Every writer uses empty sentence starters, often without even noticing. The reason they are so common is that they are easy to use.
Very often, these few empty words set up a sentence before getting to the main point.
One of the most common is “there is” or “there are” because it tells us that something exists before adding extra information or detail.
You can’t remove every instance of these sentence starters, but you can become more aware and try to avoid using them so often.
What are empty sentence starters?
An empty sentence starter isn’t a mistake or even a poor structural choice.
These phrases simply occupy space before the sentence gets to the person, thing, action, or idea that really matters.
Sometimes you need those opening words to set up a sentence. But very often, you can remove them and make the sentence much more direct.
I’m as guilty as any writer for taking the lazy route with a few empty words to start sentences when I’m writing a draft.
However, I’m a little more attentive when revising.
One of my favorites to remove is “When it comes to” because it really is an empty phrase, yet it is easy to remove or replace. Here’s a very quick example.
When it comes to grammar, I’m always careful to check for obvious errors.
I’m always careful to check for obvious grammar errors.
The best way to decide if you should edit or remove empty phrases is to look at what is important in a sentence. Moving that information earlier is often a good decision.
But sometimes you might want to keep a little hesitant phrase, an introduction, or a note before you get to the real sentence topic.
How to edit out empty words
The most common empty sentence starters are “there is/are, there was/were,” which means that something exists or existed.
While you can sometimes simply delete the phrase, it’s not always possible.
There is a pretty little church on the outskirts of the ghost town.
To avoid the empty starter, you might need to find a new verb or rewrite the sentence.
A pretty little church sits on the outskirts of the ghost town.
On the outskirts of the ghost town is a pretty little church.
“It is” or “it was” is a similar phrase, but you need to take a little extra care. Very often, it is referring to a previous sentence.
“It was a very special day for all of us.”
To remove it, you might need to join the sentence with the previous one.
“Our wedding brought our two families together for the first time and was a very special day for all of us.”
Other phrases we often use usually serve the purpose of introducing a new idea or topic.
Many of them, like “In this article,” “As I mentioned before,” and “It should be noted that,” can be removed.
But other forms such as “I believe,” “I think,” or “I imagine” can be an important prelude to a statement.
I believe that when it comes to sentence starters, it’s up to every writer to make the decision to keep or remove them.
Writing is always about decisions
Writing and grammar have so many rules, but using empty sentence starters is not one of them.
However, it’s a question you can ask yourself when writing or revising. Do I really need this phrase?
Sometimes removing one makes the sentence shorter, clearer, and more direct.
But when you believe a phrase adds emphasis, context, contrast, hesitation, or a natural transition, you might have a good reason to keep it.
One other big issue is repetition. If you find many sentences that start with “There” or “It”, you probably have some editing work to do.
Because “There is” is so easy to use, it’s not unusual to find multiple instances in a text.
Other phrases might simply be fluff words that do nothing more than pad out a sentence with more words.
Unless you have a very specific reason, it’s often best to avoid phrases such as “In the fullness of time,” “Be that as it may,” or “It would appear to be the case that.”
Quite aptly, these types of sentence starters are sometimes called throat-clearing phrases, or clutter words, and are usually unnecessary.
Sentences can start in many different ways, so every sentence you write involves a decision.
You might not realize it when you’re writing, but when you’re editing or revising a draft, you’ll probably question some of those decisions.
And that’s what good editing and rewriting is all about. Making improvements.
Conclusion
How you start a sentence is always a choice. But you want to make good choices.
Empty words at the beginning of a sentence are not bad writing by any means. They only become a problem when overused or ill-suited.
For fiction writers, introductory phrases often serve a purpose, like creating a little suspense, mystery, or intrigue.
But for article writing and nonfiction, getting to the point is often a better sentence structure.
Well then, there are no rules, it seems, so without putting a fine point on it, you can do as you please.
Related Reading: How To Vary Your Sentence Beginnings To Create Interest
English teacher, writer, and author. Passionate about grammar, creative writing, and self-publishing. Always exploring new tools and tech to help writers succeed.
