Academic writing is one of the most challenging forms of writing. It must not only contain information but also maintain coherence and cohesion so the reader feels connected. Transition words and phrases play an essential role in delivering the ideas. This blog will help you learn how to write a good essay. Furthermore, this blog will help you choose the perfect words to start a paragraph. Thus, let’s begin!

Table of Contents

What Is a Sentence Starter?

Usually, the comma separates these words and phrases from the rest of the sentence, which is a basic introduction to the rest of the sentence. The sentence starters help set the tone, clarify the connections between thoughts, and also help indicate the structure of the entire content. Sentence starters are the most useful words and phrases in academic and essay writing. 

Examples of Sentence Starters:

The kids shows 5 types of sentence starters
  1. To Introduce A Point: “Firstly,” “To begin with,” “For example,”
  2. To Add Information: “Additionally,” “Moreover,” “Furthermore,”
  3. To Contrast: “However,” “On the other hand,” “In contrast,”
  4. To Show Cause And Effect: “Therefore,” “As a result,” “Consequently,”
  5. To Conclude: “In conclusion,” “Overall,” “To summarize,”

What Is A Topic Sentence?

 A man seemed confused about what is topic sentence

Topic sentences are the sentences that introduce the entire essay. This helps the readers know what the essay talks about. For example, the sentences that start with “This paper discusses,” “In this paper,” “Here, we discuss,” or “Below, you will find” are some examples of topic sentences.

When Should Writers Use Sentence Starters?

Sentence starters can help you make your writing comprehensible and effective. Here’s when most writers use sentence starters: 

Introducing New Ideas:  

It is important to introduce a new idea in the essay properly. It’s always a great idea to start writing with sentence starters indicating a proper beginning of the new idea.  

Creating Hooks: 

The success of a creative writing piece depends on how well you can grab the reader’s attention. Always use sentence starters to create a hook that engages the readers in your writing.

Emphasizing Key Points:  

Use sentence starters to emphasize important information in the paragraph clearly and make the writing more engaging. This helps in drawing the reader’s attention to the important points.

Transitioning Between Thoughts:

Sentence starters are great for bridging gaps and maintaining a smooth writing flow. This is very significant when writing essays, theses, and research papers because they are long, and abrupt shifts of ideas can confuse readers.  

Providing Context Or Background: 

If you wonder what words to use to start your paragraph where you need to talk about the background, use sentence starters because they will never fail you. They help in making the piece more comprehensible. 

Clarifying Relationships Between Ideas: 

Sentence starters are especially helpful for Compare-and-Contrast Essays. They can help you show the relationship between two or more different points that have a connection. 

Concluding Thoughts: 

The conclusion is as essential as the introduction, and using concluding transition words helps readers know that the piece is ending, giving the essay or writing an effective closure. 

Is It Mandatory To Use Transition Words For Essays To Start A Paragraph?

Well, there is no rule stating that one has to use transition words to start a paragraph in an essay. However, there is no rule stating you must research well to write an essay, but you research anyway, right? Similarly, you may opt out of adding transition words to start a new paragraph, but if you do, it will only help your writing. To know why and how to read on patiently.

Why Is It Important To Choosing The Right Words To Start A Paragraph?

Infographics show the importance of choosing the right words as paragraph starters

Tone And Style

The word choice significantly sets the tone and style of the writing. You must be careful about the words you choose or use at the beginning of a sentence or paragraph. Words’ meaning and emotional weight change depending on where and how they are used.

Connection And Flow

Logical and precise connection plays a significant role in maintaining flow. When you use the right words or place transitional words and phrases seamlessly, it will help your reader connect with the idea of the text. But ensure that you choose smoothing over jarring. 

Clarity And Precision

Whether you’re beginning paragraphs or need to connect the body paragraph to the previous introductory paragraph, maintain clarity and precision, and in order to maintain clarity and precision, your word choice for transitional words and phrases or sentence starters plays an important role. 

