get it. Writing a good sentence can be hard, and when you have to string a whole lot of them together, the task can become daunting. So what do you do?

From the first sentence you write to the very last, you want each one to show your style and motivate your reader to keep reading. In this post, we are going to think about how you start your sentences.

What Is a Good Sentence Starter for an Essay Introduction?

What is a good sentence starter for a body paragraph, 25 useful transitions, can i repeat a sentence starter, how can i rephrase "in conclusion".

The first paragraph of a paper can make or break your grade. It is what gets your audience into the topic and sets the whole stage. Because of this, it is important to get your readers hooked early.

The first sentence of a paper is often called the hook. It shouldn’t be anything ordinary. It should have strong language and be a little surprising, with an interesting fact, story, statistic, or quote on the topic.

Because it is designed to pull the reader in and surprise them a little, it is often good to avoid pre-written sentence starter examples when writing your hook. Just get into it here, and worry about the flow later.

Here are some examples:

Spider webs were once used as bandages.

I taught myself to read when I was three. At least, that’s the story my parents tell.

Recent studies suggest that the average person lies at least once in every conversation.

“The world is bleeding and humans wield the knife,” or so says environmental scientist So Andso.

(P.S. Except for example 1, which is true, I just made all of these up to demonstrate my point. So, please don’t quote me on these!)

Once you jump right in with your hook, it is time to start working on ways to move sentences along. Here is where you may need some sentence starter examples.

In your first paragraph, you basically want to connect your hook to your thesis. You’ll do this with a few sentences setting up the stage for your topic and the claim you will make about it. To do that, follow the tips found in the next section on body paragraphs and general sentence starter tips.

Many of the tips I am about to discuss can be used anywhere in a paper, but they are especially helpful when writing body paragraphs.

Let’s start with one of the most important types of sentence starter in essay writing: transition words.

How Do I Use Transitions in an Essay?

If you want to start writing terrific sentences (and improve your essay structure ), the first thing you should do is start using transition words.

Transition words are those words or phrases that help connect thoughts and ideas. They move one sentence or paragraph into another, and they make things feel less abrupt.

The good thing about transition words is that you probably know a lot of them already and currently use them in your speech. Now, you just need to transition them into your writing. (See what I did there?)

Before we get into examples of what a good transition word is, let’s look at a paragraph without any transitions:

I went to the store. I bought bacon and eggs. I saw someone I knew. I said hello. I went to the cashier. They checked me out. I paid. I got my groceries. I went to my car. I returned home.

Yikes! That is some boring writing. It was painful to write, and I am sure it is even worse to read. There are two reasons for this:

• I start every sentence with the same word (more on this later)
• There are no signposts showing me how the ideas in the paragraph connect.

In an essay, you need to show how each of your ideas relate to each other to build your argument. If you just make a series of statements one after the other, you’re not showing your instructor that you actually understand those statements, or your topic.

How do we fix this? Transition words. Roughly 25% of your sentences should start with a transition word. If you can hit that number in your essay, you’ll know that you’ve made meaningful steps towards demonstrating your understanding.

Of course, hitting that number isn’t enough—those transitions need to be meaningful. Let’s look at the different types of transitions and how you can use them.

What Are Words Like First , Next , and Last Called?

You probably already use some transitions in your essays. For example, if you start a paragraph with firstly , you’ve used a transition word. But transitions can do so much more!

Here are 25 common transitional words and phrases that you could use in your essay:

• Additionally / In Addition
• Alternatively / Conversely
• As a result of
• At this time
• Consequently
• Contrary to
• First(ly), Second(ly), etc.
• In contrast
• Nonetheless
• On the other hand
• Particularly / In particular
• In other words

This list isn’t exhaustive, but it is a good start.

These words show different types of relationships between ideas. These relationships fall into four main categories: Emphasis , Contrast , Addition , and Order .

What Are Emphasis Transition Words?

These phrases are used when you want to highlight a point. Examples from my above list include clearly , particularly , and indeed . Want to see some more? Follow my bolded transitions: Undoubtedly , you understand now. It should be noted that you don’t need to worry.

How Do You Use Addition Transitions?

These words add on to what you just said. These are words like along with , moreover , and also . Here are some more: Not only are you going to be great at transitions after this, but you will also be good at writing sentences. Furthermore , everyone is excited to see what you have to say.

How Can I Use Transitions to Contrast Ideas?

This is the opposite of addition, and you use it when you want to show an alternative view or to compare things. Examples from my list include words like nonetheless , contrary to , and besides .

Here are some more: Unlike people who haven’t read this article, you are going to be really prepared to write great sentences. Even so , there is still a lot more about writing to learn.

How Do I Order Ideas in My Essay?

A good first step is using order transition words.

This set of transitions helps mark the passage of time or gives an order to events. From the list, think of things like first and finally . Now for some extras: At this time yesterday , you were worried about starting sentences. Following this , though, you will be an expert.

Now that you get the concept of transitions, let’s go back to that poorly written paragraph above and add some in to see what happens:

This morning , I went to the store. While I was there, I bought bacon and eggs. Then I saw someone I knew. So I said hello. After that , I went to the cashier. At that time , they checked me out. First , I paid. Next , I got my groceries. Following that , I went to my car. Finally , I returned home.

(Notice the use of commas after most of these transitions!)

This isn’t the best paragraph I’ve ever written. It still needs a lot of work. However, notice what a difference just adding transitions makes. This is something simple but effective you can start doing to make your sentences better today.

If you want to check your transition usage, try ProWritingAid’s Transitions report . You’ll see how many of each type of transition word you've used so you can pin-point where you might be losing your reader.

Sign up for a free ProWritingAid account to try it out.

What Are Some Linking Phrases I Can Use in My Essay?

As well as individual words, you can also use short phrases at the beginning of your sentences to transition between ideas. I just did it there— "As well as individual words" shows you how this section of the article is related to the last.

Here are some more phrases like this:

As shown in the example,

As a result of this,

After the meeting,

While this may be true,

Though researchers suggest X,

Before the war began,

Until we answer this question,

Since we cannot assume this to be true,

While some may claim Y,

Because we know that Z is true,

These short phrases are called dependent clauses . See how they all end with a comma? That's because they need you to add more information to make them into complete sentences.

• While some may claim that chocolate is bad for you, data from a recent study suggests that it may have untapped health benefits .
• Since we cannot assume that test conditions were consistent, it is impossible to reach a solid conclusion via this experiment .
• As a result of this, critics disagree as to the symbolism of the yellow car in The Great Gatsby .

The bolded text in each example could stand on its own as a complete sentence. However, if we take away the first part of each sentence, we lose our connection to the other ideas in the essay.

These phrases are called dependent clauses : they depend on you adding another statement to the sentence to complete them. When you use a sentence starter phrase like the ones above in your writing, you signal that the new idea you have introduced completes (or disrupts) the idea before it.

Note: While some very short dependent clauses don’t need a comma, most do. Since it is not wrong to use one on even short ones (depending on the style guide being used), it is a good idea to include one every time.

