Sentence Starters for Essays with Examples

A sentence starter is a brief expression at the beginning of a sentence. It guides the reader into what comes next. The opening words you choose matter because they shape the writing flow and help keep the reader interested.

Our writers develop structured arguments through analytical reasoning. We do NOT produce surface-level content that lacks essential academic depth, as is common with AI essay tools.

The examples include: To begin with, For instance, Accordingly, For this purpose, Hence, Thus, Likewise, Nevertheless, As a rule, Afterward, Moreover, In comparison, etc.

Key takeaways:

• Sentence starters help organize ideas and guide readers through an essay.
• They improve writing flow and make arguments clearer and more structured.
• Different starters fit introductions, body paragraphs, and conclusions.
• Using varied, purposeful starters strengthens academic tone and overall clarity.

If you are struggling to put your ideas into words on your own, remember that PapersOwl offers academic support when sentences don’t cooperate!

What are Sentence Starters?

Sentence starters are phrases and words placed at the beginning of a sentence to help the reader follow your points and set the tone. They also present the main idea, add emphasis, and connect key points.

Why do they matter in academic essays?

Opening expressions shape the text structure and make ideas easier to follow. They show when you give background information, add evidence, or move to a new point.

Strong starters improve writing flow, stop paragraphs from sounding flat, and make body paragraphs clearer and more organized. They are especially useful when learning how to use “et al.” in a sentence or other academic expressions.

Sentence starters ≠ transitions

Sentence starters and transition starters are related, but not the same.

• A transition connects two thoughts.
• A sentence starter opens a sentence with a purpose.

Some starters act as transitions, but not all of them. For example, “In contrast” is both. “One key aspect is…” is a starter, but not a full transition.

When to Use Opening Phrases?

Opening phrases are helpful when a paragraph needs clearer direction. They work best at the beginning of paragraphs and at key moments in a discussion, especially when you start a new idea or close one.

Use sentence starters when you need to:

• introduce background information;
• present a topic sentence;
• add evidence;
• explain a point;
• show contrast;
• summarize ideas;
• wrap things up.

🚫 Sentence starters are NOT needed in every sentence, and overusing them can distract the reader. They work best when ideas feel unclear, a point needs emphasis, or context is lacking.

Introduction Sentence Starters for Essays

Introductions set the context and shape readers’ first impression of your essay. They explain why the topic matters and build the focus of a text. Here are three types of starters.

Background

These opening expressions help to give context and share common knowledge. They introduce background information and place an essay in a wider discussion before moving into the main idea.

• In recent years, most scientists have focused on…
• Throughout history, people have believed that…
• In today’s world, this issue has become essential.
• In modern academic writing, this topic often appears.
• Across the world, students face this challenge.
• Over time, this problem has grown.
• In the field of education, this discussion continues.
• From a global view, this topic matters.
• In everyday life, this issue often appears.
• Within this context, the problem becomes clear.

Hook

Hooks are used to grab attention from the very first line. They invite the reader to imagine, question, or feel curious. A strong hook makes the reader want to continue and prepares them for what comes next.

• Imagine a world where…
• Have you ever wondered why…?
• It may seem simple, but…
• Most people assume that…
• What if one small change could…?
• Surprisingly, …
• At first glance, this topic seems basic, but…
• Few people understand that…
• Think about…
• The most unexpected point about… is…

Thesis

Unlike background information sentence starters, we use thesis starters to expose your essential argument.

• This essay argues that…
• The key argument of this paper is that… 
• This work will explain how…
• This discussion concentrates on… 
• The purpose of this essay is to… 
• This essay examines…
• The central claim is that… 
• This paper explores… 
• The thesis of this exploration is that… 
• This work presents… 

Sentence Starters for Body Paragraphs

Body paragraph starters guide the reader and give structure. They show what’s coming, highlight facts, explain meaning, connect ideas, and demonstrate why something happens. 

Topic Sentence

Topic sentence starters clarify the paragraph’s key idea and help the audience comprehend its purpose.

• One main reason is that…
• An essential aspect to consider is…
• One important point is…
• Another factor to note is…
• The first main point is that… 
• A central idea in this discussion is… 
• One key aspect of… is…
• An essential part of… is…
• This paragraph focuses on…
• One major point is that…

Evidence Sentence

To introduce studies and examples, we use sentence starters for evidence in essays. They demonstrate facts and link them to your main points.

• Evidence suggests that…
• Exploration shows that… 
• Studies indicate that… 
• According to recent findings…
• For instance…
• For example…
• Evidence shows that…
• One example of this is….
• Data from recent years suggests that…
• In one instance…

Analysis Sentence

These opening phrases are used to explain what your evidence means. They help you break down ideas, show why a point matters, and connect research and examples to your essential argument. 

• This shows that… 
• This suggests that…
• In the same way… 
• This means that… 
• As a result…
• This point highlights…
• From this, we can see that…
• This explains why…
• This supports the idea that…
• In final analysis… 

Transition Sentence

Include the following expressions and transition sentence examples to move smoothly from one idea to the next. They help connect paragraphs and show relationships between points.

