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Sentence Starters for Essays

A sentence starter is simply a word or a phrase that will help you to get your sentence going when you feel stuck, and it can be helpful in many different situations. A good sentence starter can help you better transition from one paragraph to another or connect two ideas. If not started correctly, your sentence will likely sound choppy, and your reader might not be able to follow your thoughts.

Below, we will explain when sentence starters for essays are used and what types of them exist. We will then give you plenty of examples of sentence-starter words and phrases that you can use in your writing.

Note: To learn more about word choice in academic writing, you can read our guide: Words to Use in an Essay

Why you need good sentence starters

In academic writing, sentence starters are usually used to connect one idea to another. Sentence starters make your essay coherent as they are often used to transition from one paragraph to another. In other words, they glue your writing together so that it makes sense and is easy to read.

You can also use sentence starters inside paragraphs. This will help you to better transition from one idea to another. It can make your writing flow better and sound more unified if done correctly.

When sentence starters are used

You don’t have to use them in every sentence, but they can be helpful if you feel like your ideas are choppy or you want to connect two thoughts. If overused, sentence starters can make your writing sound repetitive and distracting to the reader.

Here’s a list of cases where you should consider using sentence starters:

  • To transition from one paragraph or section of your writing to another
  • To introduce a new idea at the start of your essay or paragraph
  • To start the final paragraph and conclude the entire essay
  • To emphasize something important
  • To create a hook and grab your reader’s attention
  • To clarify something or give brief background information

These are just some common situations for using sentence starters, and this list is not definitive. If you can’t decide whether or not to use a sentence starter, it’s usually best to err on the side of not using one. If your paragraph flows nicely, don’t overthink it and move on with your essay writing .

What are the different types of sentence starters?

Sentence starters vary based on what you want to achieve in the sentence you’re starting. Here are some of the most common purposes that define what sentence starter you need to apply, along with some examples.

Starters for hooks

If you want to grab your reader’s attention in the first paragraph and make them want to read your essay, you need to use introduction sentence starters that are attention-grabbing and interesting. Some common sentence starters for essay hooks are:

  • Did you know that… (for a fact)
  • When I was… (for an anecdote)
  • Just as… (for an analogy)
  • According to… (for a statistic)

Starters to start a thesis statement

The thesis statement is the main idea of your essay. It’s what you want to prove or argue in your essay. You will need to use sentence starters that introduce your essay topic in a clear and concise way. For example:

  • This essay will discuss…
  • The purpose of this essay is to…
  • In this essay, I will argue that…
  • In my opinion…
  • I think that…

Starters for topic sentences

A topic sentence is the first sentence at the beginning of each body paragraph that introduces the main idea of the paragraph. You will want to use body paragraph starters that state the main idea of the paragraph in a clear and concise way. Some specific examples:

  • One reason why…
  • The most important thing to remember is that…
  • Another important factor to consider is…
  • The first thing to note is that…
  • It’s important to remember that…
  • Besides the previous point,…

Starters for concluding

When you’re concluding your essay , you need to use conclusion sentence starters that emphasize the main points of your argument and leave your reader with a strong impression. Here are some examples:

  • In conclusion,…
  • To sum up,…
  • Overall,…
  • To conclude,…
  • Finally,…
  • In the final analysis,…

Starters for lists

If you’re listing ideas or items, you will want to use sentence starters that introduce each item clearly. Some common list starters are:

  • The first…
  • The second…
  • Thirdly,…
  • Next,…
  • Lastly,…

Starters for comparing and contrasting

If you’re writing an essay that compares and contrasts two or more things, you will need to use sentence starters that introduce each item you’re discussing and emphasize the similarities and/or differences. For example:

  • Similarly,…
  • However,…
  • In contrast to…
  • On the other hand,…
  • Compared to…
  • Despite the fact that…

Starters for elaborating

If you want to elaborate on an idea, you need to use sentence starters that introduce the detail you’re going to include and how it relates to the main idea. Some common starters for elaborating are:

  • For example,…
  • In other words,…
  • That is to say,…
  • To elaborate,…
  • Another way to put it would be…
  • To put it more simply,…

Starters for giving background information

If you want to give some brief background information in your essay, you need to use sentence starters that introduce the information and explain why it’s relevant. For example:

  • As previously mentioned,…
  • As everyone knows,…
  • In today’s society,…

Starters for giving an example

If you want to give an example in your essay, you need to use sentence starters that introduce the example and explain how it supports your argument. For example:

  • For instance,…
  • To illustrate,…
  • Thus,…
  • In this case,…

Starters for introducing a quotation

If you want to include a quotation in your essay, you need to use sentence starters that introduce the quotation and explain its relevance. Some examples:

  • As John Doe said,…
  • According to Jane Doe,…
  • As the old saying goes,…
  • In Jane Doe’s words,…
  • To put it another way,…

Starters for introducing evidence

If you want to include evidence in your essay, you need to use sentence starters that introduce the evidence and explain its relevance. For example:

  • The data shows that…
  • This proves that…
  • This suggests that…
  • The evidence indicates that…

Starters for bridging

If you want to create a bridge sentence between two paragraphs, you need to use sentence starters that introduce the second paragraph and explain how it relates to the first. For example:

  • This leads to the question,…
  • This raises the issue,…
  • Another important point to consider is…
  • This brings us to the question of…

Starters to show causation

If you want to show causation in your essay, you need to use sentence starters that introduce the cause and explain its relationship to the effect. For example:

  • Because of this,…
  • As a result,…
  • Consequently,…
  • Due to the fact that…
  • Therefore,…

Starters to emphasize a point

If you want to emphasize a point in your essay, you need to use sentence starters that draw attention to the point and make it clear why it’s important. Examples of sentence starters to add emphasis:

  • Importantly,…
  • Significantly,…

Starters to express doubt

If you want to express doubt about an idea in your essay, you need to use sentence starters that make it clear you’re not certain and explain why you have doubts. For example:

  • It’s possible that…
  • It’s uncertain whether…
  • Some people might argue that…
  • There is evidence to suggest that…
  • Although it is debatable,…
  • It might be the case that…

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Key takeaways

  • Sentence starters are especially important in academic writing because they can help you make complex arguments and express yourself clearly.
  • There are many different types of sentence starters, each with its own purpose.
  • You need to choose the right sentence starter for the specific task you’re writing about.
  • When in doubt, err on the side of caution and choose a simpler sentence starter.

Now that you know the different types of sentence starters and how to use them effectively, you’ll be able to write clear, concise, and well-organized essays.

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Sentence Starters: Ultimate List to Improve Your Essays and Writing

Ashley Shaw

By Ashley Shaw

How to start a sentence

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.

sentence starter tip

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?

Definition of Transitions

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

Common Transitional 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.

The four types of transitions

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.

prowritingaid transitions report for essay

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.

Definition of a dependent clause

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.

ProWritingAid's Repetition Report

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.

in conclusion alternatives

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.

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Whether you are writing a novel, essay, article, or email, good writing is an essential part of communicating your ideas., this guide contains the 20 most important writing tips and techniques from a wide range of professional writers..

sentence starters for university essays

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Ashley Shaw

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

sentence starters for university essays

Welcome to our comprehensive guide on mastering sentence starters for essays. Ever wondered how some writers effortlessly hook their readers from the first line, smoothly transition between ideas, and leave a lasting impression?

The secret lies in the artful use of sentence starters. These short phrases are more than just transition words; they're the key to making your paper engaging, coherent, and sophisticated.

In this blog post, we'll shed light on the importance of good sentence starters, provide examples, and guide you on how to use them effectively in different parts of your essay. Whether you're writing an introduction, body paragraph, or conclusion , we've got you covered. But that's not all.

We'll also delve into common mistakes to avoid when using sentence starters and how to adapt them for different types of essays. So, buckle up and get ready to elevate your essay writing skills to new heights. Let's get started!

Understanding the Importance of Good Sentence Starters

Whether you're crafting an academic text or writing a blog , the right sentence starter can make all the difference. It's not just about stringing words together; it's about choosing the right words that will hook the reader and keep them engaged. So, let's delve deeper into understanding the importance of good sentence starters and how they can elevate your writing.