Engagement And Interest

There are multiple ways to start a paragraph, but none can match the brilliance and beauty of choosing an effective word or phrase that captures the reader’s attention. Always remember that the first sentence of your writing will decide whether the reader will continue to read! Therefore, intrigue them well, especially for creative writing and persuasive essays. 

Recommend: How To Write A Claim

7 Tips On How To Start An Introduction!

Infographics shows 7 tips on how to start a paragraph

It is important to make the introduction engaging and exciting. Therefore, you can use the following best ideas as introductory sentences to keep your readers hooked.  

Tell A Story

When writing a paragraph as an introduction, start with a story. A personal touch always makes your argument or new topic engaging and relatable. You can also dramatize the idea to hook the reader. 

Ask A Question

Every sentence carries weight when you add a Wh word in the beginning. Start paragraphs with questions that will bind the readers to stay and read your piece.  

Keep It Concise

Use your A-level writing skills to reflect your idea, argument, or knowledge simply and concisely. Sentence structure should be compact, making it easier to read and understand.  

Provide Context

Your introduction is like a mirror, so write enough so that the readers know and understand the background of your piece. 

State Your Thesis

When you’re writing a thesis, it is best to be straightforward. Thus, state your thesis idea in the opening phrases that introduce your entire writing. 

Start With A Hook

No matter what type of paragraph it is, you have to create a hook, so selecting the best hook line is important. You can use a shocking fact, intriguing question, or vivid anecdote to create the hook.  

Share A Relevant Quote

Quotations can get the readers hooked immediately. Therefore, you can start with a relevant quotation that will help you reach the audience easily.   

Here’s a bonus tip: You can opt to do my online course service if you are clueless about your essay.

5 Mistakes We Make When Using Paragraph Starters For Essay Writing To Start A New Paragraph

Infographics shows five mistakes to avoid when using paragraph starters for essays paragraphs

Using Cliches

“In conclusion” and “first and foremost” are very common. Instead of using these transition words or phrases, use other phrases like “in essence” to engage readers better.  

Lack of Clarity

Be careful to be direct at the beginning of the first paragraph. Vague language or sentences might confuse the reader. Also, always use transition words or phrases as linking words to begin the next paragraph to establish a link.   

Inconsistent Tone

Maintain a consistent tone because an inconsistent tone may look disoriented, making the reader feel disconnected. Consistency cues the reader that the topic talks about the same thing throughout. 

Ignoring Structure

Every writing guide discusses maintaining a structure. A proper structure helps the reader understand better. If you are confused about which structure to follow, use a peel paragraph structure

Neglecting Context

Always add words that connect to the previous paragraph, as without contextual reference, the essay might seem vague.

Examples: How To Use Good Transition Words And Phrases To Start A Body Paragraph?

It’s time to check out the examples of transition words to start a body paragraph that will bridge the new and previous paragraphs. Add transition words appropriately to keep the readers glued to your research paper or writing.

1. To Show Continuation or Addition

When you’re adding to a previous idea or introducing a similar point, use transition words like:

  • Furthermore: Furthermore, this study supports the theory that…
  • In addition: In addition to these benefits, the approach also improves…
  • Moreover: Moreover, the data highlights the importance of…
  • Similarly: Similarly, another factor contributing to the success is…

2. To Show Contrast or Opposition

When you want to introduce a contrasting point or opposing viewpoint:

  • However: However, not all experts agree on this conclusion.
  • On the other hand: On the other hand, there is evidence to suggest that…
  • Nevertheless: Nevertheless, it remains a widely accepted theory.
  • Conversely: Conversely, a different set of data indicates…

3. To Show Cause and Effect

When explaining reasons or causes:

  • As a result: As a result, the implementation of these strategies led to…
  • Consequently: Consequently, this has improved overall performance.
  • Thus: Thus, it can be concluded that the method is effective.
  • Therefore: Therefore, the recommendation is to follow this procedure.