• Building on this point…
• In contrast… 
• On the other hand…
• At the same time…
• Moving forward, it is important to consider…
• With this in mind, the next aspect focuses on…
• Additionally to…
• Similarly…
• However…
• As the discussion continues…

Opening Phrases for Arguments, Opinions, and Counterarguments 

Argumentative essays work best like a conversation: you present your position, show opposing views, and explain why your reasoning matters. Good sentence starters help each part flow naturally.

Arguments

These opening expressions help you to expose your main argument. They introduce your position, show why it is worth considering, and guide the reader through your points.

• One main argument is that…
• This essay argues that…
• A strong case can be made that…
• The evidence supports the view that…
• From this perspective…
• One clear position is that…
• This paper maintains that…
• It is reasonable to argue that…
• The main reason is that…
• Overall, this view argues that…

Counterarguments

To start analyzing opposing views, we turn to counterargument sentence starters.

They help show that you understand different perspectives, present other opinions fairly, and demonstrate balance and academic awareness before responding with your own argument.

• Some may argue that… 
• A common opinion is that… 
• Others believe that… 
• It is often claimed that… 
• One opposing view argues that… 
• Critics point out that… 
• Some people think that… 
• Another view is that… 
• There is an argument that… 
• Many assume that… 

Refutation

Use these opening phrases to respond to contrary views and emphasize your reasoning. They help show why other arguments may be flawed and strengthen your position in a clear and well-structured way.

• However, this view overlooks… 
• This argument fails to consider…
• Yet evidence suggests…
• This claim ignores…
• In reality…
• On closer look, this view lacks…
• Despite this opinion, research shows that…
• This can be challenged because…
• Nevertheless…
• Ultimately, these two points…

Sentence Starters for Comparison and Contrast

Similarities

If you want to analyse things that are similar, use the next sentence starters for paragraphs. They help compare ideas, show shared qualities, and make it easier for readers to understand connections between them.

• In the same way, both methods…
• Similarly…
• Likewise…
• Both approaches show that…
• In a similar sense…
• Just as important…
• In the same manner, both tools…
• Correspondingly…
• Equally important, both… 
• Along the same lines, both…

Differences

To demonstrate contrast, we use the following expressions. They make the differences between ideas or methods clear and help readers understand your points without confusion.

• In contrast…
• On the other hand…
• Unlike…
• However…
• By comparison…
• Whereas…
• In opposition to this…
• While one method relies on…, the other relies on…
• Yet, differences remain between…
• Despite similarities, their effects differ.

Sentence Starters for Cause and Effect

When you explain reasons, results, and outcomes, add these sentence starters for analysis that help link ideas, show relationships, and support a logical discussion in academic essays.

• Because of this…
• As a result…
• Therefore…
• This leads to…
• Due to this…
• Consequently…
• For this reason…
• This causes…
• Hence…
• The main reason is that…

Sentence Starters for Conclusions

These opening phrases help you wrap things up clearly and in an organized way.  Let’s consider three types of expressions applied to summarize key ideas in writing.

Summary 

These phrases clearly restate your main points. Summary sentence starters help remind the reader of your key ideas and smoothly signal that your essay is coming to a close.

• In summary…
• To summarize…
• Overall…
• In brief…
• In short… 
• Taken together…
• All things considered…
• In closing…
• On the whole…
• In essence…

Thesis Restate

These sentence starters return to your main argument near the end of your text. They help reinforce your thesis, highlight your findings, and remind the reader of your central message.

• This essay has shown that…
• The discussion confirms that…
• As argued above…
• This paper has argued that…
• The main argument remains that…
• The findings suggest that…
• Ultimately…
• The evidence supports the claim that…
• This analysis shows that…
• The thesis stands that…

Call to Action

Introduce these phrases into your essay to motivate and guide the reader toward action. These good essay starters encourage practice, improvement, and reflection, helping your conclusion feel active and forward-looking.

• Moving forward, writers should…
• From this point on, students can apply these tools…
• With these ideas in mind, try…
• Now is the time to improve…
• By applying these tips…
• Going forward, focus on…
• The next step is to…
• With consistent use, these methods… 
• Take this approach to…
• Use these tools to…

Academic vs. Informal Sentence Starters

Common Mistakes when Using Sentence Starters for Essays

• Using the same starters again and again. This makes your writing feel boring and repetitive.
• Forcing a starter that doesn’t belong. When it doesn’t fit the sentence, your text flow breaks.
• Leaning on casual phrases. Starters like “I think” seem weak in academic essays.
• Picking the wrong type of starter. For example, using a summary starter at the beginning of a body paragraph can confuse your main point.
• Not mixing things up. Good essays use different starters for background, evidence, contrast, and summaries.

Final Thoughts

Sentence starters are a key aspect of essay writing. They guide the reader, support sentence structure, and highlight main points. When used well, they improve writing flow and leave a lasting impression. 

So, to succeed in academic writing, start simple, practice often, find examples, and test different starters. Over time, your texts will feel clearer and more confident. 

If you want expert support along the way, PapersOwl is the best writing service to help you complete strong, clear, and well-structured essays!

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