Why Good Sentence Starters are Crucial for Your Writing

Good sentence starters are the backbone of compelling writing. They act as the gateway to your thoughts, guiding the reader through your narrative or argument. They're not just a fancy academic phrase or a tool to meet a word count. They're the key to making your writing flow, to connecting your ideas, and to keeping your reader engaged.

Imagine reading a text that jumps from one point to another without any clear transitions. It would be like trying to follow a map without any signposts. You'd likely get lost, frustrated, and give up. That's exactly what happens when you don't use sentence starters. Your readers can't follow your train of thought, and they lose interest.

When you use sentence starters effectively, you're laying out a clear path for your reader. You're telling them, "Pay attention, this is an important point," or "Here's a contrasting view," or "Let's move on to a new idea." You're hooking the reader, keeping them engaged, and making your writing more impactful.

Examples of Effective Sentence Starters

Here are some examples of effective sentence starters that can elevate your writing:

  • "Despite the common belief, ..."
  • "Drawing from the data, ..."
  • "Contrary to what one might think, ..."
  • "Given the circumstances, ..."
  • "Taking into account the evidence, ..."
  • "As a matter of fact, ..."
  • "In light of recent events, ..."
  • "Considering the implications, ..."
  • "Reflecting on the situation, ..."
  • "From a different perspective, ..."

These sentence starters are not just words or phrases; they are the hooks that grab your reader's attention. They are the bridges that connect your thoughts and ideas, making your academic text more coherent and engaging. So, the next time you sit down to write, pay close attention to your sentence starters. They might just be the key to taking your writing to the next level.

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sentence starters for university essays

Sentence Starters for Essay Introductions

In this section, we will explore how to use sentence starters effectively in essay introductions, providing you with practical tips and examples.

How to Use Sentence Starters in Essay Introductions

The art of crafting an engaging essay introduction lies in the strategic use of sentence starters. These are not just any random words, but carefully chosen transition words, short phrases, or clauses that guide the reader into the narrative. They serve as a bridge, connecting the title to the body of the essay, and setting the tone for what's to come.

To use a sentence starter effectively, you need to understand its purpose. It's not just about starting a sentence; it's about creating a smooth transition that guides the reader from one idea to the next. It's about shedding light on the purpose of your research, and preparing the reader for the arguments you're about to present.

The goal is to make your paper as readable and engaging as possible. So, don't overuse sentence starters. Use them sparingly, and only when necessary to enhance the clarity and coherence of your essay.

Examples of Sentence Starters for Essay Introductions

Here are some examples of sentence starters that can be used in essay introductions:

  • "The purpose of this research is to..."
  • "This essay will shed light on..."
  • "In answer to the top question..."
  • "To paraphrase the research findings..."
  • "The essay introduction starters are designed to..."
  • "Using a sentence starter, we can..."
  • "With the use of transition words, we can..."
  • "A short phrase can make your paper more engaging..."
  • "Here's a starter example to illustrate..."
  • "This sentence starter example will clarify..."

These starters not only grab the reader's attention but also provide a clear roadmap for the essay. They can be used to introduce a new argument, create a smooth transition between paragraphs, or emphasize key ideas. Remember, the goal is to make your writing more compelling and engaging for the reader.

Sentence Starters for Body Paragraphs

Understanding how to use these paragraph starters effectively is crucial in crafting a well-structured essay. They not only introduce new ideas but also create a seamless connection between the previous and the upcoming content.

How to Use Sentence Starters in Body Paragraphs

In essay writing, sentence starters for essays are the secret sauce that adds flavor to your content. They are the transition phrases that guide your reader from one idea to the next, ensuring a smooth journey through your thoughts. When it comes to body paragraphs, these starters play a pivotal role in maintaining the flow and coherence of your essay.

A good paragraph starter doesn't just introduce the next idea, it also ties in with the previous one. It's a bridge that connects the two, making your paper feel like a cohesive whole rather than a collection of disjointed thoughts. So, when you start a body paragraph, consider the content of the previous one and choose a transition that will smoothly carry your reader forward.

Sentence Starters for Essay Conclusions

Wrapping up an essay or research paper with a strong conclusion is just as important as having a compelling introduction. The conclusion is your final chance to leave a lasting impression on your reader, and using the right sentence starters can make all the difference.

These conclusion sentence starters not only help you summarize your findings but also add a touch of sophistication to your writing. They serve as a bridge, connecting your final thoughts and the main body of your work, ensuring a smooth transition that enhances the overall readability of your paper.

Whether you're looking to paraphrase research findings or shed light on the broader implications of your work, the right sentence starter can help you achieve your goal. So, let's delve into the art of using sentence starters for essay conclusions.

How to Use Sentence Starters in Essay Conclusions

When it comes to wrapping up your research paper or essay, the use of conclusion sentence starters can be a game-changer. These short phrases or transition words can help you summarize your findings, restate your thesis, and leave a lasting impression on your reader.

The key to using these sentence starters effectively is to use them sparingly. Overuse can make your paper sound repetitive and unprofessional. Instead, use them to introduce a new idea or to transition smoothly between thoughts.

Another effective way to use a sentence starter is to highlight something important. A well-placed sentence starter can draw the reader's attention to a key point or finding in your research.

Examples of Sentence Starters for Essay Conclusions

Here are some examples of conclusion sentence starters that can be used to wrap up your research paper or essay:

  • "In conclusion, it is evident that..." This starter is a classic way to summarize your findings. For instance, "In conclusion, it is evident that the purpose of this research was to shed light on the effects of climate change."
  • "Based on the findings, it can be concluded that..." This phrase is perfect for emphasizing the results of your research. For example, "Based on the findings, it can be concluded that regular exercise contributes to improved mental health."
  • "Overall, this research sheds light on..." This sentence starter is great for highlighting the broader implications of your work. For instance, "Overall, this research sheds light on the importance of early intervention in education."

The use of a sentence starter or transition word can make your paper more coherent and impactful.

Sentence Starters for Different Types of Essays

Let's explore the specifics of using sentence starters in different types of essays. Whether you're crafting an argumentative, descriptive, or narrative essay, we'll provide you with a starter example to shed light on how to make your paper more compelling. Let's dive in!

Sentence Starters for Argumentative Essays

  • "Despite the prevailing belief, I argue that..."
  • "The evidence strongly suggests that..."
  • "To shed light on this issue, consider the following..."
  • "The purpose of this research is to challenge the notion that..."
  • "One cannot ignore the fact that..."
  • "Drawing upon the data, it becomes clear that..."
  • "This argument is further strengthened by the fact that..."
  • "In response to this argument, one might assert that..."
  • "The crux of the matter is that..."
  • "This line of reasoning leads us to conclude that..."
  • "In the face of such compelling evidence, it is hard to dispute that..."

Sentence Starters for Descriptive Essays

Here are some sentence starters that can be effectively used in descriptive essays:

  • "As I stepped into the room, ..."
  • "The first thing that caught my eye was ..."
  • "I was immediately struck by ..."
  • "The sight that greeted me was ..."
  • "I couldn't help but notice ..."
  • "The aroma of ... filled the air."
  • "The sound of ... echoed in the distance."
  • "The taste of ... lingered on my tongue."
  • "The touch of ... sent shivers down my spine."
  • "The feeling of ... was overwhelming."

These sentence starters can help you set the scene and engage your reader's senses right from the start. Remember, the purpose of a descriptive essay is to paint a vivid picture in the reader's mind. Using these sentence starters can help you achieve that.

Sentence Starters for Narrative Essays

  • Setting the Scene : "The sun was setting, casting long shadows across the park as children's laughter echoed in the distance..."
  • Introducing a Character : "Meet John, a man of few words but with a story that could fill volumes..."
  • Creating Suspense : "As she turned the corner, her heart pounded in her chest, not knowing what she would find..."
  • Describing an Event : "The concert was a whirlwind of lights, music, and energy that swept everyone off their feet..."
  • Presenting Dialogue : "'I've never seen anything like it,' he whispered, his eyes wide with awe and wonder..."
  • Sharing an Inner Thought : "She couldn't help but wonder if this was the right decision, if she was on the right path..."
  • Ending with a Cliffhanger : "As the door slowly creaked open, he braced himself for what was to come..."

