What is a strong opening sentence?

Asked by: Dashawn Hagenes  |  Last update: October 3, 2025
Score: 4.7/5 (73 votes)

Start with the chase. A good hook might also be a question or a claim—anything that will elicit an emotional response from a reader. Think about it this way: a good opening sentence is the thing you don't think you can say, but you still want to say. Like, “This book will change your life.”

What is a strong sentence opener?

Below is a list of possible sentence starters, transitional and other words that may be useful. This essay discusses … … is explored … … is defined … The definition of … will be given … is briefly outlined … … is explored … The issue focused on …. … is demonstrated ... … is included …

What is the best opening sentence?

12 of the best opening lines in books
  • "Here is a small fact: You are going to die." ...
  • “All this happened, more or less." ...
  • “It was a bright cold day in April and the clocks were striking thirteen.” ...
  • “It was a pleasure to burn.” ...
  • “We went to the moon to have fun, but the moon turned out to completely suck.”

How do you start a strong opening sentence?

Here are a few tips:
  1. Start with action. You want to grab the reader's attention from the very first sentence. ...
  2. Introduce your characters quickly. ...
  3. Set the scene. ...
  4. Use strong language. ...
  5. Hook the reader with a question or mystery.

What is a good starter sentence?

Sentence starters ease the transition from explaining the big picture to showing those same ideas at work in the real world.
  • For example . . .
  • For instance . . .
  • To illustrate . . .
  • Specifically . . .
  • We can see this in . . .
  • This is evidenced by . . .
  • Consider the [case/example] of . . .

How to Write an Eye-Catching Essay Introduction | Scribbr 🎓

35 related questions found

What are 7 ways to start a sentence?

Seven Effective Ways to Start a Sentence
  • Adjective (a word that modifies a noun) ...
  • Adverb (a word that modifies a verb) ...
  • Prepositional phrase (a phrase that starts with a preposition) ...
  • Infinitive phrase. ...
  • Gerund phrase. ...
  • Participle phrase. ...
  • Adverb clause.

How to write a killer first line?

How To Write A Good Opening Line:
  1. Full stops are your friends. Short, clear sentences will grab your readers' attention.
  2. Use language that will add weight to your sentences.
  3. Use your verbs correctly, and your adjectives sparingly.
  4. Opening lines don't have to be loud, subtlety is just as effective.

What are the 7 sentence openers?

  • [1] Subject. Begins with the subject of a Main Clause. ...
  • [2] Prepositional. Has a preposition and a noun with NO verb. ...
  • [3] -ly Adverb. The first word of the sentence will be an -ly adverb. ...
  • [4] "ing" ...
  • [5] Clausal (www.asia.wub) ...
  • [6] VSS (very short sentence = 5 words or less) ...
  • [7] "ed"

How to make an eye catching first sentence?

Check out the following tips that will help draw readers into your book with your opening sentence:
  1. Provoke the reader's emotions. ...
  2. Ask a question. ...
  3. Tell the reader what they will learn or discover. ...
  4. Give character background information that interests the reader.

What is a powerful opening?

The first element of a powerful speech opening is to hook your audience with something that sparks their curiosity, interest, or emotion. This could be a surprising fact, a provocative question, a personal story, a relevant quote, or a humorous anecdote.

What is a catchy opening statement?

A hook is an opening statement (which is usually the first sentence) in an essay that attempts to grab the reader's attention so that they want to read on. It can be done by using a few different types of hooks, which are a question, quote, statistic, or anecdote.

What is a good sentence for the word first?

We sat in the first row. I still remember the first time I saw her. She succeeded on her first attempt.

What are the 6 types of sentence openers?

In this lesson you have learned to use several kinds of sentence openers: dependent clause, prepositional phrases, infinitive phrases, -ing word groups, and transitional words. Always separate your sentence openers from the main statement they introduce with a comma.

What are some good first lines?

18 of the best first lines in fiction
  • 'The King is dead. ...
  • Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. ...
  • Call me Ishmael.
  • I am an invisible man.
  • The story so far: in the beginning, the universe was created. ...
  • Mother died today.

What is a power start sentence?

When using an action word to start a sentence you increase the impact of each sentence and eliminate unnecessary words.

What is a strong opening statement?

A good opening statement demonstrates your sincerity, knowledge of the facts, confidence and likeability all at the same time. “You don't want to over-promise or under-deliver in your opening statement,” Soto said, adding that there's no such thing as being over-prepared. 3) Tackle any unfavorable facts head-on.

What is a good first sentence?

A good hook might also be a question or a claim—anything that will elicit an emotional response from a reader. Think about it this way: a good opening sentence is the thing you don't think you can say, but you still want to say. Like, “This book will change your life.”

What is a great opening?

An opening line should have a distinctive voice, a point-of-view, a rudimentary plot and some hint of characterization. By the end of the first paragraph—unless there is a particular reason to withhold this information—we should also know the setting and conflict.

What is an example sentence for eye opener?

That was quite an eye-opener. For me, the visit was a real eye-opener. I believe that it will be an eye-opener. Indeed, it would be a real eye-opener to the average member of a congregation, and it is very important that we learn its lessons.

What is a better sentence starter?

The best sentence starters for essays vary depending on the section. For introductions, phrases like “This essay will explore…” work well. For body paragraphs, “Furthermore” or “One key point is…” can help structure your argument. For conclusions, “In conclusion” or “Thus, it can be seen that…” are strong closers.

What words can't you start a sentence with?

Never begin a sentence—or a clause—with also. Teach the elimination of but, so, and, because, at the beginning of a sentence. A sentence should not commence with the conjunctions and, for, or however....

What is the 6 sentence pattern?

Sentence Pattern 6: The Transitive Verb + Two Complements, (Type 1) Kolln's sixth sentence pattern also uses transitive verbs. However, in this pattern, the verb is followed by a direct object and an indirect object.

How do you start off a sentence?

Ten sentence starters that you can use right now
  1. 1 Adverbs of viewpoint. An adverb of viewpoint is simply an adverb that we place at the beginning of a sentence. ...
  2. 2 With and without. ...
  3. 3 After/before + ING. ...
  4. 4 Like and unlike. ...
  5. 5 Despite. ...
  6. 6 According to. ...
  7. 7 For instance. ...
  8. 8 As a result.

What is the best line to start a story?

So, whatever type of story you want to tell, you'll find great sentences to start a story in the list below!
  • Jack hadn't meant for it to happen...
  • The wind swirled around me and the world went black...
  • At first, I couldn't understand why I had woken up - then I felt the icy fingers close around my wrist...