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 prepositional phrase
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6. what good writers do
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7. the indirect object
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8. Quotation Marks Part Two
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9. Sound a like words Part Two
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10. the adverb
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11. the adjective clause
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12. The verb be
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13. the adverb clause
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14. the direct object
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15. Confusing usage words part one
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16. Confusing usage words part two
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17. The Apostrophe
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18. The Colon
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19. Confusing usage words part three
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20. Confusing usage words part seven
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21. complete and simple predicates
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22. The possessive case
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23. complete and simple subjects
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24. Confusing usage words part three
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25. Confusing usage words part four
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26. Periods Question Marks and Exclamation Marks
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27. Commas Part Three
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28. personal pronouns
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29. Transitive and intransitive verbs
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30. Sound alike words part one
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31. Second Capitalization List
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32. complex sentences
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33. the object of the preposition
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34. subject complements predicate nominatives and predicate adjectives
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35. sentences fragments and run on sentences
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36. The possessive case and pronouns
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37. Confusing usage words part six
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38. Commas Part Four
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39. Quotation Marks Part One
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40. pronouns and their antecedents
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41. singular and plural nouns and pronouns
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42. The nominative case
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43. Confusing usage words part eight
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44. the correlative conjunction
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45. compound subject and compound predicate
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46. types of nouns
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47. the infinitive and infinitive phrase
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48. Active and passive voices
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49. irregular verbs part one
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50. agreement involving prepositional phrases
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