So often I'll read an undergraduate paper and see this sentence as an opener "In today's society..."
Okay. Pause. That sentence is so overgeneralizing and vague that it will undoubtedly lose you points. through papers I constantly read sentences that start with "overall..." or "because of this..." and it just looks really sloppy. So! Here are some great words that can be used to start a sentence when you just don't know what to say!
Interestingly - Duh!!! it is one word that gets the sentence going, AND it insists to your reader that the thing you are about to say is interesting! total win-win! (e.g. Interestingly, these studies all point to a link between direct communication and relational satisfaction)
Alternatively - This is great for following up a sentence in a literature review. It directs attention to the point you are about to make by separating your current sentence from the last few that preceded it. (e.g. The authors of this article claim that most people are not satisfied with their relationships. Alternatively, the aim of this study is to examine what elements contribute to high levels of relationship satisfaction)
To wit - This is an oldie, but a goody. Its basically saying "namely" or "that is to say" or "specifically." This is a really good attention grabber in my experience because nobody ever uses it. I would say you're good to use this once per paper (e.g. The results showed that people tend to be more happy when direct communication is used during arguments. To wit, it appears that individuals you are more passive in their communication experience more uncertainty and confusion)
Notable/Noteworthy/Of note - Again, these direct attention to the fact that what you are about to say should be paid attention to. Use it in place of any of the above as a substitute so that you don't use the same phrase over and over again
Fittingly - Ooooo I love this one. Its good for connecting two thoughts that require connection in order to make sense (e.g. There is little research that examines the way that couples interact with their social networks. Fittingly, the aim of this study will be to bridge that gap)
Accordingly - Again, great for connecting two thoughts. Use it in place of fittingly for some nice parity.
Okay those are just a few one word sentence starters; there are also a ton of phrases and many other useful words that can help you to "beef" your paragraphs up and make your sentences flow smoothly. Hope you enjoy and use these in your paper (no really, for my sake, please use them!).
Love,
James
Okay. Pause. That sentence is so overgeneralizing and vague that it will undoubtedly lose you points. through papers I constantly read sentences that start with "overall..." or "because of this..." and it just looks really sloppy. So! Here are some great words that can be used to start a sentence when you just don't know what to say!
Interestingly - Duh!!! it is one word that gets the sentence going, AND it insists to your reader that the thing you are about to say is interesting! total win-win! (e.g. Interestingly, these studies all point to a link between direct communication and relational satisfaction)
Alternatively - This is great for following up a sentence in a literature review. It directs attention to the point you are about to make by separating your current sentence from the last few that preceded it. (e.g. The authors of this article claim that most people are not satisfied with their relationships. Alternatively, the aim of this study is to examine what elements contribute to high levels of relationship satisfaction)
To wit - This is an oldie, but a goody. Its basically saying "namely" or "that is to say" or "specifically." This is a really good attention grabber in my experience because nobody ever uses it. I would say you're good to use this once per paper (e.g. The results showed that people tend to be more happy when direct communication is used during arguments. To wit, it appears that individuals you are more passive in their communication experience more uncertainty and confusion)
Notable/Noteworthy/Of note - Again, these direct attention to the fact that what you are about to say should be paid attention to. Use it in place of any of the above as a substitute so that you don't use the same phrase over and over again
Fittingly - Ooooo I love this one. Its good for connecting two thoughts that require connection in order to make sense (e.g. There is little research that examines the way that couples interact with their social networks. Fittingly, the aim of this study will be to bridge that gap)
Accordingly - Again, great for connecting two thoughts. Use it in place of fittingly for some nice parity.
Okay those are just a few one word sentence starters; there are also a ton of phrases and many other useful words that can help you to "beef" your paragraphs up and make your sentences flow smoothly. Hope you enjoy and use these in your paper (no really, for my sake, please use them!).
Love,
James