Along with missing transitions and repeating sentence structure, another thing that stops sentences from being great is too much repetition. Keep your sentences sharp and poignant by mixing up word choices to start your sentences.

You might start your sentence with a great word, but then you use that same word 17 sentences in a row. After the first couple, your sentences don’t sound as great. So, whether it is varying the transitional phrases you use or just mixing up the sentence openers in general, putting in some variety will only improve your sentences.

ProWritingAid lets you know if you’ve used the same word repeatedly at the start of your sentences so you can change it.

The Repeats Report also shows you all of the repeats in your document. If you've used a sentence starter and then repeated it a couple of paragraphs down, the report will highlight it for you.

Try the Repeats Report with a free ProWritingAid account.

Now that you have your introduction sentences and body sentences taken care of, let’s talk a little about conclusion sentences. While you will still use transitions and clauses as in the body, there are some special considerations here.

Your conclusion is what people will remember most after they finish reading your paper. So, you want to make it stand out. Don’t just repeat yourself; tell them what they should do with what you just told them!

Use the tips from above, but also remember the following:

Be unique. Not only should you vary the words you use to start different sentences, but you should also think outside of the box. If you use the same conclusion sentence starter everyone else is using, your ideas will blend in too.

Be natural. Some of the best writing out there is writing that sounds natural. This goes for academic writing, too. While you won’t use phrases like "at the end of the day" in essay writing, stilted phrases like "in conclusion" can disrupt the flow you’ve created earlier on.

Here are some alternatives to "in conclusion" you could use in an essay:

• To review, ... (best for scientific papers where you need to restate your key points before making your final statement)
• As has been shown, ...
• In the final analysis, ...
• Taking everything into account, ...
• On the whole, ...
• Generally speaking, ...

If you’re looking for more ways to rephrase "in conclusion," take a look at our complete list of synonyms you can use.

There may not be a set word or words that you can use to make your sentences perfect. However, when you start using these tips, you’ll start to see noticeable improvement in your writing.

If you’ve ever heard people talk about pacing and flow in academic writing, and you have no idea what they mean or how to improve yours, then this is your answer. These tips will help your writing sound more natural, which is how you help your ideas flow.

Take your writing to the next level:

20 Editing Tips from Professional Writers

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Ashley Shaw is a former editor and marketer/current PhD student and teacher. When she isn't studying con artists for her dissertation, she's thinking of new ways to help college students better understand and love the writing process.

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Crafting Compelling Sentence Starters for Essays

Embarking on the journey of essay writing can often feel like standing at the edge of a cliff, especially when it comes to crafting that perfect opening line. The initial words of your essay set the tone and can either captivate your reader or lose their interest. In this article, we'll explore various strategies and examples of sentence starters that can elevate your essays, making them not just informative but also engaging and thought-provoking.

The Art of the Opening Sentence

The opening sentence is your first impression, your chance to grab the reader's attention. It's the gateway to your thoughts and arguments, setting the stage for what's to come.

Why Are Good Sentence Starters Important?

• Engagement: A compelling starter draws the reader in, piquing their curiosity.
• Direction: It sets the tone and direction of your essay.
• Context: A well-crafted opening provides a glimpse into the essay's context.

Examples of Effective Sentence Starters

• "In the realm of X, it is often debated that..."
• "Imagine a world where X is the norm..."
• "X is a phenomenon that has captured the attention of many..."

Types of Sentence Starters

Depending on your essay's tone and subject, different types of sentence starters can be employed.

Question Starters

• "Have you ever wondered what it would be like to X?"
• "Why is X considered essential in the field of Y?"

Statement Starters

• "The concept of X has evolved significantly over the years."
• "X is a testament to the power of Y."

Quotation Starters

• "As X once said, '...'"
• "The words of X resonate deeply in the context of Y."

Tailoring Starters to Your Essay

The key to choosing the right starter is understanding the purpose and tone of your essay. Is it argumentative, descriptive, or narrative? Each type demands a different approach to engaging your reader.

Tips for Crafting Your Own Starters

• Know Your Audience: Tailor your language to resonate with your readers.
• Be Concise: Keep it clear and to the point.
• Be Original: Avoid clichés to make your essay stand out.

Summary and Key Insights

Mastering the art of the opening sentence can transform your essays from mundane to memorable. It's about making a connection with your reader and setting the stage for your ideas.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes a sentence starter too cliché.

A cliché starter is one that's overused and predictable, lacking originality and failing to engage the reader.

Can I start an essay with a quote?

Absolutely! A relevant and thought-provoking quote can be an excellent way to start an essay.

How long should a sentence starter be?

It should be concise enough to be impactful but long enough to set the context.

Is it okay to start an essay with a question?

Yes, starting with a question can be a great way to engage the reader's curiosity.

Can humor be used in essay sentence starters?

If appropriate for the topic and audience, humor can be an effective tool.

The right sentence starter can be the difference between an essay that resonates and one that falls flat. It's your first step in a dialogue with your reader, so make it count.

Looking for more than just tips? Our expert content writing agency offers professional writing services, SEO content, and unlimited revisions to ensure your essays and content not only start strong but also leave a lasting impression.

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Useful Sentence Starters For Academic Writing

In academic writing, sentence starters play a vital role in organizing your ideas, conveying your arguments effectively, and maintaining a flow throughout your research paper. In this blog post, we will explore various sentence starters that can elevate the quality of your academic writing and provide examples tailored to research-based essays.

Why are sentence starters useful

Sentence starters are particularly helpful in introductions to grab the reader’s attention and provide a clear roadmap for the research essay. They can be employed when introducing a new argument or point, creating a smooth transition between paragraphs, or when emphasizing key ideas. Additionally, sentence starters are beneficial in conclusions to summarize key findings, restate the thesis, and leave a lasting impression on the reader.

Moreover, sentence starters are valuable in comparisons to highlight similarities or differences, in sequences or lists to provide a structured flow of ideas, and in elaboration to expand on points or introduce new evidence. They can also be used to express uncertainty or doubt when discussing conflicting perspectives or limitations in the research. Overall, sentence starters add coherence, clarity, and sophistication to academic writing, making it more compelling and engaging for the reader .

Introduction sentence starters for essays

These sentence starters introduce what the paragraph or entire text is about so the readers know what to expect. 

• “This study aims to…”

Example: This study aims to investigate the correlation between social media usage and mental health among teenagers.

• “In recent years, research has shown…”

Example: In recent years, research has shown a growing interest in the potential therapeutic benefits of mindfulness practices.

• “The purpose of this research is to…”

Example: The purpose of this research is to examine the impact of climate change on biodiversity in tropical rainforests.

Conclusion sentence starters

These sentence starters are helpful to hint at the reader that you’re about to wrap things up so they don’t expect any new points or evidence. 

• “In conclusion, it is evident that…”

Example: In conclusion, it is evident that the implementation of renewable energy sources is crucial for mitigating the effects of global warming.

