English

Practical English Grammar


what good writers do


Good writers utilize effective sentence starters to interest their readers. You can do the same.
By using different starters, you use variety, a trait of strong writing.
Here are seven ways to start your sentences.

1 Gerund or gerund phrase

Learning was crucial for the new student. (gerund)
Finishing his art project on time brought Andy great relief.
(gerund phrase)

2 Participle or participial phrase

Smiling, Mom welcomed her guests into our house. (participle)
Jumping from the side of the pool, the young boy was enjoying himself.
(participial phrase)

3 Infinitive or infinitive phrase

To laugh is good for your health. (infinitive)
To win the trophy was the boater’s goal. (infinitive phrase)

4 Prepositional phrase

In the evening, Shirley and her friends play bridge. (prepositional phrase)
After an hour the cat felt better. (prepositional phrase)
5 Adverb

Slowly, the children exited the school bus. (adverb)
Intelligently, these scientists debated the heated topic. (adverb)

6 Adverb clause

Because the weather will be good for surfing, we plan on hitting the beach
tomorrow. (adverb clause)
Although the doctor will not be in this evening, her assistant can see you.
(adverb clause)

7 Adjective

Awed, the circus attendees watched the trapeze artist in action. (adjective)
Bright and curious, the scholarship students performed their experiments.
(two adjectives)

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Notes


Practical English Grammar - Notes
1. Italics Hyphens and Brackets
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2. Quotation Marks Part Three
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3. compound subjects part two
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4. Using Capital Letters
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5. the adverb
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6. the adjective clause
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7. the indirect object
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8. the appositive
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9. the pronoun
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10. The Apostrophe
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11. Sound a like words Part Four
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12. what good writers do
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13. The verb be
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14. The possessive case
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15. The Colon
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16. the noun clause
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17. the correlative conjunction
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18. the subordinating conjunction
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19. the direct object
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20. Confusing usage words part six
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21. complete and simple subjects
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22. the adjective
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23. Quotation Marks Part Two
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24. the prepositional phrase
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25. agreement involving prepositional phrases
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26. irregular verbs part two
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27. Sound a like words Part Two
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28. Commas Part One
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29. More Apostrophe Situations
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30. Commas Part Four
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31. Commas Part Five
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32. complex sentences
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33. complete and simple predicates
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34. Indefinite pronouns and the possessive case
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35. Confusing usage words part three
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36. Confusing usage words part one
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37. Confusing usage words part seven
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38. Regular Comparison of Adjectives and Adverbs
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39. Parentheses Ellipsis Marks and Dashes
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40. compound complex sentences
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41. the object of the preposition
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42. Sound a like words Part Three
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43. Irregular Comparison of Adjectives and Adverbs
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44. Periods Question Marks and Exclamation Marks
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45. Commas Part Two
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46. Commas Part Three
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47. Second Capitalization List
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48. agreement between indefinite pronouns and their antecedents
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49. compound subject and compound predicate
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50. the verb
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