Some students struggle to pick their essay starters. That’s because some words or phrases are notable when used to start this write-up. Nevertheless, most people have difficulties making their starting sentences more engaging. This task gets difficult when it comes to finding perfect phrases or words for connecting ideas. In some cases, finding words that show the relationship of ideas is not easy. This article explains how to get started writing an essay by using the right phrases or words.
Contents
Why Use Essay Starters?
When starting an essay, students should decide on the words or phrases to use in the introduction. That’s because the introduction is an essential part of your essay. It tells your readers what they can expect from the rest of the essay. It also presents your main argument.
Essentially, using the right essay starter introduces the information in the write-up. It can also set the right tone and give readers some hints about your topic or subject. What’s more, you can use this phrase or word to capture your reader’s attention.
How to Use an Essay Starter
There are many ways to start an essay. But, how you start writing your essay should depend on the message or information you want to convey to your readers. Since you already have an essay prompt, you know what the educator expects of you. What’s more, you have researched your topic and, therefore, you know the information you intend to present. All this should guide you when it comes to starting off an essay with a starter.
It’s, however, crucial to note that the type of your essay may dictate how you use an essay starter. For instance, you can’t use the same starter for an expository essay and an analytical essay. Argumentative essay starters are also different from persuasive essay sentence starters.
Here are some of the ways to use the best essay starters:
- Welcoming the reader’s attention
- Adding ideas to the essay
- Emphasizing a topic
- Introducing a comparison
- Providing background on a topic (you can start an essay with a quote)
- Presenting the central point or thesis of an essay
Students should use different words to start an essay depending on the topic, subject, or type of their write-up.
How to Start an Essay
Writing an introductory paragraph with carefully selected essay sentence starters is the best way to start this write up. Ideally, every word used in the introductory paragraph should help in hooking the readers and making them want to read further. If looking for good ways to start an essay, here are tips to guide you.
- Hook the Readers
Use good essay introduction starters to hook your readers. This step is very important because the first words will set the tone for the entire essay. Avoid dense and long sentences. Instead, use clear, catchy, and concise sentences. Also, avoid stating facts plainly or making broad claims. Here are examples of good hooks:
- Braille invention marked the turning point for people with disability
- The increasing internet adoption has changed the world in myriad ways
- Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is read as an example of a crude cautionary story about the risks of scientific advancement
Ideally, the hook sentence should arouse the curiosity of the audience without providing adequate information to make them not want to read the rest of the essay.
- Provide Background Information
Provide the context your readers need to understand your argument and topic. This can include starting an essay with a definition of a word or concept that forms the basis of your write-up. Nevertheless, this should also depend on your essay topic. Examples of background information include:
- Geographical, social, or historical context
- Outlining the debate you want to address
- Summary of research or theories about your topic
- Definition of the key terms
Background information should be relevant and focused on your essay argument. What’s more, you should not include excessive details because you will do that in the body of your essay.
- Present a Thesis Statement
Use good essay starters to chronologically move the audience to your thesis statement. A thesis statement is a sentence or phrase that sums up the overall argument of your essay. It forms an important part of the introductory paragraph. It’s a claim that needs explanation and evidence. Use your thesis statement to tell readers your position in an argument or the central point of your essay.
-
Map the Essay Structure
End your introductory paragraph by signposting. This entails telling your readers what you intend to cover in your essay. This is very important when writing a long essay. Be concise and provide a clear direction for your argument. Here is an example of a signpost for an essay:
In this essay, I will discuss the blind people’s situation in the 19th century across Europe. I will then describe Braille’s invention and how blind education accepted it gradually. Finally, I will explore the far-reaching impact of Braille’s invention on the cultural and social lives of the blind people.
-
Revise
Your essay direction or focus can change during the writing process. In that case, you may want to use different essay topic sentence starters to bring out your message more effectively. Therefore, revise your introduction after writing the body and conclusion sections to ensure coherence.
Best Essay Starter Examples
As mentioned, the type of starters you use should depend on what you’re writing about. As such, there are different types of essay paragraph starters that learners can use in their write-ups. Here are examples of the most common college essay starters.