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Using Sentence Starters

It's not just about knowing a variety of good sentence starters, but also about knowing when and how to use them to hook the reader and emphasize important points. Let's explore these common mistakes and learn how to avoid them.

Overusing the Same Sentence Starters

One of the most common pitfalls when using sentence starters is overusing the same phrase or word. It's like a song on repeat; after a while, it loses its charm. This is especially true in academic texts, where the goal is to hook the reader and keep them engaged.

A good sentence starter can be a great way to introduce a new idea or point. However, if you use the same starter example repeatedly, it can make your writing sound monotonous and uninteresting. It's important to pay attention to this as it can detract from the important points you're trying to make.

Remember, variety is the spice of life, and this holds true for sentence starters as well. Mixing up your sentence starters not only makes your writing more engaging but also helps to maintain the reader's interest.

So, the next time you write, be mindful of the sentence starters you use. Try to incorporate different ones to keep your writing fresh and engaging. This is a great way to ensure that your writing is always at its best.

Using Inappropriate Sentence Starters

One of the most common mistakes that writers make is using inappropriate sentence starters. This usually happens when the writer is not fully aware of the context or the tone of the text. For instance, using a casual sentence starter in an academic text can disrupt the flow and confuse the reader.

It's important to pay attention to the type of text you're writing. If it's an academic paper, using academic phrases as sentence starters is a great way to maintain the formal tone. On the other hand, if you're writing a blog post or a novel, you might want to use more casual or creative sentence starters to hook the reader.

Another important point to remember is that not all sentence starters are suitable for all types of sentences. For example, using a contrasting sentence starter in a sentence that's supposed to add information can lead to misunderstandings.

Final Thoughts on Mastering Sentence Starters for Essays

Mastering the use of sentence starters is a crucial skill for any writer. These transition words and phrases serve as bridges, guiding your reader through your thoughts and arguments. They not only enhance the flow and coherence of your writing but also hook the reader's attention, making your work more engaging and compelling.

However, remember that the effective use of sentence starters requires balance.

Overuse can lead to redundancy, while inappropriate use can confuse your reader. Therefore, it's essential to understand the context and purpose of each sentence starter to use it appropriately.

In the end, the art of using sentence starters is about making your paper more readable and persuasive. So, keep practicing, and soon, you'll find that these handy tools have become an integral part of your writing toolkit.

If you need professional writing help , try Strategically AI for free today.

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  • 40 Useful Words and Phrases for Top-Notch Essays

sentence starters for university 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.

At Oxford Royale Academy, we offer a number of  summer school courses for young people who are keen to improve their essay writing skills. Click here to apply for one of our courses today, including law , business , medicine  and engineering .

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Sentence Starters: Useful Words and Phrases

Sentence Starters! When writing an essay in the English language , it is very important that your writing flows and sounds good. There are a variety of ways in which you can do this, one such way is by using sentence starters. In this article, we are going to be looking at some sentence starters which you can use as a way of creating much more interesting and engaging written work in English.

Sentence Starters

What is a sentence starter.

In the most simple terms, a sentence starter is a phrase that is used at the beginning of a sentence and can introduce information contained within it. There are thousands of different sentence starters that you can choose and one of the most important rules is to avoid using the same words at the beginning of each sentence. This will allow you to create work that sounds much more interesting and not at all repetitive . You can achieve this by using the extensive list of sentence starters whenever you are writing an essay or other sort of work in English.

There are various ways of using sentence starters, so before we begin looking at some examples we are going to take a look at some useful tips for getting the most out of your sentence starters.

  • As we mentioned, avoid using the same word repeatedly at the start of multiple sentences.
  • Think about what type of sentence you are writing. Is it an information sentence? Does it ask a question? Does the sentence compare or contrast existing information? Is the sentence putting something in order? Does it conclude something? By working out the type of sentence it is, you will be able to better decide on your sentence starter.
  • You should also ask yourself how the sentence relates to the previous one. This will allow you to further choose a relevant sentence starter.
  • Once you have finished writing your essay, or other pieces of writing, it is very important that you go over it and make any necessary edits and adjustments. This will help you to make the most of sentence starters and ensure that there is no repetition and that each sentence starter has been sued correctly. You should initially write without thinking too much about it and then make changes when you edit.

Examples Of Sentence Starters

As we mentioned, there are thousands of sentence starters that you can use when writing in English, we are now going to look at some of the most common and useful ones. We will do this by category to better help you select the right one.

Introduction Sentence Starters

If your sentence is being used to introduce some information, you can use one of the following sentence starters.

  • The essay discusses…
  • In this essay/article/document…
  • The theme of this essay/article…
  • We will be discussing…

Conclusion Sentence Starters

When writing a concluding sentence, you might consider one of the following options.

  • In conclusion …
  • To summarise…
  • We have seen that…..
  • It has been demonstrated that…
  • To sum up…

Comparison and Contrast Sentence Starters

If you are writing a sentence to compare or contrast, then these sentence starters will get you off on the right foot.

  • However …
  • Nevertheless…
  • That being said…
  • Then again…
  • On the other hand …
  • Although…
  • In comparison…
  • Whereas…
  • On the one hand…
  • Other than…
  • Outside of…
  • Rather…
  • Still…

Cause And Result Sentence Starters

If you are looking to write a sentence which shows the result or cause then you might consider using one of the following sentence starters.

  • As a result…
  • For this reason…
  • For this purpose…
  • Otherwise…
  • Since…
  • So that/then…
  • Subsequently…
  • This means that…
  • Therefore …
  • That is why…
  • Because …
  • Due to the fact that…

Sentence Starters To Emphasise

When you are writing a sentence which requires a little emphasis, you could use one of these sentence starters to achieve that.

  • Above all…
  • As usual…
  • Generally speaking…
  • For the most part…
  • In this situation…
  • No doubt…
  • Obviously…
  • As a rule…
  • Especially…

Sentence Starters For Additional Ideas

When you are writing a sentence which will add new information, you might choose one of these sentence starters.

  • Furthermore …
  • Also …
  • Then…
  • In addition …
  • Moreover…
  • As well as…
  • Coupled with…
  • Another reason…
  • Indeed…
  • Identically…
  • Likewise…
  • Additionally …

Sentence Starters For Rare Or Common Ideas

When you are adding information which is either very common or extremely rare, you may want to indicate this within your sentence starter. This can be done in one of the following ways.

  • A few…
  • Rarely…
  • Unusually…..
  • Seldom…
  • On occasion…
  • Quite often…

Inconclusive Sentence Starters

If you are presenting information which is not conclusive, you could use one of these sentence starters.

  • Perhaps…
  • There is some evidence to suggest that…
  • It may be…
  • It could be…
  • It is possible that…

Sentence Starters To Show Examples

When you are writing a sentence which will give an example of something, there are many sentence starters you could use. Let’s take a look at some of these now.

  • For example …
  • Such as…
  • For instance…
  • As an example…
  • You might consider…
  • For one thing…
  • As an illustration…
  • To illustrate this…
  • Markedly…
  • In this case…
  • This can be seen…
  • Specifically…

Sentence Starters To Show Time And Order

If you need to show order or time within a sentence then you should use one of these sentence starters to do this.

  • Firstly, secondly, thirdly…
  • Earlier…
  • Afterwards…
  • First of all…
  • Finally…
  • In addition…
  • In the first instance…
  • After this…
  • Additionally…
  • With this in mind…
  • To begin with…

Learn more with the useful list of transition words in English.

Using a well-selected sentence starter when writing an essay in the English language can bring many benefits. It will allow you to create a piece of writing which is coherent, interesting and above all, diverse. It will depend greatly on the type of sentence that you are writing as to which sentence starter you use and using a good variety within your essay will make it much more engaging for the reader. Once you have finished writing, it is a good idea to go back over your work and check that your sentence starters make sense and are being used correctly.