• “Based on the findings, it can be concluded that…”

Example: Based on the findings, it can be concluded that regular exercise contributes to improved cognitive function in older adults.

• “Overall, this research sheds light on…”

Example: Overall, this research sheds light on the importance of early intervention programs for children with learning disabilities.

Good sentence starters for comparisons

These sentence starters show that two things are related or alike. 

• “Similarly,…”

Example: Similarly, both studies observed a significant decrease in cholesterol levels among participants who followed a Mediterranean diet.

• “In contrast to…”

Example: In contrast to previous research, this study found no significant relationship between caffeine consumption and sleep disturbances.

• “Like X, Y also…”

Example: Like previous studies, this research also highlights the impact of air pollution on respiratory health.

Good sentence starters for sequences or lists

Sentence starters for sequences are used to begin or relate lists of instructions or explaining a series of events. 

• “ Firstly, …”

Example: Firstly, the survey gathered demographic information from participants.

• “ Secondly, …”

Example: Secondly, the data analysis involved statistical techniques to identify patterns and trends.

• “Finally, …”

Example: Finally, the study proposed recommendations for future research in this field.

Good sentence starters for elaboration or adding new points

These sentence starters ease the transition from explaining the larger picture to showing examples of minute details. 

• “ Moreover, …”

Example: Moreover, this research emphasizes the importance of incorporating ethical considerations in clinical trials.

• “Additionally, …”

Example: Additionally, previous studies have identified socioeconomic factors as influential determinants of educational attainment.

• “Furthermore, …”

Example: Furthermore, the research findings highlight the need for more extensive sample sizes to draw generalizable conclusions.

Good sentence starters to show uncertainty or doubt

These sentence starters help in explaining to the reader that there is an upcoming contrasting idea or thought.

• “ Although the results suggest…”

Example: Although the results suggest a positive correlation, further investigation is warranted to establish a causal relationship.

• “It is plausible that…”

Example: It is plausible that the observed variations in results could be attributed to differences in sample demographics.

• “It remains unclear whether…”

Example: It remains unclear whether the observed changes in behavior are transient or long-lasting.

In conclusion, sentence starters serve as valuable tools in academic writing, enabling you to structure your thoughts, enhance clarity, and guide readers through your research essays. Use them in abundance yet carefully, as they can enhance your quality of writing significantly.

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• 40 Useful Words and Phrases for Top-Notch Essays

To be truly brilliant, an essay needs to utilise the right language. You could make a great point, but if it’s not intelligently articulated, you almost needn’t have bothered.

Developing the language skills to build an argument and to write persuasively is crucial if you’re to write outstanding essays every time. In this article, we’re going to equip you with the words and phrases you need to write a top-notch essay, along with examples of how to utilise them.

It’s by no means an exhaustive list, and there will often be other ways of using the words and phrases we describe that we won’t have room to include, but there should be more than enough below to help you make an instant improvement to your essay-writing skills.

If you’re interested in developing your language and persuasive skills, Oxford Royale offers summer courses at its Oxford Summer School , Cambridge Summer School , London Summer School , San Francisco Summer School and Yale Summer School . You can study courses to learn english , prepare for careers in law , medicine , business , engineering and leadership.

General explaining

Let’s start by looking at language for general explanations of complex points.

1. In order to

Usage: “In order to” can be used to introduce an explanation for the purpose of an argument. Example: “In order to understand X, we need first to understand Y.”

2. In other words

Usage: Use “in other words” when you want to express something in a different way (more simply), to make it easier to understand, or to emphasise or expand on a point. Example: “Frogs are amphibians. In other words, they live on the land and in the water.”

3. To put it another way

Usage: This phrase is another way of saying “in other words”, and can be used in particularly complex points, when you feel that an alternative way of wording a problem may help the reader achieve a better understanding of its significance. Example: “Plants rely on photosynthesis. To put it another way, they will die without the sun.”

4. That is to say

Usage: “That is” and “that is to say” can be used to add further detail to your explanation, or to be more precise. Example: “Whales are mammals. That is to say, they must breathe air.”

5. To that end

Usage: Use “to that end” or “to this end” in a similar way to “in order to” or “so”. Example: “Zoologists have long sought to understand how animals communicate with each other. To that end, a new study has been launched that looks at elephant sounds and their possible meanings.”

Adding additional information to support a point

Students often make the mistake of using synonyms of “and” each time they want to add further information in support of a point they’re making, or to build an argument . Here are some cleverer ways of doing this.

6. Moreover

Usage: Employ “moreover” at the start of a sentence to add extra information in support of a point you’re making. Example: “Moreover, the results of a recent piece of research provide compelling evidence in support of…”

7. Furthermore

Usage:This is also generally used at the start of a sentence, to add extra information. Example: “Furthermore, there is evidence to suggest that…”

8. What’s more

Usage: This is used in the same way as “moreover” and “furthermore”. Example: “What’s more, this isn’t the only evidence that supports this hypothesis.”

9. Likewise

Usage: Use “likewise” when you want to talk about something that agrees with what you’ve just mentioned. Example: “Scholar A believes X. Likewise, Scholar B argues compellingly in favour of this point of view.”

10. Similarly

Usage: Use “similarly” in the same way as “likewise”. Example: “Audiences at the time reacted with shock to Beethoven’s new work, because it was very different to what they were used to. Similarly, we have a tendency to react with surprise to the unfamiliar.”

11. Another key thing to remember

Usage: Use the phrase “another key point to remember” or “another key fact to remember” to introduce additional facts without using the word “also”. Example: “As a Romantic, Blake was a proponent of a closer relationship between humans and nature. Another key point to remember is that Blake was writing during the Industrial Revolution, which had a major impact on the world around him.”

12. As well as

Usage: Use “as well as” instead of “also” or “and”. Example: “Scholar A argued that this was due to X, as well as Y.”

13. Not only… but also

Usage: This wording is used to add an extra piece of information, often something that’s in some way more surprising or unexpected than the first piece of information. Example: “Not only did Edmund Hillary have the honour of being the first to reach the summit of Everest, but he was also appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire.”

14. Coupled with

Usage: Used when considering two or more arguments at a time. Example: “Coupled with the literary evidence, the statistics paint a compelling view of…”

15. Firstly, secondly, thirdly…

Usage: This can be used to structure an argument, presenting facts clearly one after the other. Example: “There are many points in support of this view. Firstly, X. Secondly, Y. And thirdly, Z.

16. Not to mention/to say nothing of

Usage: “Not to mention” and “to say nothing of” can be used to add extra information with a bit of emphasis. Example: “The war caused unprecedented suffering to millions of people, not to mention its impact on the country’s economy.”

Words and phrases for demonstrating contrast

When you’re developing an argument, you will often need to present contrasting or opposing opinions or evidence – “it could show this, but it could also show this”, or “X says this, but Y disagrees”. This section covers words you can use instead of the “but” in these examples, to make your writing sound more intelligent and interesting.

17. However

Usage: Use “however” to introduce a point that disagrees with what you’ve just said. Example: “Scholar A thinks this. However, Scholar B reached a different conclusion.”