- Argumentative essay sentence starters
When writing an argumentative essay, you want to start it in a way that will make the audience want to hear your argument and take your stance on an issue. Here are good examples of sentence starters for argumentative essay:- People that disagree can argue that…
- A possible major concern that some people can raise is that…
- This argument could be wrong because…
- However, there is overwhelming evidence to support a contrary opinion…
- A different school of thought states that…
- Essay introduction starters
Using the right starting words for essay can determine whether the audience will continue reading or abandon your write-up at the beginning. Here are examples of the best words to use when starting an essay:- This essay explains…
- In this essay….
- The central theme of this essay is…
- The main aspect discussed in this essay is…
- The definition of…
- Essay body paragraph starters
You should also use the right starters in your body paragraph. These are words that tell readers that you have moved from one point to another. Here are examples of starters that you can use in the body paragraphs.- According to…
- However, …
- Similarly, …
- Perhaps, …
- Seldom, …
- Essay conclusion starters
Once you’ve written the introduction and the body, you want to start the conclusion of your essay with the right words. Here are examples of conclusion starters that you can use in your essay.- In brief, …
- In summary, …
- In conclusion, …
- It’s been shown that, …
- In nutshell, …
- To summarize, …
- In short, …
- Compare and Contrast Essay Starters
If you’re writing a compare and contrast essay, you should use sentence starters that give your readers a hint of what to expect. Here are examples of starters to use in a compare and contrast essay.- In comparison…
- In the same way…
- Similarly, …
- On the contrary, …
- Despite this, …
- Notwithstanding, …
- In contrast to…
- Whereas…
- However, …
- Conversely, …
- Then again, …
- Likewise, …
- Starters for Giving Examples
Maybe you want to include an example in your write up. In that case, you should use the right starters. Here are effective starters to use when giving examples.- For instance, …
- For example…
- Such as…
- To illustrate…
- As an example…
- As demonstrated by…
Frequently Asked Questions about Starters for Essays
Q: Why are great essay starters important?
A: The introductory section of an essay is very crucial. That’s because it’s the first part that the audience reads upon receiving an essay. As such, it should grab the attention of the reader. Including the right starters explains the research problem and the top of an essay. It also provides background information about the topic. This information is very important because it helps the audience to decide whether to stop at the introduction or read the rest of the write-up.
Q: How can a starter help the student when writing an essay?
A: A good starter provides the frame that a student follows when expressing their thoughts when writing the essay. Ideally, a good starter provides the direction that a student follows when writing the essay. It enables a learner to focus and even organize and present ideas and thoughts. What’s more, a good starter can foster the creativity of the student.
Q: What is the purpose of sentence starters?
A: Sentence starters provide the partial frame that students use to craft brilliant sentences. They provide a starting point when presenting ideas in writing. However, a sentence starter beings an idea. The learner uses different words to complete the presentation of their idea in writing.
Q: What are good starters for writing essays?
A: Whether a starter is good for starting an essay or not depends on several factors. For instance, the type of essay you’re writing should dictate your choice of a starter. For instance, you can’t use the same starter in an argumentative essay and an expository essay. A good starter, however, should help you set the right tone and give your readers a sense of direction.
Q: How do you use starters in an essay?
A: To effectively use starters in your essay, start by understanding their purpose. Different types of starters serve varying purposes. For instance, an introduction starter introduces a topic while mapping the direction of an essay. It can also provide background information and introduce the main point in an essay. On the other hand, a conclusion starter marks the beginning of the end of an essay. It hints to the reader that you’re wrapping up your writing. Therefore, start by learning the purposes of different types of starters to use them more effectively in your essay. Essay writing services will help you with this any other issues that may arise.
For many learners, starting a compare and contrast essay, an argumentative essay, or even a persuasive essay is not easy. That’s because they don’t know the right words to start with. Using the right starters in your essay can mark the beginning of composing brilliant write-ups. Once you’ve mastered different types of starters, you will no longer be gazing on an empty, blank screen not knowing how to start writing your essay. All you have to do is to choose the right starters for the introduction, body, and conclusion of your essay. Use these starters properly and the educator won’t have a reason to deny you the top grade in your essay.