Words to Start a Paragraph: Best Sentence Starters for Essays

Transition words are what turn separate paragraphs into a single argument. Without them, the reader sees a list of points and has to work out the connections alone.

Placement is simple. The starter goes at the front of the paragraph’s first sentence. A starter of two or more words takes a comma after it, as in “In contrast, the results were mixed.”

A one-word starter such as “however” or “therefore” follows the same rule. Longer phrases such as “on the other hand” work the same way, though you shouldn’t use two of them in a row.

By the end of this article, you’ll have a set of starters for every part of an essay, from the opening hook to the last paragraph.

How to Start a Paragraph in an Essay

A paragraph opening does two jobs at once. It shows how this paragraph relates to the last one, and it states the point the paragraph will make.

Tone matters as much as the word itself. Academic essays are formal and plain, so “in contrast” and “as a result” fit, while “plus” and “anyway” don’t.

Formality has an upper limit too. Very formal transition words sound stiff in a student essay, and the simpler word usually reads better.

A few habits keep your openings clean:

• Use one transition per paragraph, not two or three

• Match the word to the real relationship between the ideas

• Vary your starters so the same word doesn’t open every paragraph

• Keep the opening sentence short

• Follow a multi-word starter with a comma.

The paragraph below opens with a contrast starter and reaches its point in the same sentence.

Words to Start an Introduction Paragraph

An opening paragraph has to interest the reader and point toward your thesis. The first few words set the tone for both.

These ten words and phrases work well at the front of an introduction:

1. Imagine: asks the reader to picture a scene before you name the topic.
2. Every year: opens with a recurring pattern, which makes the topic feel current.
3. Today: signals that the issue is current.
4. In recent years: places the topic in a recent stretch of time.
5. Most: opens with a broad claim about a group that you then narrow.
6. Consider: invites the reader to weigh a fact or a situation.
7. Few: points out how rare something is, which sets up a surprise.
8. When: sets up the condition or the moment your essay examines.
9. Although: names a common view that you plan to argue against.
10. For decades: frames the topic as a long-running debate.

Several of these work as hooks on their own. The introduction below opens with “Every year,” then narrows to a single claim.

Sentence Starters for Body Paragraphs

A body paragraph carries part of the argument, and it has to connect to what came before it. The starter is where you make that link visible to the reader.

Body-paragraph starters fall into six groups: openers for your first point, openers for your second, additions, contrasts, cause and effect, and examples. The sections below cover each group in turn, with ten options and a worked opening for every one.

A few habits weaken these openings:

• Repeating the same starter at the top of every paragraph
• Choosing a contrast word when the two ideas don’t actually contrast
• Stacking two transitions together, as in “However, on the other hand”
• Opening with a starter but never stating the paragraph’s point
• Choosing a formal transition where a simple word reads better.

Transition Words for First Body Paragraph

The paragraph right after your introduction picks up where the introduction stopped. Your starter should signal that the argument is now under way, and it shouldn’t repeat the thesis word for word.

These ten starters open a first body paragraph well:

1. First: marks this as the opening point in a sequence.
2. To begin with: signals that more arguments will follow.
3. First of all: works the same way, with slightly more emphasis.
4. The first reason: names the argument outright instead of hinting at it.
5. One major factor: introduces a cause that you rank as important.
6. Initially: points to what came first in time rather than in order of importance.
7. Primarily: tells the reader this is the strongest of your points.
8. To start: a plain, short opener for less formal essays.
9. The clearest argument: signals that this point is the easiest one to defend.
10. At the most basic level: opens with the simplest version of your case.

The paragraph below names its place in the sequence, then states the claim in the same sentence.

Second Paragraph Starters

Your second body paragraph adds to the first rather than starting over. The starter should show that the two points belong to the same argument.

These ten starters open a second body paragraph:

1. Second: the direct match for a paragraph that opened with “first.”
2. Next: moves the argument forward without ranking the points.
3. Another reason: adds a new argument of roughly equal weight.
4. Building on this: shows that the new point depends on the previous one.
5. Equally important: signals that the second point matters as much as the first.
6. A second factor: names the point as part of a set of causes.
7. Beyond that: extends the discussion past the first argument.
8. Along with this: pairs the two points closely.
9. Similarly: works when the second point resembles the first.
10. In the same way: makes clear that both points follow the same logic.

The opening below refers back to the sleep argument before it introduces the new one.

Words to Start a New Paragraph for Addition

Use an addition starter when the new paragraph supports the same position as the one before it. If the paragraph qualifies or contradicts that position, you’ll want a contrast word instead.

These ten additions cover most of what an essay needs:

1. In addition: the simplest way to add a supporting point.
2. Also: short and informal, and easy to overuse.
3. Furthermore: formal, and best kept to one use per essay.
4. Moreover: adds a point you consider stronger than the last.
5. Additionally: a neutral alternative to “furthermore.”
6. What is more: slightly conversational, but acceptable in most essays.
7. Besides: adds a point the reader may not have considered.
8. Likewise: adds a parallel point about a different subject.
9. Not only that: emphatic, and better suited to less formal writing.
10. Another point: names the addition directly, with no extra weight.