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Sentence Starters: Useful Words and Phrases to Use As Sentence Starters For Writing Essay

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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

Sentence Starters: Definition, Rules and Remarkable Examples

sentence starters for university essays

Useful Sentence Starters For Academic Writing

sentence starters for university essays

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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Sentence Starters

  • 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). 
  • "Her sister" is the subject. 
  • "plays outside" is the predicate. 
  • There are many ways to begin sentences. 
  • The Simple Subject
  • Prepositional phrase(s)
  • Gerund Phrase
  • Dependent Clauses
  • 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. 
  • "I" is the simple subject. 
  • New York City never sleeps. 
  • "New York City" is the simple subject.
  • 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. 
  • 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. 
  • 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. 
  • Drinking too much soda is unhealthy. 
  • Hiking in the mountains can be dangerous. 
  • Riding in airplanes makes me sick. 
  • 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. 
  • 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. 
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sentence starters for university essays

Sentence Starters For Essays: A Complete Guide

The best phase in your life is your college and school life, but this pretty phase also comes with multiple hurdles and challenges. Structuring essays for your school, educational institutes or other academic writing projects can sometimes be difficult for students.  Most students from high schools and other senior-level schools have considered using suitable sentence starters for essays. Many of these students feel trapped in a maze when writing an essay using sentence starters.

But now, it’s time to ease the worries of the students. This blog will let you learn amazing ideas about how to pick good sentence starters for writing an effective essay. We have divided this blog into multiple subcategories to make this guide more comprehensive and understandable. 

The Definition Of Sentence Starters 

Sentence starters in essay writing can be defined as the collection of words or even phrases that we use at the start of a sentence in an essay. A sentence starter clearly indicates what your essay or paragraph is about and what main points it will focus on. Moreover, a sentence starter also explains the type of essay. 

However, the sentence starters are not always meant to be astonishing and catchy. The tone of the sentence starters should be precise, and it should gain the reader’s attention. So, now you know what a sentence starter is, let’s move on to the next part and see what it is about.

The Significance Of A Sentence Starter 

There is no doubt that sentence starters play an important role in writing an essay efficiently. The essay you are working on should clearly explain its purpose and vision to the readers. A sentence starter gains the reader’s attention at the start of an essay and makes the reader stay till the end by telling them about the article’s critical role. 

The collection of good sentence starters comes with the most essential elements of writing an essay. These elements help the writers make the essay even more interesting for the readers and offer clues about what readers can expect next. Essay sentence starters have the right to bring cohesion to long writing pieces, especially in academic essays. 

You can use good sentence starters in an essay to present an amazing transition from one paragraph to another. If you use the essay sentence introduction sentence starters at the start of the paragraph, it mostly enriches the quality of your essay. 

The significance of sentence starters in an essay can never be underestimated; getting help from the best dissertation writing services or essay writing service providers can truly aid students in overcoming the difficulties of structuring an essay. 

The Difference Between Sentence Starters & Transition Words 

In simple terms, transition words are the collection of words or phrases that aid a writer in combining thoughts and ideas between two sentences or paragraphs. It will make things understandably easy. 

Writers can use transition words as sentence starters for essays and vice versa. However, it should be noted that not all transition words can make sense in the category of essay sentence starters.  

Some Useful Transition Words As University Sentence Starters For An Essay 

For students who are willing to make their essay writing more creative and efficient, we have formed a list of some useful transition words: 

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

These transition words can easily be used as sentence starters for writing an essay or paragraph. It is also a great way to improve your writing style. 

Until now, we have provided you with details like sentence starters, why it is important to use them in essays, and the difference between transition words and sentence starters in an essay. Now it’s time to enrich your knowledge of writing essays using sentence starters following some useful tips.

Useful Tips On Starting Sentence In An Essay 

Structuring an essay is not only about presenting and expressing your ideas in words. There is a lot more that you can do. When writing an essay related to your academics, stay careful when using words in your essay. 

However, the introduction is the most complex part of writing an essay. So, below, we have assembled some important and effective tips for students to structure essays properly, avoiding major mistakes. 

  • Create a rough draft of your ideas and how you will use them in writing. 
  • Select a catchy title for your essay. 
  • Form a list of good essay sentence starters. Make sure to go through the requirements of the essay to follow the guidelines properly. 
  • Arrange your points in a logical order. 
  • Align the sentences together; they should make sense of each other in the paragraph.
  • Think of a strategy to grab the attention of the readers. 
  • The introduction part of the essay should define what exactly you will be writing in your essay and what’s your title about 
  • Never forget to write down the conclusion. 
  • You can use the examples of the essay as a reference; previously used examples can be mentioned too. 

How To Search For Good Sentence Starters For Essay 

The introduction paragraph matters a lot in an essay because it is the part that makes the readers stay and go through your whole essay, and it can also bore the readers with just one unattractive sentence. Maintaining the quality of your introduction paragraph will enhance the quality of the other paragraphs of your essay. 

Moreover, to make your introduction paragraph attractive, you should create a catchy hook paragraph to excite readers so they keep reading your essay with interest. This is where good sentence starters can help you. 

Here’s a way you can follow to pick the right starting sentence for your essay:

  • Your language should be precise and clear 
  • You can do the addition of components of surprise
  • Search for something that can aid you in bringing up the main topic 
  • Never use phrases like “I think” or “it may be”. You can replace these phrases with “believe” or “I am sure that”. 

The Types Of Sentence Starters For Your Essay Topic 

  • 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

The Ideas Of Sentence Starter To Close Sentences 

Along with focusing and enriching the quality of your introduction paragraph, you should never underestimate the value of the closing sentence in an essay. Using the perfect writing tone to close your sentence in the paragraph is crucial. We have created a list of closing sentences from which you can take ideas while writing a closing paragraph. 

  • In light of what we have discussed
  • 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

Paragraph Hook Starters 

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

EssayStarting Sentences For Indicating Orders/List 

Sentence starters in essay for additional detailing .

  • For example
  • To elaborate
  • Another way to put it would be
  • In simple words

Starters For Comparison 

If you are looking forward to using sentence starters for your essay for comparison of two or multiple things, here are some fine examples for you: 

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

Sentence Starters For Essay Effects 

Here are some effective ways to start a sentence in your essay and explain the reason or effect of something: 

  • That’s why
  • In that case
  • This is the scenario
  • So that’s why
  • Subsequently 

Essay Sentence Starters For Sharing Information Of The Background

Below is the list of amazing sentence starters for essays if you are writing about background information in excessive detail: 

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

Top-Notch Sentence Starters For Historical Concepts 

Most of the time, sentences do not make sense in an essay without the context present in them. This is why most readers are unaware that historical background is not the common knowledge they are reading about. This is where sentence starters can make it easy for the readers to differentiate by putting up the context, such as: 

  • Traditionally 
  • Historically 
  • Customarily 
  • In the past 
  • Conventionally 

Short Steps Of Writing An Essay Effectively 

To write an authentic essay that is attractive to readers or your professors, there are multiple steps that you can follow to make your essay superior. We are going to write down short and simple steps that you should focus on while writing your essay; the steps are as follows: 

  • Preparation 

Preparation: 

This step is the very basic step of starting an essay. It comes with multiple sub-steps: define your essay topic, do thorough research, collect resources, present a thesis, and create the outline of the essay. 

It is the second and most important step in writing your essay. The writing procedure comes with various steps: write down the introduction paragraph, structure the main body, divide it into two paragraphs, and never miss out on writing the conclusion. 

The revision is the last part of the essay’s writing process; the revision part contains multiple essential methods that you should always keep in mind while revising your essay. The methods are to assess the overall organisation, revise each paragraph, double-check for grammatical mistakes and language issues, and, ultimately, go through the plagiarism checker. 

Conclusion: 

Now, we are at the point where we have to end this informative blog. I hope you have gathered all the essential details provided about using sentence starters in this blog. Make sure to keep all the methods and tips in mind when writing your essay. 

Federation University Study Skills

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: Useful Words and Phrases You Can Use As Sentence Starters

Posted on Last updated: October 24, 2023

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

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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.

Table of Contents

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…

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

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: Useful Words and Phrases You Can Use As Sentence Starters

Sentence Starters | Infographic

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

ALIYI Ahmad

Sunday 30th of April 2023

This great gift thank you forever

Wednesday 7th of December 2022

thank that helped m out alot

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

i like his book

Academic Phrasebank

Academic Phrasebank

Introducing work.