18. On the other hand

Usage: Usage of this phrase includes introducing a contrasting interpretation of the same piece of evidence, a different piece of evidence that suggests something else, or an opposing opinion. Example: “The historical evidence appears to suggest a clear-cut situation. On the other hand, the archaeological evidence presents a somewhat less straightforward picture of what happened that day.”

19. Having said that

Usage: Used in a similar manner to “on the other hand” or “but”. Example: “The historians are unanimous in telling us X, an agreement that suggests that this version of events must be an accurate account. Having said that, the archaeology tells a different story.”

20. By contrast/in comparison

Usage: Use “by contrast” or “in comparison” when you’re comparing and contrasting pieces of evidence. Example: “Scholar A’s opinion, then, is based on insufficient evidence. By contrast, Scholar B’s opinion seems more plausible.”

21. Then again

Usage: Use this to cast doubt on an assertion. Example: “Writer A asserts that this was the reason for what happened. Then again, it’s possible that he was being paid to say this.”

22. That said

Usage: This is used in the same way as “then again”. Example: “The evidence ostensibly appears to point to this conclusion. That said, much of the evidence is unreliable at best.”

Usage: Use this when you want to introduce a contrasting idea. Example: “Much of scholarship has focused on this evidence. Yet not everyone agrees that this is the most important aspect of the situation.”

Adding a proviso or acknowledging reservations

Sometimes, you may need to acknowledge a shortfalling in a piece of evidence, or add a proviso. Here are some ways of doing so.

24. Despite this

Usage: Use “despite this” or “in spite of this” when you want to outline a point that stands regardless of a shortfalling in the evidence. Example: “The sample size was small, but the results were important despite this.”

25. With this in mind

Usage: Use this when you want your reader to consider a point in the knowledge of something else. Example: “We’ve seen that the methods used in the 19th century study did not always live up to the rigorous standards expected in scientific research today, which makes it difficult to draw definite conclusions. With this in mind, let’s look at a more recent study to see how the results compare.”

26. Provided that

Usage: This means “on condition that”. You can also say “providing that” or just “providing” to mean the same thing. Example: “We may use this as evidence to support our argument, provided that we bear in mind the limitations of the methods used to obtain it.”

27. In view of/in light of

Usage: These phrases are used when something has shed light on something else. Example: “In light of the evidence from the 2013 study, we have a better understanding of…”

28. Nonetheless

Usage: This is similar to “despite this”. Example: “The study had its limitations, but it was nonetheless groundbreaking for its day.”

29. Nevertheless

Usage: This is the same as “nonetheless”. Example: “The study was flawed, but it was important nevertheless.”

30. Notwithstanding

Usage: This is another way of saying “nonetheless”. Example: “Notwithstanding the limitations of the methodology used, it was an important study in the development of how we view the workings of the human mind.”

Giving examples

Good essays always back up points with examples, but it’s going to get boring if you use the expression “for example” every time. Here are a couple of other ways of saying the same thing.

31. For instance

Example: “Some birds migrate to avoid harsher winter climates. Swallows, for instance, leave the UK in early winter and fly south…”

32. To give an illustration

Example: “To give an illustration of what I mean, let’s look at the case of…”

Signifying importance

When you want to demonstrate that a point is particularly important, there are several ways of highlighting it as such.

33. Significantly

Usage: Used to introduce a point that is loaded with meaning that might not be immediately apparent. Example: “Significantly, Tacitus omits to tell us the kind of gossip prevalent in Suetonius’ accounts of the same period.”

34. Notably

Usage: This can be used to mean “significantly” (as above), and it can also be used interchangeably with “in particular” (the example below demonstrates the first of these ways of using it). Example: “Actual figures are notably absent from Scholar A’s analysis.”

35. Importantly

Usage: Use “importantly” interchangeably with “significantly”. Example: “Importantly, Scholar A was being employed by X when he wrote this work, and was presumably therefore under pressure to portray the situation more favourably than he perhaps might otherwise have done.”

Summarising

You’ve almost made it to the end of the essay, but your work isn’t over yet. You need to end by wrapping up everything you’ve talked about, showing that you’ve considered the arguments on both sides and reached the most likely conclusion. Here are some words and phrases to help you.

36. In conclusion

Usage: Typically used to introduce the concluding paragraph or sentence of an essay, summarising what you’ve discussed in a broad overview. Example: “In conclusion, the evidence points almost exclusively to Argument A.”

37. Above all

Usage: Used to signify what you believe to be the most significant point, and the main takeaway from the essay. Example: “Above all, it seems pertinent to remember that…”

38. Persuasive

Usage: This is a useful word to use when summarising which argument you find most convincing. Example: “Scholar A’s point – that Constanze Mozart was motivated by financial gain – seems to me to be the most persuasive argument for her actions following Mozart’s death.”

39. Compelling

Usage: Use in the same way as “persuasive” above. Example: “The most compelling argument is presented by Scholar A.”

40. All things considered

Usage: This means “taking everything into account”. Example: “All things considered, it seems reasonable to assume that…”

How many of these words and phrases will you get into your next essay? And are any of your favourite essay terms missing from our list? Let us know in the comments below, or get in touch here to find out more about courses that can help you with your essays.

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100 Sentence Starters to Engage Students in Every Subject

by Kristen Nance

Have you ever carefully organized a class discussion, only to have your students sit silently and stare at each other? This post is for you. If you’ve ever had a class discussion fly off the rails and detour into the land of weekend plans and video games… this post is for you. Sentence stems, or sentence starters are the key to a lively, educational discussion that stays on track and helps everyone get involved.

Why are sentence starters useful?

Research shows sentence stems are crucial for supporting ELL students, but all of your students can benefit! While some kids come to us already adept at discussion, most will need a little help. Many students feel shy or even scared of saying the wrong thing. Some students don’t know how to cede the floor to others. In addition to supporting your students in knowing how to phrase their thoughts and ideas, they also keep the classroom conversation on track. Read on for 100 sentence starters you can use in your classroom to elevate your discussions from mediocre to miraculous!