The paragraph below adds a new kind of evidence to an argument the essay has already made.

Phrases to Start a Paragraph for Contrast

Contrast phrases warn the reader that what follows disagrees with what came before it. They do most of their work in the paragraphs where you handle an objection or weigh two sides of an issue.

These ten phrases mark a turn in the argument:

1. However: the standard marker for a turn in the argument.
2. On the other hand: sets up the second side of a comparison.
3. In contrast: points to a clear difference between two things.
4. Nevertheless: accepts the previous point and then argues past it.
5. Even so: a simpler version of “nevertheless.”
6. Despite this: acknowledges an obstacle before you continue.
7. Conversely: signals that the opposite case also holds.
8. Yet: short and forceful, and effective at the start of a paragraph.
9. On the contrary: corrects a claim rather than balancing it.
10. That said: admits a limit in plain, slightly informal terms.

The paragraph below concedes the strongest objection to the essay’s position.

Starter Words for Paragraphs Showing Cause and Effect

Use a cause-and-effect starter when the paragraph explains what an earlier point produced, or what produced it. These starters are common in science writing, history essays, and any argument that follows one event to the next.

These ten starters mark a cause or an effect:

1. As a result: the simplest way to introduce an outcome.
2. Because of this: points back to the cause you have just explained.
3. Therefore: draws a conclusion from the evidence above it.
4. Consequently: formal, and best used once or twice in an essay.
5. Thus: short and formal, and common in scientific writing.
6. For this reason: names the cause without repeating it in full.
7. Accordingly: signals an action or a policy that follows from the facts.
8. Since: opens with the cause and leads into the effect.
9. This explains why: sets up an outcome the reader already knows about.
10. Owing to: introduces a cause in more formal writing.

The paragraph below follows one change through the rest of the school day.

Paragraph Starting Words for Examples and Evidence

When a paragraph’s job is to support a claim, the starter should tell the reader that evidence is coming. That warning matters most in long paragraphs, where a reader can no longer tell which sentence is the claim and which is the support.

These ten starters introduce examples and evidence:

1. For example: the most common and most flexible option.
2. For instance: interchangeable with “for example,” and useful for variety.
3. To illustrate: introduces a longer worked case rather than a quick instance.
4. According to: leads with the source before the finding.
5. Research suggests: opens with evidence that you cite in the sentence that follows.
6. As shown by: points to data or a study you have already introduced.
7. Evidence indicates: a cautious opener for findings that are not settled.
8. In one case: narrows from a general claim to a single instance.
9. Specifically: moves from a broad statement to a precise one.
10. Consider the case of: introduces an extended example the reader should follow closely.

The paragraph below opens with a starter and then delivers the evidence it promised.

Words to Begin a Paragraph in the Conclusion

A conclusion pulls the argument together and says what it adds up to. Its opening words should tell the reader that you’re summing up, not adding a new point.

These ten starters open a conclusion:

1. In conclusion: the clearest signal, though it is also the most overused.
2. Overall: sums up without announcing the conclusion outright.
3. To sum up: plain and short, and common in shorter essays.
4. In short: states the whole argument in a sentence or two.
5. Ultimately: points to what matters most once the details are set aside.
6. Taken together: gathers the separate pieces of evidence into one claim.
7. All things considered: signals that you have weighed both sides.
8. In summary: formal and neutral, and common in reports and research papers.
9. Given these points: leads from your evidence into your final claim.
10. On balance: closes an essay that weighed advantages against drawbacks.

The conclusion below opens with “Taken together” and then answers the question the essay set out to settle.

How to Start a Sentence in a Paragraph

Not every sentence inside a paragraph needs a transition word. The sentences in the middle of a paragraph link to each other mainly through their order and their shared subject matter.

Vary how those sentences begin. If three in a row open with “The” or with the same subject, the paragraph starts to sound mechanical, even when the ideas are good.

These habits keep the middle of a paragraph moving:

• Start some sentences with the subject and others with a short phrase

• Use a pronoun or a repeated key term to link back to the sentence before

• Save “however” and “therefore” for real turns in the argument

• Put familiar information first and new information last

• Say the paragraph out loud to catch repeated openings.

In the paragraph below, each sentence begins from something the sentence before it established.

Final Thoughts on Words to Start a Paragraph

The best starter is the one that names the real relationship between two paragraphs. If you can’t say what that relationship is, the problem is usually the order of your points rather than the word you chose.

So when you revise, check each opening against the paragraph that follows it. A contrast word in front of a paragraph that agrees with the last one will confuse a reader faster than no transition at all.

Pick two or three starters from each list above and use them in your next essay. After a few drafts you’ll reach for them without checking, and your paragraphs will connect on the first pass.