  • 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

pdf logo

There are many ways to introduce an academic essay or short paper. Most academic writers, however, appear to do one or more of the following in their introductions:

  • establish the context, background and/or importance of the topic
  • present an issue, problem, or controversy in the field of study
  • define the topic and/or key terms used in the paper
  • state the purpose of the essay or short paper
  • provide an overview of the coverage and/or structure of the writing

Slightly less complex introductions may simply inform the reader: what the topic is, why it is important, and how the writing is organised. In very short assignments, it is not uncommon for a writer to commence simply by stating the purpose of their writing.

Introductions to research dissertations and theses tend to be relatively short compared to the other sections of the text but quite complex in terms of their functional elements. Some of the more common elements include:

  • establishing the context, background and/or importance of the topic
  • giving a brief review of the relevant academic literature
  • identifying a problem, controversy or a knowledge gap in the field of study
  • stating the aim(s) of the research and the research questions or hypotheses
  • providing a synopsis of the research design and method(s)
  • explaining the significance or value of the study
  • defining certain key terms
  • providing an overview of the dissertation or report structure

Examples of phrases which are commonly employed to realise these functions can be seen by clicking on the headings listed below. Note that there may be a certain amount of overlap between some of the categories under which the phrases are listed. Also, the order in which the different categories of phrases are shown reflects a typical order but this is far from fixed or rigid, and not all the elements are present in all introductions.

A number of analysts have identified common patterns in the introductions of research articles. One of the best known patterns is the CARS model (create a research space) first described by John Swales (1990). This model, which utilises an ecological metaphor, has, in its simplest form, three elements or moves:

  • Establishing the territory (establishing importance of the topic, reviewing previous work)
  • Identifying a niche (indicating a gap in knowledge)
  • Occupying the niche (listing purpose of new research, listing questions, stating the value of the work, indicating the structure of the writing)

Establishing the importance of the topic for the world or society

X is a major contributor to … X plays a critical role in the maintenance of … Xs have emerged as powerful platforms for … X is essential for a wide range of technologies. X can play an important role in addressing the issue of … There is evidence that X plays a pivotal role in regulating … In the new global economy, X has become a central issue for … Evidence suggests that X is among the most important factors for … Xs are one of the most widely used groups of antibacterial agents and … There is a growing body of literature that recognises the importance of … X is an important component in the climate system, and plays a key role in Y. Xs are one of the most widely used groups of Y and have been extensively used for …

X is a key issue in …
driver of …
factor in …
aspect of …
feature of …
element of …
strategy for …
indicator of …
ingredient in …
component of …
mechanism for …
determinant of …
X is widespread in …
fundamental to …
the primary means of …
a major contributor to …
an important aspect of …
frequently prescribed for …
fast becoming a key instrument in …
the most widely distributed species of …
a common condition which has considerable impact on …
important in a wide range of scientific and industrial processes.

Establishing the importance of the topic for the discipline

X is of interest because … X is a classic problem in … X is an important aspect of … X is a fundamental property of … X is an increasingly important area in … The concepts of X and Y are central to … X is at the heart of our understanding of … Investigating X is a continuing concern within … X is a major area of interest within the field of … X has been an object of research since the 1960s. X has been the subject of many classic studies in … X has been instrumental in our understanding of … The theory of X provides a useful account of how … Central to the entire discipline of X is the concept of … The issue of X has received considerable critical attention. X has long been a question of great interest in a wide range of fields.

Establishing the importance of the topic (time frame given)

Recently, there has been renewed interest in … Traditionally, Xs have subscribed to the belief that … One of the most important events of the 1970s was … In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in … Recent developments in X have heightened the need for … The last two decades have seen a growing trend towards … Recently, researchers have shown an increased interest in … Recent trends in X have led to a proliferation of studies that … Over the past century, there has been a dramatic increase in … The past decade has seen the rapid development of X in many … Since it was reported in 2015, X has been attracting considerable interest. Recent developments in the field of X have led to a renewed interest in … The past thirty years have seen increasingly rapid advances in the field of …

Establishing the importance of the topic as a problem to be addressed

X is a major problem in … Of particular concern is … One of the main obstacles … One of the greatest challenges … A key issue is the safe disposal of … The main disadvantage of X is that … X impacts negatively upon a range of … It is now well established that X can impair … X has led to the decline in the population of … The main challenge faced by many researchers is the … Lack of X has existed as a health problem for many years. Xs are one of the most rapidly declining groups of insects in … Exposure to X has been shown to be related to adverse effects in … There is an urgent need to address the safety problems caused by …

X is a key issue in …
a leading cause of …
a major problem in …
the main cause of death in …
associated with increased risk of …
a common disorder characterised by …
a growing public health concern worldwide.
one of the most frequently stated problems with …
a major environmental problem and the main cause of …
a common condition which has considerable impact on …
However, X may cause …
X is limited by …
X suffers from …
X is too expensive to be used for …
X has accentuated the problem of …
the performance of X is limited by …
X could be a contributing factor to …
the synthesis of X remains a major challenge.
X can be extremely harmful to human beings.
research has consistently shown that X lacks …
a major problem with this kind of application is …
the determination of X is technically challenging.
current methods of X have proven to be unreliable.
these rapid changes are having a serious effect on …
X can be adversely affected under certain conditions.
observations have indicated a serious decline in the population of …

Referring to previous work to establish what is already known

Recent evidence suggests that … Extensive research has shown that … Studies of X show the importance of … It has previously been observed that … Several attempts have been made to … Previous research has established that … Data from several studies suggest that … Recent research comparing X and Y has found … The existing body of research on X suggests that … There is a growing body of literature that recognises … Several theories on the origin of X have been proposed. Existing research recognises the critical role played by … It is now well established from a variety of studies, that … Recently investigators have examined the effects of X on Y. Surveys such as that conducted by Smith (2015) have shown that … Factors found to be influencing X have been explored in several studies. A number of cross-sectional studies suggest an association between X and Y… Studies over the past two decades have provided important information on …

Several
A number of
studies
researchers
have found …
reported …
identified …
highlighted …
shown that …
attempted to …
suggested that …
demonstrated that …
investigated whether …
explored the risk factors associated with …

Identifying a controversy within the field of study

A much debated question is whether … One major issue in early X research concerned … To date there has been little agreement on what … The issue has grown in importance in light of recent … One of the most significant current discussions in X is … In the literature on X, the relative importance of Y is debated. One observer has already drawn attention to the paradox in … Questions have been raised about the use of animal subjects in … In many Xs, a debate is taking place between Ys and Zs concerning … Debate continues about the best strategies for the management of … This concept has recently been challenged by X studies demonstrating … The debate about X has gained fresh prominence with many arguing that … Scholars have long debated the impact of X on the creation and diffusion of … More recently, literature has emerged that offers contradictory findings about … One major theoretical issue that has dominated the field for many years concerns … The controversy about scientific evidence for X has raged unabated for over a century. The issue of X has been a controversial and much disputed subject within the field of … The causes of X have been the subject of intense debate within the scientific community. In the literature on X, the relative importance of Y has been subject to considerable discussion.

Explaining the inadequacies of previous studies

Previous studies of X have not dealt with … Researchers have not treated X in much detail. Such expositions are unsatisfactory because they … Most studies in the field of X have only focused on … Such approaches, however, have failed to address … Previous published studies are limited to local surveys. Half of the studies evaluated failed to specify whether … The research to date has tended to focus on X rather than Y. Previously published studies on the effect of X are not consistent. Smith’s analysis does not take account of …, nor does she examine … The existing accounts fail to resolve the contradiction between X and Y. Most studies in X have only been carried out in a small number of areas.

However, much of the research up to now has been descriptive in nature … The generalisability of much published research on this issue is problematic. Research on the subject has been mostly restricted to limited comparisons of … However, few writers have been able to draw on any systematic research into … Short-term studies such as these do not necessarily show subtle changes over time … Although extensive research has been carried out on X, no single study exists which … However, these results were based upon data from over 30 years ago and it is unclear if … The experimental data are rather controversial, and there is no general agreement about …

Previous studies of X have suffered from small sample sizes.
low response rates.
multiple design flaws.
an overemphasis on …
inconsistent definitions.
poorly developed theory.
experimental design errors.
inadequate research design.
a high degree of sampling bias.
fundamental flaws in research design.
lack of a strong theoretical framework.