Math sentence stems

• I used _____ strategy because…
• The steps I took are…
• Another way to solve this is…
• My first step was…
• I solved it differently, by…
• I used the same strategy, but…
• I can prove it by…
• My answer is reasonable because…
• I can check my work by…
• The method that worked for me was…
• I believe this is true because…
• One example is…
• The keywords that helped me…
• I chose this operation because…
• I can visualize this problem by…
• The information needed to solve is…
• I am confused about ______ because…
• I need more information about…
• When I checked my work, I noticed______

ELA sentence stems

• In the text it says…
• The text explicitly states…
• One example from the text is…
• On page _____ it says…
• The author stated that…
• The reader can infer…
• The text implies…
• Because of this…
• The text reveals…
• I share your perspective…
• I don’t share your perspective…
• I have a different viewpoint…
• According to the source…
• I hear what you’re saying, but…
• This reminds me of____ because…
• Could it also be that…
• I think the author was trying to say…
• One thing I don’t understand about this text is…

Science stems

• I observed…
• The cause of_____ was…
• The effect of ______ was…
• The model shows…
• The benefits of this____ are…
• The limitations of this___ are…
• The data shows…
• We began this investigation by…
• The pattern I noticed…
• I was surprised that…
• I still want to know…
• Based on____, I can conclude that…
• My hypothesis was correct/incorrect…
• The results proved that…
• If I were to do this again, one thing I would change is…
• I expect to see…
• The outcome might be changed if…
• _____ and ____ are the same because…
• _____ and ____ are different because…
• A property ______ and _____ share in common is…
• A property ______ and _____ do not share in common is…
• From my research, I can conclude…

Social studies sentence starters

• The cause of ____ was…
• The most likely reason for ____ was…
• _____ wanted _____ because…
• This impacted _____ because…
• The most significant cause of _____ was____ because…
• The similarities between _____ and _____ are…
• The differences between _____ and _____ are…
• One piece of evidence that supports my decisions is…
• I wonder what ___ was like in____ (time period)…
• ____ was important because…
• During that time…
• This event occurred due to…
• One effect of ____ was…
• If I had lived during this time period I would…
• The ____ represents…
• During his/her lifetime…
• Soon after____ (event)…
• The text indicates that ____ was important to _____ because…
• I know from other sources that____ was happening during…
• When the author was alive, many people thought…

Universal stems

• I believe that____ because…
• To add to ____’s response…
• I agree because…
• I disagree because…
• This reminded me of…
• My evidence is…
• In my opinion…
• I have a question about…
• One could argue…
• To summarize…
• I like what ____ said because…
• I was wondering if…
• What I hear you saying is…
• From my perspective…
• I’m thinking…
• We decided that…
• Our group came up with…
• We determined that the correct answer is…
• Another thing to consider is…

The next time your lesson plan calls for a class discussion, try teaching students to use a few of these sentence starters in their responses. With a little practice, students will adjust to framing their discussions in this way, and you will likely notice an elevated sense of rigor and engagement.

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Shockingly Appealing Starter Sentences For Essays 

The way of using words is fundamental for conveying the primary message of the essay effectively and accurately. The key to successful essays is the flow of the essay, and the key to the flow of the essay is the effectiveness of sentence starters in every paragraph of the essay.

Sentence starters are the phrases that help introduce the rest of a paragraph in an essay. Check out this exclusive blog by a professional essay service that details starter sentences for essays and how to effectively use them within the context.

Table of Contents

What Are The Sentence Starters For Essays?

Sentence starters are phrases that help in connecting the paragraphs in an essay and organizing all the information. They are a set of words that are used at the start of the sentence in order to introduce what the rest of the sentence and paragraph are going to be about.

With sentence starters, the essay will look more organized and complex to understand. Starter sentences for essays can be pretty challenging, so if you get stuck somewhere in your essay, feel free to contact our professional essay writers to help you with your essay and elevate it to perfection.

Essay Sentence Starters

There are different types of sentence starters that help organize an essay; in the below section, we have shared some of the best examples of sentence starters according to the kind of sentence that accompanies them.

Starter Sentences For Essays Introduction

The introduction of an essay is very important in order to grab the reader’s attention and hook them to read the essay till the end. The starter sentences in the introduction describe what the essay is about and what it aims for. Let’s take a look at some of the good first sentences for essays.

“This essay discusses…”

“This study aims to…”

“The previous research in the area interpreted…”

“The primary purpose of this essay is…”

“The main subject of our research is….”

Essay Topic Sentence Starters

It would help if you introduced the topic to the audience at the start of your essay. It would help to reveal what your essay is about and what the readers can take away from it. Suppose your essay topic is  what is a descriptive paragraph , you need to introduce it by describing what the essay aims to deliver. It will declare the essay’s purpose and what the readers can expect from it. Following are some sentence starters for topics.

“In this paper…”

“Below, you will find…”

“This essay details…”

“This paper aims to…”

“This discussion is about…”

“The primary purpose of this essay…”

Body Paragraph Starter Sentences For Essays

Body paragraphs are present in the essay’s body, which explains the evidence and the factual information. It’s essential for all the body paragraphs to be interconnected and relevant to each other because they need to resonate with the central thesis statement of the essay.

The transition from one paragraph to another gives a flow to the essay. Let’s take a look at some sentence starters for body paragraphs.

“Moreover…”

“Therefore…”

“Additionally…”

“In this case…”

“Secondly…”

“Furthermore…”

“Moving on…”

“Eventually…”

Good Starter Sentences For Comparison

In an essay, the writer analyzes, interprets, and evaluates the evidence they collect in order to make their main claim. That’s why it’s essential to cater to the evidence, transition towards the counterclaims, and then make a judgment based on it. Without proper organization, the essay will be just a cluster of data that hasn’t been transformed into information properly.

That’s why it’s essential to use starter sentences for every argument you are going to discuss in order to show its relation with the rest of the content. Following are some sentence starters for showing comparison and contrast between two paragraphs or two concepts.

“In contrast…”

“In comparison…”

“Unlike the previous point…”

“To compare…”

“This statement contrasts…”

“Likewise…”

“In the same way…”

Starter Sentences For Essays For Sequences and Lists

An essay also has several series and sequences that help show the classification of different elements. These sequences might organize other points of the same concept or multiple discussion points. It helps write instructions and gives a flow to the series of events and how they impacted the main thesis statement or argument.

“First of all…”

“Firstly…” 

“Thirdly…” 

“In the end…” 

“Afterwards…”

“Eventually…”

 “Once again…”

Sentence Starters For Adding New Points

In the midst of writing an essay and interpreting evidence, if you feel the need to introduce a new point of discussion, you need to do it with the proper sentence starters. You can’t just throw new discussion points in the essay because it will make your context look disorganized and confusing. The following sentence starters are going to help you transition to new points.

“On the other hand…”

“Even more important…

“In addition…”

“Otherwise…”

“Unlike this…”

“Further on this issue…” 

Starter Sentence For References

There are plenty of instances where you will have to quote information from other sources in your essay. To reference an outside source to support your claim, you must properly take the reader to that point. Refrain from mentioning the references without writing them differently from the rest of the text. Use the following starter sentences to quote the references.

“According to….”

“Based on the findings of…”

“As previous research described…”

“As explained by…”

“With Regards to…”

“As explored by…”

As seen in…”

“With regards to…”

Sentence Starters To Present Uncertainties

At some point in your essay, there might be some points that will bring doubt to your statement. You will have to make sure that it won’t weaken your thesis and affect your research. Sentence starters also help in making the thesis and  essay longer with words  that are necessary only, and help you stay away from redundancy. You need to cater to those points of discussion in a positive light and provide a better context in which those points of conversation can be correct.

