Sentence Starters

The Basics
  • A sentence is a collection of words and/or phrases that expresses a complete thought. 
  • A sentence must have a subject (names the person, place, thing, or idea) and a predicate (the action the subject takes or its description). 
  •  Example:
    • Her sister plays outside 
      • "Her sister" is the subject. 
      • "plays outside" is the predicate. 
How to Start a Sentence
  • There are many ways to begin sentences. 
  • You can start with: 
    • The Simple Subject
    • Prepositional phrase(s)
    • Gerund Phrase
    • Dependent Clauses
The Simple Subject
  • The simple subject is what the sentence will be addressing. 
  • As a simple subject, the word is usually something concise like a name, pronoun, place, or idea. 
  • Starting a sentence with a simple subject addresses the topic of discussion quickly and concisely. 
  • Examples:
    • I am studying late tonight. 
      • "I" is the simple subject. 
      • New York City never sleeps. 
      • "New York City" is the simple subject.
Prepositional Phrases
  • A prepositional phrase is a phrase that begins with a preposition (of, on, in, through, near, etc.).
  • Starting a sentence with a prepositional phrase usually gives a little background information about your topic before you dive into the discussion of it. 
  • Examples: 
    • At the end of the road, a wolf growled angrily. 
    • On top of the roof, my dad put up the Christmas lights. 
    • Across the lake was a city. 
Gerund Phrases
  • A gerund phrase is a phrase that takes on the verb form using it as a noun. (Gerunds end in "ing.")
  • Starting a sentence with a gerund phrase is an adequate way to discuss an activity or something that is usually considered a verb. 
  • Examples: 
    • Drinking too much soda is unhealthy. 
    • Hiking in the mountains can be dangerous. 
    • Riding in airplanes makes me sick. 
Dependent Clauses
  • A dependent clause is a clause that cannot stand as its own sentence. 
  • Starting a sentence with any dependent clause gives further detail before mentioning the subject of the sentence. 
  • Examples: 
    • Although we arrived to class late, the professor showed us mercy. 
    • Even though the children behaved poorly, they still received desert. 
    • Before moving on to the next chapter, I read the preface.