WRITING HELPER

Liberal Arts and Culture Center

E-JUST Language Center (ELC)

Sentence Starters and Useful Vocabulary

o Although . . .
o As...
o As I see it...
o At one point...
o Despite the fact that . . .
o Even though . . .
o Finally...
o For example . . .
o Furthermore . . .
o Gradually . . .
o I believe that...
o If...
o In addition...
o In conclusion . . .
o In general...
o In my view...
o In spite of...
o I would like to ...
o Meanwhile . . .
o Moreover . . .
o Nevertheless . . .
o So...
o Subsequently . . .
o Therefore . . .
o Whilst...

Starting sentences with a verb

o Don’t...
o Go on,.
o Try a...
o Enjoy the...
o Imagine . . .
o Consider . . .
o Take a moment to...
o Find out...
o Guaranteed to . . .
“The limits of my language mean the limits of my 1
world.”
Ludwig Wittgenstein
 WRITING HELPER

Persuasive statements
o You will be..
o It will...
o You’ll never need to . . . again.
o Just think how...
o Now you can...
o For the rest of your life...

Useful adjectives
o extraordinary
o remarkable
o amazing
o astonishing
o incredible
o phenomenal
o unbelievable
o startling
o tantalizing
o attractive
o unmissable
o unique
o sensational
o outrageous

“The limits of my language mean the limits of my 2

world.”
Ludwig Wittgenstein
 WRITING HELPER

Biography
Words and phrases to use at the start of sentences
Time connectives
o As a child...
o During his early life . . .
o At a young age...
o In his early years...
o As a teenager he...
o Shortly after this . . .
o Soon afterwards . . .
o The time came for...
o By the time he had...
o Many years later . . .
o In 1878, at the age of...he ...
o In his later years...
o Towards the end of his life . . .
o In his final years...

Other starters
o Either by chance or by design . . .
o As it happened...
o Sometimes he . . .
o Once he had...
o What is clear is that...
o Nobody is sure why...

Making statements
o One of the interesting things about . . . was . . .
o One of the most remarkable facts about . . .
o Strangely . . .
o Another unusual thing about . . . was . . .

Complex sentence starters

o Even though . . .
o Although . . .
o Despite the fact that . . .
o In spite of...

Expressing a viewpoint
o In my view...
o As I see it...

“The limits of my language mean the limits of my 3

world.”
Ludwig Wittgenstein
 WRITING HELPER

o I believe that...
o In many ways...
o It’s difficult to understand why . . .

Speculating
o He might have been...
o If he hadn’t ...he would have ...

Legacy statements
o His one regret was that...
o His dying wish was that...
o He will be best remembered for . . .
o His greatest achievement was . . .
o He will be remembered most of all for . . .
o His life was...
o His lasting legacy is that . . .

“The limits of my language mean the limits of my 4

world.”
Ludwig Wittgenstein
 WRITING HELPER

Diary writing
Adverbs to start a diary sentence with:
o Hopefully
o Fortunately
o Unfortunately
o Fortuitously
o Luckily
o Unluckily
o Thankfully
o Lately
o Recently
o Incidentally
o Curiously
o Eventually
o Anyway

Conversational manner with ‘speech like phrases’

o By the way...
o To tell you the truth...
o I must tell you about...
o Right now, I’m...
o You will never believe it but . . .
o I hope that...
o To be honest...
o I imagine that...
o I should have told you that . .
o I have been looking forward to . . .
o I am looking forward to . . . (I am not looking forward to . . .)
o I am worried about... (I am not worried about...)
o I was looking forward to . . .
o I expect that...
o I think that...
o As it happened...
o I didn’t expect . . .
o I don’t expect . .
o In truth ...
o The best bit is...
o The worst part is... (The worst part was...)
o Worst of all...
o Best of all...
o (The best bit was...)

“The limits of my language mean the limits of my 5

world.”
Ludwig Wittgenstein
 WRITING HELPER

Rhetorical questions
o You’ll never guess what happened?
o You know what?
o Do you know what?
o Can you imagine it?
o Have you ever..?

