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4. Sentence Starters
Do your sentences begin the same way? Do you usually begin with words like ‘The’ or ‘I
or ‘He’’? You can make your writing more interesting by starting in different ways.

Examples:
Starting with a verb: Looking around the room, Tom spotted his friend.
Starting with a noun: Water was gushing from the broken pipe.
Starting with an adjective: Slimy slugs were crawling over the salad.
Starting with an adverb: Carefully, Mr Singh opened the box.
Starting with a conjunction: Since it was raining, the match was cancelled.

5. Facts and Stats (Statistics)
Quoting facts and statistics in your writing is a powerful way to ARGUE and
PERSUADE. In an ENGLISH exam you can even make up some facts and statistics (as
long as they sound reasonable) ... and you can even drop in the name of an ‘expert’ to
make it sound convincing!

Examples:

Mrs Knowitall found that 99% of students who use the
‘Writing Toolbox’ improve their English grades.

School records show that only 2 out of
10 pupils proofread their work.

6. Ask a Question (Rhetorical Questions)
Sometimes, you can ask a question without expecting an answer (a rhetorical

question). This makes your reader THINK and is useful when writing to PERSUADE.

Examples:
Why do people always think animals are stupid?
Do you really think homework is a good idea?
Isn’t it sad to see so many homeless people?

Should we be doing more to protect our environment?

7. Alliteration
This is when a series of words next to or near to each other all begin with the same

letter. It gives a ‘catchy’ sound and can make a phrase stand out. You may want to use
alliteration when you write to entertain, describe or to persuade.

Examples:
Charles cheerfully chewed his apple. Use words wisely to get great grades!
Get to grips with your grammar!

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