Identifying the paucity or lack of previous research

There is little published data on … No previous study has investigated X. The use of X has not been investigated. Data about the efficacy and safety of X are limited. Up to now, far too little attention has been paid to … A search of the literature revealed few studies which … The impact of X on Y is understudied, particularly for … Few studies have investigated X in any systematic way … In addition, no research has been found that surveyed … So far, very little attention has been paid to the role of X. Surprisingly, the effects of X have not been closely examined. In contrast to X, there is much less information about effects of … A systematic understanding of how X contributes to Y is still lacking. Despite the importance of X, there remains a paucity of evidence on … To date, the problem has received scant attention in the research literature.

There is no
little
published work on …
available literature on …
published research on …
There have been no
few
attempts to investigate …
studies that have assessed the role of …
randomised clinical trials that have investigated …
While
Whilst
Although
some research has been carried out on X, no single study exists which …
no studies have been found which …
no controlled studies have been reported.
only two studies have attempted to investigate …
there have been few empirical investigations into …
there is still very little scientific understanding of …
the mechanism by which … has not been established.

Identifying a knowledge gap in the field of study

It is still not known whether … … much less is known about X. The nature of X remains unclear. Currently, there are no data on … What is less clear is the nature of … Very little is currently known about X in … Research to date has not yet determined … What is not yet clear is the impact of X on … There is still uncertainty, however, whether … The response of X to Y is not fully understood. Causal factors leading to X remain speculative. The neurobiological basis of X is poorly understood. Little is known about X and it is not clear what factors … To date, only a limited number of Xs have been identified. The mechanisms that underpin X are not fully understood. Much uncertainty still exists about the relationship between … This indicates a need to understand the various perceptions of X that exist among … It is now well established that … However, the influence of X on Y has remained unclear.

However, very little is known about X in…
the nature of X remains unclear.
much less is known about how …
the use of X has not been investigated.
far too little attention has been paid to …
the behaviour of X has not yet been investigated.
the evidence for this relationship is inconclusive …
what is not yet understood is the precise nature of …
much uncertainty still exists about the relation between …
there have been no controlled studies which compare differences in …

Stating the focus, aim, or argument of a short paper

In this paper, I argue that … This paper attempts to show that … The central thesis of this paper is that … In the pages that follow, it will be argued that … In this essay, I attempt to defend the view that … The aim of this essay is to explore the relationship between … The purpose of this paper is to review recent research into the …

This paper argues that …
gives an account of …
discusses the case of …
analyses the impact of …
attempts to show that …
contests the claim that …
provides an overview of …
reviews the evidence for …
reports on a study which …
traces the development of …
explores the ways in which …
assesses the significance of …
highlights the importance of …
considers the implications of …
critically examines the view that …
proposes a new methodology for …
examines the relationship between …
compares the different ways in which …
investigates the factors that determine …
describes the design and implementation of …

Stating the purpose of the current research

The specific objective of this study was to … An objective of this study was to investigate … This thesis will examine the way in which the … This study set out to investigate the usefulness of … This dissertation seeks to explain the development of … This case study seeks to examine the changing nature of … The objectives of this research are to determine whether … This prospective study was designed to investigate the use of … This research examines the emerging role of X in the context of … This study systematically reviews the data for…, aiming to provide … Drawing upon two strands of research into X, this study attempts to … This thesis intends to determine the extent to which … and whether … This dissertation aims to unravel some of the mysteries surrounding … This study therefore set out to assess the effect of X …, and the effect of … The main aim of this study is to investigate the differences between X and Y. Part of the aim of this project is to develop software that is compatible with … There are two primary aims of this study: 1. To investigate … 2. To ascertain … This study seeks to obtain data which will help to address these research gaps. One purpose of this study was to assess the extent to which these factors were … The purpose of this investigation is to explore the relationship between X and Y.

This study set out to explore …
determine whether …
try and establish what
better understand the …
find a new method for …
evaluate how effective …
assess the feasibility of …
test the hypothesis that …
explore the influence of …
clarify several aspects of …
investigate the impact of …
identify the predictors for …
develop an understanding of
gain further understanding of …
compare the two ways of treating …
examine the relationship between …
evaluate a new method of measuring …
determine the predictive validity of the…
understand the views and experiences of …

Describing the research design and the methods used

Data for this study were collected using … Five works will be examined, all of which … This investigation takes the form of a case-study of the … This study was exploratory and interpretative in nature. This study uses a qualitative case study approach to investigate … The research data in this thesis is drawn from four main sources: … The approach to empirical research adopted for this study was one of … This dissertation follows a case-study design, with in-depth analysis of … By employing qualitative modes of enquiry, I attempt to illuminate the … Qualitative and quantitative research designs were adopted to provide … Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used in this investigation. A holistic approach is utilised, integrating X, Y and Z material to establish … The study was conducted in the form of a survey, with data being gathered via … The methodological approach taken in this study is a mixed methodology based on … A combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches was used in the data analysis.

This study
This investigation
uses
used
recent
survey
existing
interview
longitudinal
retrospective
observational
cross-sectional
data (from X) to assess…
explore …
analyse …
examine …
estimate …
determine
investigate …

Explaining the significance of the current study

This is the first study to … This study provides new insights into … This work will generate fresh insight into … The study offers some important insights into … Understanding the link between X and Y will help … This is the first study to undertake a longitudinal analysis of … The present research explores, for the first time, the effects of … The importance and originality of this study are that it explores … The findings should make an important contribution to the field of …. Characterisation of X is important for our increased understanding of … It is hoped that this research will contribute to a deeper understanding of … This study aims to contribute to this growing area of research by exploring … This project provided an important opportunity to advance the understanding of … Therefore, this study makes a major contribution to research on X by demonstrating … There are several important areas where this study makes an original contribution to … The experimental work presented here provides one of the first investigations into how …

This study
research
investigation
sheds new light on …
provides new insights into …
fills a gap in the research on …
gives us new information on …
fills a gap in the literature by …
offers a fresh perspective on …
enhances our understanding of …
contributes to our knowledge of …
makes an important contribution by …
provides the first extensive examination of …

Describing the limitations of the current study

The thesis does not engage with … It is not the task of this paper to examine … This study is unable to encompass the entire … Establishing X is beyond the scope of this study. It is beyond the scope of this study to examine the … The analysis of X presented here is based solely on … A full discussion of X lies beyond the scope of this study. The reader should bear in mind that the study is based on … Another potential problem is that the scope of my thesis may be too broad. Due to practical constraints, this paper cannot provide a comprehensive review of…

Giving reasons for personal interest in the research*

I became interested in Xs after reading … My interest in this area developed while I was … I have worked closely with X for many years and … My personal experience of X has prompted this research. My main reason for choosing this topic is personal interest. It is my experience of working with X that has driven this research. This project was conceived during my time working for X. As a medical advisor, I witnessed …

My (initial) interest in this area began with…
arose when …
stemmed from …
was sparked by …
developed while I was …

* sometimes found in the humanities, and the applied human sciences

Outlining the structure of the paper or dissertation

The first section of this paper will examine… This paper begins by … It will then go on to … My thesis is composed of four themed chapters. The essay has been organised in the following way. The remaining part of the paper proceeds as follows: … The main issues addressed in this paper are: a), b) and c). This paper first gives a brief overview of the recent history of X. This paper has been divided into four parts. The first part deals with … The third chapter is concerned with the methodology used for this study. The overall structure of the study takes the form of six chapters, including … Chapter Four analyses the results of interviews and focus group discussions undertaken during … Chapter Two begins by laying out the theoretical dimensions of the research, and looks at how … The fourth section presents the findings of the research, focusing on the three key themes that …

Explaining key terms used in the current work

(also refer to  Defining terms )

Throughout this paper, the term ‘X’ will refer to … The term ‘X’ will be used in this thesis to refer to … Historically, the term ‘X’ has been used to describe … It is necessary here to clarify exactly what is meant by … The phrase ‘X’ will be used in this study to describe the … According to Smith (2002), X can be defined as follows: ‘ … ’ In this article, the abbreviation XYZ will be used to refer to … Throughout this dissertation, the term ‘X’ will be used to refer to … The term ‘X’ is a relatively new name for …, commonly referred to as … In this essay, the term ‘X’ will be used in its broadest sense to refer to all … In this dissertation, the terms ‘X’ and ‘Y’ are used interchangeably to mean … While a variety of definitions of the term X have been suggested, this paper will use the definition first suggested by Smith (1968) who saw it as …

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Essay and dissertation writing skills

Planning your essay

Writing your introduction

Structuring your essay

  • Writing essays in science subjects
  • Brief video guides to support essay planning and writing
  • Writing extended essays and dissertations
  • Planning your dissertation writing time

Structuring your dissertation

  • Top tips for writing longer pieces of work

Advice on planning and writing essays and dissertations

University essays differ from school essays in that they are less concerned with what you know and more concerned with how you construct an argument to answer the question. This means that the starting point for writing a strong essay is to first unpick the question and to then use this to plan your essay before you start putting pen to paper (or finger to keyboard).