Speculative sentence starters

o Perhaps
o I wonder if...
o I wonder whether . . .
o Maybe...

Other sentence starters

o Even though . .
o For once...
o At least...
o At times...
o Sometimes . . .
o I felt so...
No matter what . . .

“The limits of my language mean the limits of my 6

world.”
Ludwig Wittgenstein
 WRITING HELPER

Discursive texts
Openings
o This piece of writing will . . .
o I intend to...
o My intention is to ...
o I am going to.. .
o I will present...
o I will begin by...
o To do this I will...
o Following that I will . . .

Useful phrases
o In fact...
o As I see it..
o It appears to me...
o It seems to me that...
o One argument for this is that . .
o I would counter this view because . . .
o On the other hand...
o It seems plausible to . . .
o Therefore . . .
o In addition...
o Moreover . . .
o Furthermore . . .
o Nevertheless . . .
o Subsequently . . .
o Consequently . . .
o However...
o In point of fact...
o It is precisely because . . .
o The evidence I would use to support this is . . .
o Naturally . . .
o Doubtless...
o It is surprising that . . .
o It surprises me that . . .
o It is no surprise that...
o It would seem logical to . . .
o Let us now turn to...
o Let’s consider . . .
o An example of this is...
o My next point concerns . . .

“The limits of my language mean the limits of my 7

world.”
Ludwig Wittgenstein
 WRITING HELPER

Concluding remarks
o In conclusion . . .
o It is my conviction that . . .
o It is clear that...
o Finally, I would like to add...
o To sum up...
o My overall feeling is . . .
o On balance...
o The evidence presented leads me to conclude that . . .

“The limits of my language mean the limits of my 8

world.”
Ludwig Wittgenstein
 WRITING HELPER

Explanatory texts
Opening statements
o This article will . . .
o The purpose of this article is to . . .
o This explanation is intended to . . .
o This article is designed to . . .
o The following information . . .
o I will try to...
o I will attempt to...
o It can be difficult to...so...
o Firstly, I will...
o Following that I intend to . . .
o I am going to ...
o The purpose of this explanation is to help . . .

Time connectives
o To begin with...
o Next...
o After that
o Following that . . .
o After a while...
o Wait a moment before ...
o Before long . . .
o After a minute...
o First...
o First of all, ..
o Firstly . . .
o Next...
o After...
o Afterwards . . .
o After that...
o When...
o At this point...
o Lastly...
o Finally, ...
o Subsequently . . .

Causal connectives
o So...
o This causes . . .
o As a result, ...
o This results in . . .
o This leads to...

“The limits of my language mean the limits of my 9

world.”
Ludwig Wittgenstein
 WRITING HELPER

o This is because . . .
o This was because . . .
o Because . . .
o Therefore . . .
o Furthermore . . .

Other useful phrases

o In addition ...
o Everyone understands that . . .
o Nobody knows why . . .
o Many people believe ....
o I believe that ...
o It is true to say that...

“The limits of my language mean the limits of my 10

world.”
Ludwig Wittgenstein
 WRITING HELPER

Information texts (non-chronological reports)

Opening statements
o This article will . . .
o The purpose of this article is to . . .
o The information presented will . . .
o This article is designed to . . .
o The following information . . .
o I will try to...
o I will attempt to...
o It can be difficult to...so...
o Firstly, I will...
o I am going to ...
o Each paragraph . . .

Factual sentence starters for information texts

o _____ are...
o _____is...
o They are...
o They are also...
o They like to...
o They don’t like . . .
o They avoid...because...
o They don’t...
o It doesn’t...
o They can...
o It can...
o Instead they...
o In addition, . . .
o Usually . . .
o Generally . . .
o Normally . . .
o As a rule...
o Frequently . . .
o They can be...
o They are usually . . .
o They are rarely...
o They are never...
o They are a very... (It is a very...)
o Like many...
o Unlike...
o This is a...
o Although . . .
o Even though . . .