“Although the results suggest…”

“It Is plausible that…”

“This statement might be true, but…”

“It remains unclear whether…”

“It’s hard to say that…”

“Although not proven…”

“It’s possible that…”

“Then again…”

“It may be that…”

“While debatable…”

“Conversely…”

“Notwithstanding…”

“Despite that…”

Starter Sentences For Essays Conclusion

The conclusion is a mandatory part of an essay because it summarizes all the information, points, and aspects discussed in the essay context. The conclusion plays a vital role in gathering all the potential points to show the key results the essay has found and how it achieved the set goal.

“In summary…”

“To summarize…”

“In conclusion…”

“To conclude…”

“In review…”

“To sum up…”

“To review…”

“Over All…”

“On the whole…”

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Sentence Starters For Examples

It would help if you used sentence starters before adding an example in your essay as well. You have to make sure that the readers understand if you are speaking hypothetically or giving some examples to make your point across. Following are some starter words that you can use before stating an example.

“For example…”

“We can see this in…”

“Consider the following case of…”

“This is evidenced by…”

“To illustrate…”

“For instance…”

“Specifically…”

“Let’s understand with an example…”

“Considering this…”

“Take the example of…”

Sentence Starters To Present Cause And Effect

You need to present the causes and effects of some problems and social issues in society and to get your point across to the reader; you need to use the right words and transitions. Following are the starter sentences that will help you transition from explaining causes or effects.

“As a result…”

“Accordingly…”

“Consequently…”

“Because of…”

“For this reason…”

“This means that…”

“That is why…”

“It clarifies that…”

Sentence Starters for Showing Emphasis

There are some sets of words that help represent the emphasis on specific concepts or phrases. Sometimes, these sentence starters are used in the conclusion of an essay to show the importance of the critical results. Following are some sentence starters that you can use in the context to display emphasis on specific points.

“Above all…”

“Above mentioned…”

“Undoubtedly…”

“Unarguably…”

“Generally speaking…”

“Most importantly…”

“Obviously…”

Sentence starters for Traditional Accepted Concepts

You might have to use some traditionally accepted terms and concepts in your essay in order to show relevance to the social norms. These sentence starters help readers understand the position of that particular concept and where it stands from the viewpoints of the research. Let’s take a look at sentence starters in this category.

“Initially…”

“Conventionally…”

“In the past…”

“Historically…”

“Commercially…”

“Until now…”

“Customarily…”

“Culturally…”

“Ethically…”

“Recently…”

“Previously…”

Why Sentence Starters for Essays are Important?

Sentence starters are a highly recommended set of words that uplifts an essay to perfection. Instructors and professors across the globe always suggest and recommend sentence starters and  writing conventions  in order to write an impactful essay.

Sentence starters help in grabbing the reader’s attention and make them focus on what the position of the following sentence is in the essay. These sentences also help readers understand the level and purpose of writing. It will make it easy for the reader to follow the essay flow comprehendingly.

Starter sentences are going to provide a roadmap to your essay and estimate which direction your research and finding are going. If you use the starter sentences that tell the reader what the topic previously has done, what are the present implications, and what future opportunities it has, it will resonate with the importance of your research topic and thesis statement.

Starter sentences provide a smooth transition from one point to another. It might be confusing to just jump onto a new point of discussion, that’s why starter sentences help in creating context and actually making sense of most of the content. Starter sentences are also very helpful for students who skim through an essay.

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Wrapping Up

You’ve made it to the end of this ultimate guide to use starter sentences for essays. Sentence starters in essays are very important because they help in conveying the actual message of the writer. They are very essential in showing relevancy, reference, and transition from one thought, concept, idea, or topic to another. 

There are sentence starters for every possible scenario, whether the introduction, body paragraphs, or conclusion. You can also use starter sentences to show sequences, timing, expression, uncertainties, new points, cause and effect, emphasis, and comparison.

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Academic Phrasebank

• GENERAL LANGUAGE FUNCTIONS
• Being cautious
• Being critical
• Classifying and listing
• Compare and contrast
• Defining terms
• Describing trends
• Describing quantities
• Explaining causality
• Giving examples
• Signalling transition
• Writing about the past

The Academic Phrasebank is a general resource for academic writers. It aims to provide you with examples of some of the phraseological ‘nuts and bolts’ of writing organised according to the main sections of a research paper or dissertation (see the top menu ). Other phrases are listed under the more general communicative functions of academic writing (see the menu on the left). The resource should be particularly useful for writers who need to report their research work. The phrases, and the headings under which they are listed, can be used simply to assist you in thinking about the content and organisation of your own writing, or the phrases can be incorporated into your writing where this is appropriate. In most cases, a certain amount of creativity and adaptation will be necessary when a phrase is used. The items in the Academic Phrasebank are mostly content neutral and generic in nature; in using them, therefore, you are not stealing other people’s ideas and this does not constitute plagiarism. For some of the entries, specific content words have been included for illustrative purposes, and these should be substituted when the phrases are used. The resource was designed primarily for academic and scientific writers who are non-native speakers of English. However, native speaker writers may still find much of the material helpful. In fact, recent data suggest that the majority of users are native speakers of English. More about  Academic Phrasebank .

This site was created by  John Morley .  

Academic Phrasebank is the Intellectual Property of the University of Manchester.

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Sentence starters

Academic writing may seem difficult to grasp. As you become familiar with the language of your discipline, patterns will emerge in the way sentences are put together. Like everything, practise will make a difference to your level of comfort with academic writing.

Try these sample sentence beginnings to get you started.

Some additional points need to be considered… This approach raises some important questions… It might seem as if… The main concern of this assignment is… Some writers have suggested… Various people have emphasised… Numerous studies ( ) have been conducted… Most of the evidence indicates… It must be acknowledged that… In the main, the findings suggest that… This is clearly at odds with… Further support can be found in the work of… A recurring theme in the report is… These authors imply that… On the issue of… Writing in the Australian content… There is consistent evidence that… In line with predictions… It is worth noting that… Contrary to expectations… On the basis of the first experiment… On the basis of this, it can be inferred that… With the exception of (… ), there has been little published work aimed at… Insufficient information exists about… Researchers have employed different methods, thus it is not surprising that results have tended to be equivocal… Research has yielded some interesting, albeit seemingly contradictory, results… These findings are particularly intriguing given the extensive literature on… By logical extension, it can be argued that… Similar inferences can be drawn from…

(Sourced from previous Charles Sturt University website; now the CSU guide for HSC students )

Download our helpsheet, University Speak , for more samples of writing with an ‘academic flavour’.

If you use Chicago citation style, here is your version of it: University Speak – Footnotes.

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Sentence Starters for Essays: A Complete Guide on Its Use and Tips

Table Of Contents

What is a sentence starter, importance of sentence starters for essay, are transition words and sentence starters the same, tips on how to start a sentence in an essay, how to find a good opening sentence for essay, different types of sentence starters to match different requirements, need help with sentence starters hire our experts.

Studying in high school or college is surely one of the best phases of everyone's life. But even this beautiful phase has its own challenges. Writing essays for school and different academic writing tasks is a bit challenging for students.

It has been loudly declared by most high school students that pick suitable sentence starters for essays . This is the toughest moment they face whenever they think about writing something.

