CAMBRIDGE LOWER SECONDARY ENGLISH 8: WORKSHEET 2A

Name Date

Worksheet 2A
1 In the first paragraph of ‘Grandmother’s Song’, many of the sentence openings contain
prepositions, such as ‘in’, ‘on’ and ‘through’. However, there are many other ways of
starting sentences to make your writing interesting.

a Start with an –ly adverb. For example: Nervously, the student turned over the exam paper and
read the first question.
Write your own example using a word from the box or your own choice.

slowly  carefully  suddenly

b Start with an –ing verb. For example: Hoping there was still time, she sprinted
across the field.
Write your own example using a word from the box or your own choice.

laughing  running  thinking

c Start with an –ed verb. For example: Exhausted, the runner collapsed at the end of the race.
Write your own example using a word from the box or your own choice.

surprised  annoyed  excited

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Cambridge Lower Secondary English 8 – Creamer, Clare & Rees-Bidder © Cambridge University Press 2021
 CAMBRIDGE LOWER SECONDARY ENGLISH 8: WORKSHEET 2A

d Start with a question in direct speech. For example: ‘Are you sure you can do this?’
he asked his sister.
Write your own example.

e Start with a conditional sentence using ‘if’. For example: If he had listened to his sister,
he would have succeeded.
Write your own example (remember to use the past perfect tense + would have + past participle).

2 Here is the start of a story. The writer has used some of the sentence openings above
to make their writing interesting. Read the paragraph and tick the starter elements
you can find.

At exactly midnight, the spy reached the warehouse. Cautiously, he opened a side door
and slipped inside. Waiting for his eyes to adjust to the dark, he heard someone cough
nearby. Dismayed, he shook his head. If only he had waited another hour, the security
guard would have left.

Preposition starter 
–ly adverb starter 
–ing verb starter 
–ed verb starter 
Question in direct speech starter 
Conditional sentence starter 

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Cambridge Lower Secondary English 8 – Creamer, Clare & Rees-Bidder © Cambridge University Press 2021