“The limits of my language mean the limits of my 11

world.”
Ludwig Wittgenstein
 WRITING HELPER

o Despite . . .
o Despite the fact that . . .
o Sometimes . . .
o Often...
o (It is usually . . .) (It is rarely...) (It is never...)
o Frequently they . . .
o Be careful if you...
o More than half...
o Less than half...
o Most...

“The limits of my language mean the limits of my 12

world.”
Ludwig Wittgenstein
 WRITING HELPER

Instructions and procedures

o First...
o First of all . ..
o To start with...
o Firstly . . .
o Next...
o After...
o Afterwards . . .
o After that...
o When...
o At this point...
o Lastly...
o Finally...

More advanced language constructions

o To begin with...
o Begin by...
o Secondly . . .
o The next step is to...
o Continue by . . .
o Carryon...
o Do this until...
o Stop when...
o When you have done this...
o Try to...
o Try not to...
o Avoid...
o Don’t forget to . . .
o Be careful of...
o Don’t worry about . . .
o Concentrate on . . .
o Focus on...
o Try to make sure that...
o Whatever you do, don’t . . .
o I would suggest that . . .
o To conclude...
o Before...remember to ...
o Whilst you are...
o Use the time you are waiting to...
o If you find that...then...
o If...doesn’t...

“The limits of my language mean the limits of my 13

world.”
Ludwig Wittgenstein
 WRITING HELPER

Invitations
Polite directives
o Please come to...
o It will be...
o It will take place at...
o It starts at...
o It finishes at...
o I am having a party because . . .
o I’m looking forward to . . .

More advanced language constructions

o I would like to invite you to...
o During the afternoon we will be . . .
o At two o’clock there will be...
o There will also be...
o The easiest way to get here is...
o At around...
o I think that..
o I expect that...
o The thing I am looking forward to most is . . .
o It is anticipated that we will finish at around . . .
o If you would like you can...
o It would be good if...
o I hope that you will...
o Try to/try not to...
o Don’t forget to . . .
o If it’s okay with you...
o If you can remember to...

Ten-time connectives
o First of all...
o Later...
o Afterwards . . .
o After that...
o Next, we will...
o Soon after...
o At about...
o Following that . . .
o Finally, ...
o At the end of the afternoon/evening . . .

“The limits of my language mean the limits of my 14

world.”
Ludwig Wittgenstein
 WRITING HELPER

Letter writing
Openings
o I would like to inform you that...
o It has come to my attention that . . .
o I am grateful to you for...
o I wish to...
o I wish to express...
o I would like to...
o Thank you for...
o It is with much pride that I can confirm that . . .
o It is with regret that...
o I am delighted to inform you that . . .
o I write to you because...

Useful expressions
o Please accept my . . .
o I hope that...
o I trust that...
o It concerns me that . . .
o I wonder if you would be kind enough to...
o I would be grateful if...
o It would be helpful if...
o I wonder if...
o As I see it...
o I would rather not...
o I appreciate that . . .
o It is for this reason that ...

Closing remarks
o I look forward to hearing from you in due course
o An early response would be greatly appreciated.
o I trust that this is all in order
o Thank you once again for . . .
o Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of any further assistance.

“The limits of my language mean the limits of my 15

world.”
Ludwig Wittgenstein
 WRITING HELPER

Narratives
Words/phrases signifying the passage of time
o Instantly
o Immediately
o Just at that moment
o Before long
o So
o Presently
o Soon
o Later
o Afterwards
o After a while
o Much later
o At last
o In a flash
o In next to no time
o Within seconds
o Next day
o The next evening
o Eventually
o Towards nightfall
o At dawn
o At dusk
o As the sun set
o Simultaneously
o Finally

Words/phrases that create more complex sentence constructions

o Sometimes
o Moreover
o However
o In spite of
o Nevertheless
o Surprisingly
o Strangely
o Similarly
o Incidentally
o Ironically
o Despite the fact that
o Even though
o Whilst
o Although
o Unusually

“The limits of my language mean the limits of my 16

world.”
Ludwig Wittgenstein
 WRITING HELPER

o In contrast
o Unknown to...
o Unable to ...
o Without noticing that . . .