The jinx is over now. This blog will introduce many wonderful ideas about how and what sentence starter for essay to pick to start with. We have segregated the whole blog into different subcategories so that you don't miss anything important when it comes to the wise use of good essay sentence starters .

Even if this guide is not enough for you and you are still struggling hard to compose your essays, hiring a professional service can save you time and your grades. Such services are deliberately kept affordable to help out a large number of students. When you are ready to pay for essay , contacting us is best because their work ethics are unparalleled. Now, let's begin and learn what university essay sentence starters are.

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Generally, a essay writing sentence starters can be defined as a set of words or phrases that we put at the beginning of a sentence. A sentence starter gives a strong indication of what your essay/paragraph is going to focus on and what type of essay it is.

Essay sentence openers are not at all necessary to be always sensational. It is best to keep it relevant and interesting to grab the attention of the reader. Now you know what it is, move on to the next section to learn the importance of sentence starters essay .

An essay should always have a vision and clarity as it explains or introduces something to the readers. How you open the door for them to your article plays a critical role in keeping their interest intact till the end.

A set of good essay sentence starters comes under the most crucial components of any write-up. They help the writer to set the stage for readers with a clue about what to expect next. Essay sentence openers hold the power to bring cohesion to lengthy pieces of writing, especially academic essays.

You can also put essay opening sentence/phrases to good use by using them to make a smooth transition from one paragraph to another. If you put the essay introduction sentence starters at a paragraph's beginning, it often the sharp shifts within your article.

The importance of sentence starters in any sort of writing cannot be overlooked. Getting help from essay writing service providers can assist students in making the best of it out of them. But, before that, you must know whether transition words and sentence starters for essays are the same or not.

Wondering What Sentence Starters to Use in an Essay?

Reach out to Our Experts and Let them Resolve All Your Doubts and Queries

If we put it simply, transition words are the group of words or phrases that helps the writer to connect the thoughts or ideas between two sentences or paragraphs. This makes things less abrupt and more fluid.

Transition words can be used as good sentence starters for essays and vice versa. But not all transition words can fit the category of sentence starters.

If you choose professional writing help to make your essay outstanding, the service providers usually assign that task to an efficient UK essays writer. Such writers know exactly how to blend the right amount of transitional words and sentence starters. 

A Few Useful Transition Words as University Essay Sentence Starters

To help you in making writing more creative yet tightly knitted pieces, here is a list of some useful transition words:

• Alternatively
• At this time
• Consequently
• In effect of
• In contrast
• In other words

These transition words are quite simple to try as an opening sentence for essay or paragraph. They don't take much of your effort to improve your writing style.

Till now, you just get familiar with sentence starters for essays . In the upcoming section, you will know some tips to use it properly in essays.

Also Read:  A Guide to Double Spaced Essay (Process, Significance, Tips)

Writing an essay is not just jotting down your ideas and expressing them in words. There is more to it, particularly when you are writing something related to your academics. Be careful with the words to use in an essay . The most difficult part remains the introductory part. So, take a look at the following tips before you start the essay:

• Make a rough draft of your thoughts, ideas and how you want to execute that in writing.
• Choose an interesting title for your essay.
• List down a few good essay introduction sentence starters. Read carefully through your essay requirements to understand what is expected from your essay
• Organise your points in a logical order
• Keep sentences together that make sense with each other in a paragraph
• Think about a way to grab the attention of the reader
• Your introduction paragraph should say what the article is going to be about
• Never skip the conclusion part
• You can use previously written essay examples as reference

The quality of your essay's first paragraph heavily determines the whole writing's success. You must start the first paragraph interestingly so that reader gets hooked. A good opening sentence for essay can do that for you.

Here is how to pick a stimulating essay opening sentence:

• Your language should be clear and strong
• You can add some element of surprise
• Find something that can help you to pop up the main topic
• Don't use phrases like "I think" or "It may be". Instead, you may write "I believe" or "I am sure that", etc.

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In this section, we have categorised a hoard of sentence starters for essays to serve different purposes. We hope these categories will help everyone, including students, to write more powerful essays.

Starters for Writing Essay Topic Sentence

A topic sentence sets the stage for the reader by stating the subject of the essay in the upcoming paragraphs. Here is the list of topic sentences to give you a clue about how to start a sentence in an essay introduction.

• This paper aims to…
• Today's topic covered in the paper includes…
• This write-up focuses on…
• One reason why…
• The first thing to note is…

Sentence Starter Ideas for Closing Sentences

Just like a captivating introduction, it is equally crucial to close your essay with the right tone. You can choose from the following phrases to draft the final sentence while looking for sentence starters for university essays.

• In light of what we have discussed…
• Put simply…
• Pieces of evidence and facts suggest that…
• As conclusion…
• To conclude…
• To sum it up…
• Taking everything into account…
• In the final analysis…
• On the whole…

Starters for Hooks

To grab the attention of readers, you can use anything you like from the below list of essay sentence starters:

• Just as… [for an analogy]
• Do you know that…[for a fact]
• As per… [for a statistic]

Starters for Denoting Orders/List

Here comes the group of starters for listing ideas:

• The second…

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Starters for Elaborating

Looking for an essay sentence starter to elaborate on an idea? Take a look at the below-mentioned phrases:

• In other words…
• For example,
• To elaborate…
• Another way to put it would be…
• In simple words...

Starters for Contrasting/Comparing

If you need sentence starters for writing essays for contrasting and comparing two or more things, here are some good ideas:

• The flip side is…
• Rather than…
• Apart from…
• In contrast to…
• Compared to…
• On the other hand…
• Even though…

Starters for Cause and Effect Essays

Here are some wonderful ways to start a sentence in an essay to describe the reason or effect of something:

• That's why…
• In that case…
• This being the scenario…
• So that's why…
• Subsequently…

Starters for Sharing Background Info

Following are the good sentence starters for essays for giving brief background information in the paper:

• As everyone knows…
• In this age of…
• As mentioned previously…

Writing a good essay is not just about conveying your thoughts. You should make it intriguing to keep the reader glued to the last word. The sentence starters for essays are great tools for making the article more engaging. For any kind of professional help with writing academic essays, Assignment Desk is always ready to assist you.

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Friday Briefing

The Supreme Court considers presidential immunity.

By Daniel E. Slotnik

Supreme Court appeared to favor presidential immunity

The Supreme Court’s conservative majority appeared ready yesterday to rule that former presidents have some degree of immunity from criminal prosecution , which could further delay the criminal case against Donald Trump on charges that he plotted to subvert the 2020 election.

Such a ruling would most likely send the case back to the trial court, ordering it to draw distinctions between official and private conduct. Though there was seeming consensus among the justices that the criminal case could eventually go forward based on Trump’s private actions, the additional proceedings could make it hard to conduct the trial before the 2024 election in November.

If Trump wins the White House, he can order the Justice Department to drop the charges against him. Here are takeaways from the argument.

