Sentence structures and variety
Varying sentence openers
Your writing needs to be lively if your reader is to enjoy it. As well as varying the length of sentences (see grammar for details of how to do this), changing the way that sentences start makes a piece of reading more interesting and engaging for the reader. There are many ways to do this.
Example
Take the sentence 'The man shouted out of the window':
| Sentence starter | Example |
| An adverb to describe the verb (action) | Frantically, the man shouted out of the window… |
| An adjective to add further description to a noun (ie the subject of the sentence) | Enraged, the man shouted out of the window… |
| A connective to place the event in relation to other action within the text | Consequently, the man shouted out of the window… |
| A prepositional phrase to place the time, place or manner of the action. Prepositions create phrases that act like adverbs (1) or adjectives (2) | 1. Above the crowd, the man shouted out of the window… |
| 2. In a terrified state, the man shouted out of the window | |
| A simile also acts like an adverb or adjective, to describe the verb (1) or the subject (2) | 1. As loud as thunder, the man shouted out of the window… |
| 2. Like a terrified beast, the man shouted out of the window… |
| Sentence starter | An adverb to describe the verb (action) |
|---|---|
| Example | Frantically, the man shouted out of the window… |
| Sentence starter | An adjective to add further description to a noun (ie the subject of the sentence) |
|---|---|
| Example | Enraged, the man shouted out of the window… |
| Sentence starter | A connective to place the event in relation to other action within the text |
|---|---|
| Example | Consequently, the man shouted out of the window… |
| Sentence starter | A prepositional phrase to place the time, place or manner of the action. Prepositions create phrases that act like adverbs (1) or adjectives (2) |
|---|---|
| Example | 1. Above the crowd, the man shouted out of the window… |
| Sentence starter | |
|---|---|
| Example | 2. In a terrified state, the man shouted out of the window |
| Sentence starter | A simile also acts like an adverb or adjective, to describe the verb (1) or the subject (2) |
|---|---|
| Example | 1. As loud as thunder, the man shouted out of the window… |
| Sentence starter | |
|---|---|
| Example | 2. Like a terrified beast, the man shouted out of the window… |
Have a look at this example to see how the writer changes the sentence openers to create variety for the reader:
Attempt 1
I walked into the room. The lights shone brightly. People were everywhere and the music was blaring. There were people outside talking. I saw my friends in the corner of the room and went over to join them.
Attempt 2
Cautiously, I walked into the room. Overhead, the lights shone brightly. Like excited animals, people were everywhere and the music was blaring. Outside, there were people talking. With a sigh of relief, I saw my friends in the corner of the room and like a shot, I hurried over to join them.