Words/phrases to change the focus of the story

o Suddenly
o Meanwhile
o Not far away
o Some distance away
o While
o During

“The limits of my language mean the limits of my 17

world.”
Ludwig Wittgenstein
 WRITING HELPER

Newspaper reports
Using indirect speech
o He reported that . . .
o He also claimed that . . .
o He went on to state that...
o He confirmed that . . .
o She claimed that . . .
o He disputed that . . .
o She refused to accept that . . .
o He agreed that...
o He went on to tell us that...
o He continued by informing us that . . .
o In addition to this . . .
o He also spoke of how...
o He refused to accept that . . .
o He reputed...
o He emphasized . . .
o He continued by . . .
o A spokesman stated that . . .

Using connectives in reports

o Shortly before daybreak . . .
o Later that day, ...
o Before long . . .
o As evening fell . . .
o As the sunset...
o Soon after...
o Hours later . . .
o Unfortunately, . . .
o Fortunately, . . .
o Soon
o So
o Afterwards
o After that
o Later on
o Next
o Moments later
o Seconds later
o Much later
o Within minutes
o Suddenly
o Without any warning . . .
o At that very moment . . .

“The limits of my language mean the limits of my 18

world.”
Ludwig Wittgenstein
 WRITING HELPER

o Presently
o In a flash
o Eventually
o Simultaneously

“The limits of my language mean the limits of my 19

world.”
Ludwig Wittgenstein
 WRITING HELPER

Persuasive writing
Phrases using that
o I believe that ...
o I think that ...
o It seems to me that ...
o It is clear that ...
o It strikes me that ...
o There is no doubt that ... (There can be no doubt that ...)
o I am convinced that . . .
o It appears that . . .
o It is obvious that...

Rhetorical questions
o Is it any wonder that ...?
o Don’t you think ...?
o Isn’t it clear that ...?
o Isn’t it the case that...?
o How can anyone believe this to be true?
o Does anyone really believe that . . .?

Other phrases to start a sentence with

o In my opinion...
o As I see it ...
o As everyone knows
o Clearly...
o Obviously . . .
o Inevitably . . .
o My own view is...

Initial phrases followed by a comma

o Surely,
o Firstly,
o Secondly,
o Thirdly,
o In addition,
o Furthermore,
o Moreover,

Phrases to use when providing evidence

o For example,
o I cite, as an example, ...
o My evidence to support this is . . .
o I would draw your attention to . . .

“The limits of my language mean the limits of my 20

world.”
Ludwig Wittgenstein
 WRITING HELPER

o I would refer to...

Phrases to finish off with

o My last point is ...
o My final point is ...
o Finally,
o In conclusion,
o In summary,
o To conclude I would like to say ...
o On the basis of the evidence presented . . .
o On balance...
o The evidence presented supports the view that . . .
o It is my sincere belief that . . .

“The limits of my language mean the limits of my 21

world.”
Ludwig Wittgenstein
 WRITING HELPER

Recounts
Useful language constructions
o Last week we ...
o First...
o Next...
o After...
o Afterwards . . .
o After that...
o When...
o Suddenly . . .
o Just then . .
o Soon...
o Meanwhile . . .
o Finally...
o So
o Later on
o Before long
o Next
o Moments later
o Seconds later
o Much later
o Within minutes
o At that very moment
o At precisely
o Presently
o In a flash
o When this was complete . . .
o Eventually

More advanced language constructions

o To begin with...
o Before long . . .
o Eventually . . .
o As it happened . .
o As a result of...
o Consequently . . .
o Subsequently . . .

Evidence of viewpoint
o I found it interesting when . . .
o My favorite activity was . . .
o It was funny when...
o I liked the part when...

“The limits of my language mean the limits of my 22

world.”
Ludwig Wittgenstein
 WRITING HELPER

o I didn’t enjoy...
o The best part was...
o The worst part was...
o I was surprised that . . .
o I was pleased that ...
o I didn’t expect that . . .
o It was difficult to . . .

“The limits of my language mean the limits of my 23

world.”
Ludwig Wittgenstein