4. To Provide Examples or Clarifications

When you want to illustrate a point or give specific examples:

  • For example: For example, in a recent study…
  • For instance: For instance, when analyzing customer feedback…
  • In other words: In other words, the research indicates that…
  • Specifically: Specifically, the results show a significant increase in…

5. To Summarize or Conclude a Point

When you’re wrapping up a paragraph or section:

  • In conclusion: In conclusion, these findings highlight the need for…
  • To sum up: To sum up, the experiment demonstrates…
  • Overall: Overall, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.
  • In short: In short, the results are promising.

Why Use Transitional Words To Start A Conclusion Paragraph When Writing Essays?

Whether you need to signal closure or Spatial Order, summarize key points, or emphasize significance, you can always use the following words can help you. Concluding paragraphs are essential because one needs to put in all the information given throughout the essay. Here, we have added 20+ conclusion paragraph starters with words and phrases like “Summing up,” “As we have seen,” “To put it briefly,” and “In a nutshell,” to start a conclusion paragraph, which will help you make your writing compact.

1. In conclusion,
2.
To summarize,
3. To wrap things up,
4. All in all,
5. In essence,
6. Ultimately,
7. Taking everything into account,
8. In the final analysis,
9. Overall,
10. To bring this discussion to a close,
11. In the end,

12. Upon reflection,
13.
As a result,
14. Thus,
15. To reiterate,
16. On the whole,
17. From the above, it is clear that…
18. In light of this discussion,
19. By and large,
20. Finally,
21. As illustrated above,
22. With these points in mind,

500+ Best Words To Start A Paragraph & Improve Your Writing

Below, we have mentioned 500+ transition words or phrases so that you can improve the style of your writing. Also, adding correct transition words makes the piece of writing easier to read and grabs the reader’s attention. 

Good Sentence Starters For Emphasis

1. Above all
2.
Most importantly
3. It is critical to note
4. Undeniably
5. Without a doubt
6. In fact
7. Clearly
8. Of particular importance
9. Notably
10. To be sure
11. As a matter of fact
12. Significantly
13. Indeed
14. Undoubtedly
15. In truth
16. Surely
17. What is striking is
18. It is worth mentioning that
19. Emphatically
20. Let it be emphasized
21. It is essential to understand
22. Needless to say
23. Particularly
24. Conspicuously
25. To highlight further

26. More than that
27. Fundamentally
28. Crucially
29. Above everything else
30. Importantly
31. What stands out is
32. What deserves attention is
33. Overwhelmingly
34. It must be stressed that
35. What cannot be overlooked is
36. A key point here is
37. To focus on
38. Especially noteworthy is
39. What needs to be highlighted is
40. Distinctly
41. A striking feature is
42. Most prominently
43. It should be emphasized that
44. Central to this discussion is
45. It is apparent that
46. What becomes obvious is
47. Of immense importance
48. The standout idea is
49. Indisputably
50. At the core

Good Sentence Starters For References

51. According to
52. As stated by
53. As noted by
54. Referring to
55. Based on
56. As mentioned in
57. As per
58. In accordance with
59. As outlined in
60. Citing
61. As articulated by
62. As documented in
63. As observed by
64. As reported by
65. From the perspective of
66. As highlighted in
67. In the words of
68. As expressed by
69. As proposed by
70. As indicated in
71. According to the findings of
72. Drawing from
73. As written by
74. As evidenced in
75. As clarified in

76. With reference to
77. As described in
78. From the report of
79. As explained by
80. As pointed out by
81. In the publication
82. Referring to the data in
83. According to recent studies
84. As researched by
85. As discussed in
86. From the analysis of
87. As concluded by
88. As revealed in
89. Based on the observations of
90. As reviewed in
91. From the perspective described in
92. As summarized in
93. As inferred by
94. As captured by
95. From the report by
96. Drawing evidence from
97. From the studies of
98. As demonstrated by
99. As corroborated by
100. As supported by

Good Sentence Starters For Comparisons

101. Similarly
102.
In the same way
103. Likewise
104. Correspondingly
105. Equally
106. Comparable to
107. Much like
108. Just as
109. Analogous to
110. In parallel
111. Alike
112. In comparison with
113. Along the same lines
114. By the same token
115. As with
116. In a similar fashion
117. With equal importance
118. Comparable with
119. As equally significant as
120. Likewise to
121. Parallel to
122. Equivalently
123. Along similar lines
124. In the same manner
125. Reflective of