In Trump’s New York trial, on charges of falsifying business records, David Pecker, the former publisher of The National Enquirer, told jurors in vivid detail how Trump depended on him to buy and bury damaging stories that could have derailed Trump’s 2016 campaign.

U.S. Army began building a floating pier off Gaza’s coast

U.S. Army engineers yesterday began constructing a floating pier off the coast of Gaza that could help relief workers deliver up to two million meals a day, Defense Department officials said.

The pier is meant to allow humanitarian aid to bypass Israeli restrictions on land convoys into the besieged strip. But aid workers and defense officials said that the maritime project is not an adequate substitute for more overland aid.

Defense officials expected the project to be completed early next month. Experts have said that famine is likely to set in within Gaza by the end of May.

More Gaza news:

Palestinian officials in Gaza announced the discovery of more bodies in a mass grave on the grounds of a hospital , increasing the tally to 392 from 283.

President Biden and 17 other world leaders called on Hamas to release all remaining hostages .

José Andrés, the chef who founded World Central Kitchen, eulogized seven workers for his aid organization who were killed in Gaza by Israeli drones.

Harvey Weinstein’s New York conviction overturned

New York’s highest court overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 conviction on felony sex crime charges , a reversal that horrified many of the women whose decision to speak out against Weinstein, a prominent Hollywood producer, accelerated the #MeToo movement.

The court said that the trial judge who presided over the sex crimes case made a critical error by allowing prosecutors to call as witnesses several women who testified that Weinstein had assaulted them, even though none of those allegations had led to charges.

Weinstein is still not a free man. He is facing a 16-year sentence in California, and Manhattan’s district attorney said through a spokeswoman that he planned to retry the 2020 case.

MORE TOP NEWS

East Africa: At least 200 people were killed across the region after torrential rains caused floods and landslides.

Haiti: A transitional council was formed yesterday to help the Caribbean country, which has been destabilized by gang violence, build a new government .

West and Central Africa: The U.S. is withdrawing dozens of troops from Chad in another blow to American security and counterterrorism policy in the region as nearby African nations turn away from Washington to consider partnerships with Russia.

Climate: Coal-fired power plants in the U.S. will have to reduce 90 percent of their greenhouse pollution by 2039 or shut down, according to new regulations that will likely be challenged by Republicans, electric utilities and the coal industry.

Health: Regulators have discovered fragments of the H5N1 bird flu virus in a fifth of retail milk samples tested in the U.S. — the strongest signal yet that the outbreak in dairy cows is extensive.

Ukraine: Russia is relentlessly attacking Chasiv Yar , a hilltop town that would allow the Kremlin to target key cities in the Donetsk region.

Iran: A court sentenced to death a dissident rapper who released music supporting the antigovernment demonstrations in 2022, his lawyer said.

European Politics

Spain: Political turmoil erupted after the prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, publicly weighed resigning from his post after a judge agreed to investigate his wife, Begoña Gómez, for influence peddling. Sánchez claimed the charges were false.

Greece: A small far-right party will not be allowed to field candidates for the European Parliament after the country’s Supreme Court found that it was essentially a new version of a banned neo-Nazi party.

France: Emmanuel Macron, the country’s president, gave a sweeping speech on the need for a more assertive Europe .

Scotland: The power-sharing agreement between the Scottish National Party and the Scottish Green Party ended abruptly yesterda y.

The Week in Culture

“Challengers”: Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, Mike Faist and the director Luca Guadagnino discussed their new film about a love triangle among tennis stars . Our fashion critics discussed their outfits in the movie.

Vanished from Hollywood: Shelley Duvall, who starred in “The Shining,” talks about returning to acting after two decades away.

MORNING READ

Our critic Jason Farago writes that the 2024 Venice Biennale, which opened this week, is at best a missed opportunity, and at worst something like an artistic tragedy.

The real problem is how the show tokenizes, essentializes, minimizes and pigeonholes the more than 300 talented artists it showcases, Farago writes . While there was much he liked in the exhibition, he writes that “the human complexity of artists gets upstaged by their designation as group members, and art itself gets reduced to a symptom or a triviality.”

CONVERSATION STARTERS

Crowded Canals: Venice is trying to limit tourism with a small fee on busy days .

Fallen star: The windmill blades came off the Moulin Rouge, in Paris. But the cabaret is still open, and the show will go on.

Blacked out: A British publisher redacted a part of Rebel Wilson’s memoir that details allegations of inappropriate behavior by Sacha Baron Cohen.

SPORTS NEWS

Coaching moves: Which soccer managers are going where ?

French Open: Rafael Nadal cast doubt over playing Roland Garros unless he starts feeling better.

Host options dwindling: Salt Lake City is lined up for the 2034 Winter Olympics — and maybe beyond.

ARTS AND IDEAS

30 years since the end of apartheid.

By Amelia Nierenberg

South Africans will commemorate the 30th anniversary of the first post-apartheid elections tomorrow.

A little more than a month later, on May 29, they will vote in a national election that could bring about a big shift: The African National Congress, which has governed for those three decades, could lose its majority for the first time.

“It almost feels impossible to separate the election year from the major anniversary year,” my colleague Lynsey Chutel, who reports from Johannesburg, told me.

“The anniversary is forcing not just parties, but also South Africans, to reflect: ‘What do the last 30 years mean to us?’” she added. “‘And how do we get back that political optimism and economic strength?’”

How does the legacy of apartheid shape life in South Africa today?

Lynsey: If you’re walking down the streets of a suburb in Johannesburg, you can look around at the gains made. It’s a leafy suburb. There are sidewalk cafes. People are chatting.

But the majority of people who are enjoying that progress are white. And the majority of people who are servers or in low-wage jobs are Black. Black South Africans simply haven’t caught up in terms of wealth.

Let’s fast-forward to next month’s election. What is the mood?

The A.N.C.’s popularity is possibly at its lowest, and it has never had to work so hard to convince South Africans to vote for them. Some young people see this vote as being as pivotal as 1994’s. Many are deeply disillusioned. High unemployment and corruption scandals have eroded their faith in politicians.

Opposition parties are stepping up and saying, “We are finally in a place where we think we can lead now.”

That is a huge shift from 1994, which felt like an affirmation of Nelson Mandela and his party, and the end of apartheid. This year, the mood among the voters I’ve spoken to is, “How do we use the elections to get the country back on track and take advantage of that post-apartheid freedom?”

RECOMMENDATIONS

Bake: This rich, special-occasion cake with pecans and coconut is a great weekend project.

Read: These books can help mourners navigate grief .

Listen: These are five great classical music albums to listen to right now.

Consider: Could calorie restriction extend your life? Read what scientists know .

Play the Spelling Bee . And here are today’s Mini Crossword and Wordle . You can find all our puzzles here .

That’s all for this week. Have a wonderful weekend, and see you on Monday. — Dan

You can reach us at [email protected] .

Thanks to Lynsey Chutel.

Daniel E. Slotnik is a general assignment reporter on the Metro desk and a 2020 New York Times reporting fellow. More about Daniel E. Slotnik