A really good starting point for you are these short, downloadable Tips for Successful Essay Writing and Answering the Question resources. Both resources will help you to plan your essay, as well as giving you guidance on how to distinguish between different sorts of essay questions. 

You may find it helpful to watch this seven-minute video on six tips for essay writing which outlines how to interpret essay questions, as well as giving advice on planning and structuring your writing:

Different disciplines will have different expectations for essay structure and you should always refer to your Faculty or Department student handbook or course Canvas site for more specific guidance.

However, broadly speaking, all essays share the following features:

Essays need an introduction to establish and focus the parameters of the discussion that will follow. You may find it helpful to divide the introduction into areas to demonstrate your breadth and engagement with the essay question. You might define specific terms in the introduction to show your engagement with the essay question; for example, ‘This is a large topic which has been variously discussed by many scientists and commentators. The principal tension is between the views of X and Y who define the main issues as…’ Breadth might be demonstrated by showing the range of viewpoints from which the essay question could be considered; for example, ‘A variety of factors including economic, social and political, influence A and B. This essay will focus on the social and economic aspects, with particular emphasis on…..’

Watch this two-minute video to learn more about how to plan and structure an introduction:

The main body of the essay should elaborate on the issues raised in the introduction and develop an argument(s) that answers the question. It should consist of a number of self-contained paragraphs each of which makes a specific point and provides some form of evidence to support the argument being made. Remember that a clear argument requires that each paragraph explicitly relates back to the essay question or the developing argument.

  • Conclusion: An essay should end with a conclusion that reiterates the argument in light of the evidence you have provided; you shouldn’t use the conclusion to introduce new information.
  • References: You need to include references to the materials you’ve used to write your essay. These might be in the form of footnotes, in-text citations, or a bibliography at the end. Different systems exist for citing references and different disciplines will use various approaches to citation. Ask your tutor which method(s) you should be using for your essay and also consult your Department or Faculty webpages for specific guidance in your discipline. 

Essay writing in science subjects

If you are writing an essay for a science subject you may need to consider additional areas, such as how to present data or diagrams. This five-minute video gives you some advice on how to approach your reading list, planning which information to include in your answer and how to write for your scientific audience – the video is available here:

A PDF providing further guidance on writing science essays for tutorials is available to download.

Short videos to support your essay writing skills

There are many other resources at Oxford that can help support your essay writing skills and if you are short on time, the Oxford Study Skills Centre has produced a number of short (2-minute) videos covering different aspects of essay writing, including:

  • Approaching different types of essay questions  
  • Structuring your essay  
  • Writing an introduction  
  • Making use of evidence in your essay writing  
  • Writing your conclusion

Extended essays and dissertations

Longer pieces of writing like extended essays and dissertations may seem like quite a challenge from your regular essay writing. The important point is to start with a plan and to focus on what the question is asking. A PDF providing further guidance on planning Humanities and Social Science dissertations is available to download.

Planning your time effectively

Try not to leave the writing until close to your deadline, instead start as soon as you have some ideas to put down onto paper. Your early drafts may never end up in the final work, but the work of committing your ideas to paper helps to formulate not only your ideas, but the method of structuring your writing to read well and conclude firmly.

Although many students and tutors will say that the introduction is often written last, it is a good idea to begin to think about what will go into it early on. For example, the first draft of your introduction should set out your argument, the information you have, and your methods, and it should give a structure to the chapters and sections you will write. Your introduction will probably change as time goes on but it will stand as a guide to your entire extended essay or dissertation and it will help you to keep focused.

The structure of  extended essays or dissertations will vary depending on the question and discipline, but may include some or all of the following:

  • The background information to - and context for - your research. This often takes the form of a literature review.
  • Explanation of the focus of your work.
  • Explanation of the value of this work to scholarship on the topic.
  • List of the aims and objectives of the work and also the issues which will not be covered because they are outside its scope.

The main body of your extended essay or dissertation will probably include your methodology, the results of research, and your argument(s) based on your findings.

The conclusion is to summarise the value your research has added to the topic, and any further lines of research you would undertake given more time or resources. 

Tips on writing longer pieces of work

Approaching each chapter of a dissertation as a shorter essay can make the task of writing a dissertation seem less overwhelming. Each chapter will have an introduction, a main body where the argument is developed and substantiated with evidence, and a conclusion to tie things together. Unlike in a regular essay, chapter conclusions may also introduce the chapter that will follow, indicating how the chapters are connected to one another and how the argument will develop through your dissertation.

For further guidance, watch this two-minute video on writing longer pieces of work . 

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

How to Use Apt Sentence Starters for Essay

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.

You can take the help of a professional essay writer to process essay for you. Such services are quite affordable.

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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.

different types of sentence starters

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…

Also Read:  Report Vs Essay - All the Major Differences You Need to Know!

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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sentence starters for university essays

12 Tips for Answer Georgia College and State University Personal Essay Questions

Wednesday, August 28, 2024

sentence starters for university essays

Writing a strong personal essay is an essential component of the application process when you apply to Georgia College and State University (GCSU).  In the personal essay questions , the  themes of career goals, personal growth, and community service are often emphasised. The university asks the students to elaborate on why they are interested in a particular field of study or recount a challenging situation they went through and how they managed to resolve it. 

Students can demonstrate their skills, achievements, and values by using real-life experiences as examples. In addition, the university’s personal essay questions require students to strike a balance between self-reflection and storytelling. Students must also present clear knowledge of how their experiences and prospective goals relate to the institution’s values. 

However, some students do not have enough skills to effectively answer such questions while  applying to university. So, this guide is for such students. Here,  we will provide tips on  writing a personal statement and answering such essay questions in your university application. 

How to Answer Georgia College and State University Personal Essay Questions?

Georgia College aims to extend education outside of the classroom to support students' critical thinking abilities. Thus, they have incorporated such questions into the enrolment applications. Below are the 12 tips that will provide  assistance with your essay  questions and improve your chances of having your application accepted.

sentence starters for university essays

1. Know the Best Ideas for Your Essay

The personal essay questions Georgia College and State University are meant to add more insight into your application. In addition, the response to such personal essay topics helps the admission committee to know more about you. To write a strong essay, make sure that your thoughts are coherent and reflect your own experiences. 

Here, we are providing you with some tricks to come up with amazing ideas:

  • Understand the prompt.
  • Read the question carefully.
  • Get the core ideas.

Ideas Brainstorming

  • Recall life events that have shaped who you are today.
  • Think about how your social, academic or cultural backgrounds have influenced you.
  • Remember times when you overcame challenges or achieved milestones in life.
  • Focus on strengths or areas of passion for you.

Your ideas must:

  • Be relevant to the prompt.
  • Be realistic.
  • In line with what the university stands for.

2. Reflect on Your Experiences

As you prepare to apply to university, remember the experiences that have contributed to shaping you the way you are now. Your essay should show how these developments, interests, and objectives align with the university's mission and values.

Think about the following points while you reflect on your experiences:

Obstacles and Challenges

What barriers or hurdles have hindered your progress in the past, and what methods did you capitalise on to go beyond them? Which abilities were sharpened from these experiences? How did these experiences affect your outlook towards life and your goals?

Positions and Duties in Leadership

Retrace your steps and recount what you acquired. Restate lessons you learned from playing a leading role.

Academic Accomplishments and Interests

Reverse the positions, think about yourself, and concentrate on your various achievements in class. How did you develop an interest in these areas, and what have they done to help you reach your goals?