126. Identically
127. Mirroring
128. Just as importantly as
129. As in
130. Consistent with
131. In much the same way
132. Similarly to
133. As observed in
134. Comparable in scope to
135. By extension
136. Analogously
137. Homologous to
138. Similar to that of
139. Reminiscent of
140. As can be likened to
141. In congruence with
142. In accordance with
143. As reflected by
144. Close to
145. In alignment with
146. Resembling
147. In a comparable way
148. On the same level as
149. In similar circumstances
150. With similarities to

Good Sentence Starters For Sequences Or Lists

151. First and foremost
152. To begin with
153. Secondly
154. Thirdly
155. Following that
156. Next
157. Subsequently
158. Then
159. Afterward
160. In the first place
161. In addition to that
162. Moreover
163. Furthermore
164. To continue
165. As a next step
166. First of all
167. Before moving on
163. As the second point
169. After considering
170. In the following stage
171. As an additional note
172. In sequence
173. Enumerating further
174. Markedly
175. Lastly

176. Finally
177. To conclude the list
178. To close out
179. Additionally
180. In another step
181. Taking the next step
182. The next item
183. Chronologically
184. To move ahead
185. Listing onward
186. A subsequent point
187. Beyond that
188. Moving forward
189. Sequentially
190. Building on that
191. Expanding on this
192. To move along
193. In a numbered order
194. Arranging steps
195. To further explain
196. Conclusively
197. Prior to that
198. As a final stage
199. Wrapping up the list
200. In closing

Good Sentence Starters For Introducing Examples

201. For example
202. For instance
203. Namely
204. Such as
205. As illustrated by
206. To illustrate
207. Specifically
208. Take the case of
209. A prime example is
210. As shown in
211. By way of example
212. As evidenced by
213. One instance is
214. Consider the case of
215. To cite an example
216. An example being
217. In particular
218. An instance of this is
219. Notably
220. As exemplified by
221. This includes
222. As a case in point
223. To demonstrate
224. Such instances include
225. As proof

226. A notable example is
227.
Evidence of this can be seen in
228. Highlighted by
229. An illustration of this is
230. To shed light on
231. Referencing
232. In the context of
233. Represented by
234. A clear instance of this is
235. To clarify further
236. By taking
237. With the example of
238. In the form of
239. Marked by
240. As portrayed by
241. Evident in
242. Seen in
243. A strong example is
244. Drawing attention to
245. As backed by
246. Demonstrated by
247. As outlined through
248. Showcased by
249. Found in
250. Representing this is

Good Sentence Starters To Establish Cause And Effect

251. As a result
252. Consequently
253. Therefore
254. Thus
255. Hence
256. Because of this
257. For this reason
258. This leads to
259. Due to
260. As a consequence
261. Owing to
262. Resulting in
263. Since
264. In light of this
265. With this in mind
266. As an outcome
267. As a result of
268. Given that
269. Following from
270. Stemming from
271. This caused
272. Triggered by
273. Resulting from
274. Which leads to
275. The result was

276. Consequently leading to
277. On account of
278. Derived from
279. It follows that
280. By virtue of
281. From this arises
282. This explains why
283. One outcome is
284. Originating in
285. In view of
286. This brought about
287. This produced
288. Induced by
289. Created by
290. The cause was
291. That’s why
292. Inevitably
293. With the effect that
294. Ending up in
295. Manifesting as
296. The outcome was
297. Culminating in
298. To this end
299. This precipitated
300. Resultantly

Good Sentence Starters To Show Uncertainty Or Doubt

301. Perhaps
302.
It is possible that
303. It seems
304. Presumably
305. Arguably
306. Potentially
307. In some cases
308. It is uncertain if
309. There is a possibility that
310. Supposedly
311. Allegedly
312. It could be
313. Conceivably
314. It appears that
315. There is doubt whether
316. One might assume
317. It is plausible that
318. It may be the case that
319. Hypothetically
320. While not confirmed
321. It is likely that
322. Some suggest that
323. To a degree
324. Ostensibly
325. Based on speculation