Development of the Self and Self-Awareness

Apart from considering one’s personal developments, consider the times when challenges or disappointments were faced and dealt with. When and how did you confront these challenges? What did you learn about yourself while doing so?

As you think about these events, think about the following questions:

  • What skills did this encounter assist me in developing or improving?
  • What changes has this encounter brought to my ambitions and goals?
  • In what way does this experience relate to my aspirations and objectives?
  • What values or principles did this experience instil or reinforce in me?
  • What precise moments or stories can I draw on?

3. Don't Tell them a Story They Want; Tell them What You Want

When crafting your essays for applications, it is easy to get into the comfort zone of writing in a way that seems pleasant to the members of the admissions committee. This approach, however, often fails to showcase your point. Instead, it is advisable to be unapologetically bold and tell the story you want to tell, regardless of who it will appeal to. Understand that it is very important to be real in your essay.

When writing your personal statement, consider these points:

  • Focus on how the engagement aspects of your essay have been drawn from your unique experiences. 
  • Explain how being unique comes from expressing yourself on your own rather than what you believe the college would prefer to hear.
  • Explain why authentic stories are more interesting as they are true and emotional.
  • Argue that for your essay to capture attention, it is important to be free, vulnerable, and take risks in your narrative.
  • Expressing your wishes reveals more about your true self, and that is what the college is looking for.

4. Be Authentic

Finding one’s values, beliefs, and passions is the heart of authenticity. This starts in the inner space where you try so hard to know yourself and decide which of your values are the most important. There is authenticity in overcoming the temptation to conform to other people’s expectations or remain true to one’s core beliefs. This offered a foundation of integrity and formed the basis of all other forms of honest living.

Here are some remarkable aspects of authenticity:

sentence starters for university essays

5. Keep it Concise

A well-developed statement is probably an important component of your university application. Therefore, this comprehensive guide is an opportunity to demonstrate your unique features, life history and aspirations to the admission committee.

Moreover, when it comes to providing an essay that stands out, there is a need to ensure that it is written interestingly and coherently and let it remain on topic. Here are some of the suggestions that can help you achieve this:

  • Ensure that there is no room for ambiguity.
  • Provide your readers with relevant examples.
  • Avoid needless information.
  • Choose simple and straight-to-the-point words.

6. Think Outside the Box!

Do not restrict yourself with commonly known details about yourself but be brave and include little more creativity in your paper.

Here are a few helpful hints that will assist you in doing so:

  • Refusal may be miserable, but reluctantly tell the admissions committee your fabulous and unique achievements.
  • In ways that are explosive to emotions or stretch one's imagination, draw a picture on the spare part of the essay and tell a story instead of better structuring it.

Most people approach the task of doing something different as a way of trying to succeed personally and professionally.

7. Use Proper Grammar and Spelling

In a personal statement, an applicant must pay attention to the structure of the essay, including spelling and grammatical conventions. To eliminate such mistakes, it is recommended to:

  • Carry out a basic form to improve the writing of the essay.
  • Utilise online resources for grammar and spell check.
  • Seek feedback.

With these guidelines, students make sure that there will be no errors in answers to personal essay questions about grammar. It is also necessary to organise the document properly to be favourable to the admission board. In addition, you can also get samples from  legit essay writing firms in the UK   to understand the structure of personal essays for university applications. 

8. Revise Often and Edit

Here, we are going to look into the need to edit and revise the answers we have written for the personal essay questions. By following these strategies, you can make your essay stand out.

  • Remove unnecessary elements and improve the organisation of your work.
  • Make your arguments and their supporting evidence stronger.
  • Improve grammatical errors and sentence fluency.
  • Express more of who you are through words and speech.
  • Rectify gaps and inconsistencies in your narratives.

Editing your essay requires you to also look at the spelling, grammar or punctuation of the essay. When doing so, particularly pay attention to grammar, punctuation, length of sentences, word choice, and consistency. 

How to start Editing your Essay?

Essay revision is checking the content, structure, and flow of the essay. While undertaking this process, take into consideration the following:

  • Am I clear and focused in my thesis statement?
  • Does the flow of my answers make sense?
  • Do my anecdotes and examples of work support my points?
  • Am I able to use the same voice/tone throughout the essay?
  • Is there anything else that I could include to give more details?

9. Highlight Your Strengths

To stand out from other applicants, highlight your strengths in the essay. Before you put your pen on paper, spare a minute or two and try to recall particular events, achievements, and traits. To focus on your academic achievements, ask yourself:

  • What are the specific achievements I have attained and the strong skills I possess in university?
  • What are the objectives and aspirations I have about my career?
  • What factors make me different from other people?

To highlight the strong points in your answer to personal essay questions, you can use examples and narratives. In addition, it is also advisable to highlight your soft skills and let your readers feel your passion and excitement.

10. Demonstrate Your Fit

A powerful piece detailing your personal experiences only works when you show how you fit into Georgia College and State University, its beliefs, and its aim. In addition, add the following salient features to your response to personal essay questions:

Background in Academia 

Talk about your academic history first, highlighting any academic projects that show your readiness for the school you are applying to. Give details of any awards, competitions, or activities that underscore your achievements in your area of study.

Experience That Matters

Mention any planned internships or previous work experience which is relevant to the degree or course you are looking for. Explain how these experiences shaped your career goals.

Link to the University

Why do you want to study at Georgia College and State University? Justify why you believe this particular university is the most suitable for you. Explain how you will be useful to the school community considering the faculty members, research facilities and university culture. 

Long-term Vision

Explain what the future is going to hold for you, particularly how you see the contribution you will make to the field of your choice after you finish the degree. Mention how your university education and experiences will create opportunities for you to achieve these goals and promote positive change as well. You may make arguments that positively reinforce yourself in terms of why you are a strong prospect for the program you are applying to. 

11. Get Started Early

It is very important to start dealing with the Georgia College and State University personal essay questions as soon as possible. If you plan early, you will have sufficient time to arrange and write the essay content and predictably proofread it. This is why it is necessary to commence at the earliest point.

Why, then, should you get started early? Here are some of the reasons:

  • Stress is decreased when you start early!
  • You'll generate more ideas if you give yourself more time to brainstorm!
  • You may demonstrate to the admissions committee that you are serious about attending the university.  
  • You are prepared to put in the time and effort to learn more about it by researching it and its core values.
  • You'll have more time to proofread, edit, and refine your responses.

12. Seek Help When Needed

Assistance seeking is very important, particularly when responding to a personal essay question. One can feel immense pressure to perform well, and this is understandable. Furthermore, it’s important to recognise when you are stuck and need help. 

A teacher, mentor, or guidance counsellor offers support to craft a good paper. You can also  purchase your essay  from online resources that will lead to successful admission to your desired university. 

How to answer Georgia College and State University Personal Essay Questions?

Here are the tips for answering these question types;

  • Do not be afraid of making your voice heard. 
  • Structure a clear and interesting essay.
  • Make use of the words and writing skills that you already have.
  • Write about yourself. But don't try to encapsulate your whole life!
  • Answer the question that has been asked.
  • Read it over again!
  • Write on the internet in a networked word processor.

What should be included in College and State University Personal Essay Questions?

It is best to talk about both positive and negative matters, a humiliating experience, or a quality or interest that exemplifies your values. If you are honest about the issue, character flaws, or sad childhood events, the reader will find it far more credible. 

In addition, it will exhibit your personal life experiences that the admission panel wants to know. So, by including all the information, you can fulfil the true objective of such essay types in application forms. 

The importance of the personal essay questions in the Georgia College and State University application process enables candidates to make the best impression and talk more about themselves. An effective essay can provide a student’s perspective to the admission committees, which are usually standardised, and help to distinguish them from everyone else. 

Moreover, students can show in their essays how well they will integrate themselves into the programs by spinning a good and well-organised narrative. Finally, submitting an excellent personal essay shows that the candidate is open and honest. In addition, the applicant understands what the university is all about and its values. 

Students who follow such practice can write a good manuscript, which allows them to develop their competencies and increase their chances of being accepted into university. Thus, they can begin their developmental, educational, and achievement-oriented journey and fulfil all their academic and career ambitions.

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Chris Bates

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