326. There are questions about
327.
It remains unclear if
328. While it might
329. Assuming this
330. Arguing for
331. It has been suggested that
332. Probabilities indicate
333. Contingent upon
334. One interpretation could be
335. According to some
336. Unconfirmed reports suggest
337. Tentatively
338. Doubt exists over
339. It might be inferred that
340. Circumstantial evidence shows
341. It is debatable whether
342. A possibility worth exploring
343. While unclear
344. If one were to assume
345. Questionably
346. It stands to reason that
347. It might be thought
348. On shaky ground
349. Some argue that
350. It is theorized that

Good Sentence Starters For Contrasts And Abrupt Transitions

351. However
352.
On the contrary
353. In contrast
354. Yet
355. Conversely
356. Alternatively
357. While
358. Although
359. Instead
360. Even though
361. Whereas
362. On the other hand
363. Nevertheless
364. Though
365. Despite
366. Rather than
367. Regardless of
368. Notwithstanding
369. Albeit
370. Unlike
371. Different from
372. Although this may be true
373. Be that as it may
374. At the same time
375. On the flip side

376. In spite of
377.
Opposing this is
378. In opposition
379. A stark difference
380. Diverging from
381. Nonetheless
382. Contrary to
383. Variance can be seen
384. Distinct from
385. Unlike the previous point
386. To contradict
387. As opposed to
388. On a different note
389. Meanwhile
390. Alternatively speaking
391. A departure from
392. While it might seem
393. Opposingly
394. Breaking from
395. Even so
396. Markedly different
397. A sharp contrast is
398. Divergent from
399. At odds with
400. Although contrary

Good Sentence Starters For Elaboration Or Adding New Points

401. Additionally
402. Furthermore
403. Moreover
404. What’s more
405. To add to that
406. Along with
407. On top of that
408. Not only that
409. In addition
410. Over and above this
411. To expand further
412. By the same token
413. Similarly
414. Building upon
415. Another point to consider is
416. Let’s not forget
417. Also
418. Besides that
419. It’s worth noting that
420. Beyond that
421. To elaborate further
422. One additional point is
423. Coupled with this
424. To go deeper
425. To explain further

426. In like manner
427. Adding to this
428. Moreover, it can be said
429. In the same vein
430. One could also argue
431. It’s important to add
432. Beyond this
433. By extending
434. Not to mention
435. Expounding upon
436. In continuation of
437. To deepen this idea
438. Enriching this point
439. Another aspect is
440. More importantly
441. Expanding on this
442. And even more so
443. For a fuller picture
444. To shed more light
445. Adding dimension to
446. As a complement
447. To further underscore
448. In a broader sense
449. To extend the thought
450. Deepening the focus

Good Sentence Starters For Historical Or Generally Accepted Concepts

451. Historically
452. Traditionally
453. In the past
454. Over time
455. Since ancient times
456. From a historical perspective
457. Through the ages
458. As history shows
459. In earlier times
460. In the course of history
461. Looking back
462. Centuries ago
463. As it has been
464. It has long been believed
465. Historically speaking
466. As recorded in history
467. Dating back to
468. From the dawn of
469. Throughout history
470. In bygone days
471. Generations ago
472. As the ancients noted
473. Over the centuries
474. In days of old
475. Before modern times

476. Long-standing beliefs suggest
477. As early as
478. In antiquity
479. From the beginning
480. In traditional accounts
481. As per historical records
482. A long time ago
483. From ancient records
484. Based on precedent
485. Through historical accounts
486. Over the ages
487. Millennia ago
488. Rooted in history
489. In the chronicles of
490. Before the advent of
491. As our ancestors did
492. A glance into history reveals
493. As commonly accepted
494. It has always been the case that
495. From a cultural standpoint
496. As has been observed over time
497. Tracing its roots to
498. Before recorded history
499. Time has shown that
500. Dating back centuries

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