How to Use “Sentence Starters” in Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing a document involves changing the way the text looks in terms of switching the words it contains (i.e., finding synonyms) and – possibly – its structure (e.g., sentence structure and paragraph structure), all the while keeping the meaning exactly the same.

Clearly, then, paraphrasing is a complex task, which is the main reason paraphrasing services are becoming increasingly popular today. Also, in the wake of the growing need to paraphrase texts to help produce academic essays, research, and business copy, the vital function that a paraphrasing service can perform for many individuals, professionals, and students is increasingly being recognized.

If you are an aspiring paraphraser, or if you are simply curious to know how you can improve your paraphrasing skills, knowing how and when to use so-called sentence starters is essential.

Sentence starters are words or phrases that begin the rest of the sentence. They are typically set apart by commas, and their primary function is to introduce the text in the remainder of the sentence or paragraph, helping the reader to orient themselves in the text and prepare for the next topic.

Knowledge of sentence starters is fundamental for paraphrasing, especially when seeking to provide professional-grade paraphrasing and proofreading services efficiently or achieve high marks at university. Also, to produce high-quality academic research, paraphrasing/rewriting the original ideas of other authors – such as for the literature review section of your research paper – is a basic requirement.

The rest of this article serves as a preliminary guide that introduces the use of sentence starters for paraphrasing. It is organized in different categories based on the purpose of the sentence starter, and in each case, the fact that all the specific examples are synonymous means that paraphrasers can switch between these terms interchangeably.

 

Sentence starters for elaboration

It is common in writing to elaborate on an idea by adding new points. The following sentence starters can be used to signal this to the reader:

·         Just as important, …

·         Furthermore, …

·         Moreover, …

·         Also, …

·         Even more important, …

·         Significantly, …

 

Sentence starters to introduce examples

Examples are often expected in academic writing. When you are seeking to paraphrase a piece of writing that contains sentence starters introducing examples, you can easily find cases of interchangeable terms below:

·         Specifically, …

·         For example, …

·         For instance, …

·         To illustrate, …

·         This is shown by, …

·         This is evidenced by, …

 

Sentence starters for contrasts

One of the most impactful uses of sentence starters is to indicate to the reader that you will change topics abruptly, leading to a contrast. In the absence of these types of sentence starters, the text can become disorganized and scattered.

Examples of useful sentence starters for contrasts include:

·         Although …

·         However, …

·         Nevertheless, …

·         Conversely, …

·         By contrast, …

·         Yet, …

·         Rather, …

·         Still, …

·         Then again, …

 

Sentence starters for cause, and effect relationships

Another common use case for sentence starters is to show the reader that there is a cause, and effect relationship between the subject of one sentence and the subject of another sentence. Paraphrasers can choose from all of the following similar sentence starters that have this function:

·         Therefore, …

·         As a result, …

·         That is why …

·         Hence, …

·         For this reason, …

·         Consequently, …

·         Accordingly, …

How to Spot an Inexperienced Proofreader

People use proofreading services because they understand the importance of polishing their writing and ensuring they present their ideas in the clearest possible way. For this reason, when an inexperienced or poorly trained proofreader provides a proofreading service, the damage this causes is often catastrophic. 

If you find the types of common errors shown in this article within your own documents after receiving a proofreading service, then it is likely that your proofreader is inexperienced. As a result of this, they may have provided a low-quality service that is not fit for purpose, and you should act to correct the errors remaining in your document.

Most service providers who specialise in proofreading services will be willing to correct the errors in your document that remain after the completion of the service. However, it is always best to vet your chosen proofreader or service provider before you assign them to work on your documents; ultimately, this will save significant time and money.

 

1. Passive voice

The use of passive voice in a sentence is not necessarily wrong, but writing sentences in the active voice often leads to stronger and more impactful writing.

For this reason, it is usually expected that a proofreader – whether they are working in a freelance capacity or under the direction of a dedicated proofreading service provider – will correct any instances of passive voice usage in your writing to the active voice.

For example, as shown below, an experienced proofreader will immediately spot the value of correcting the first sentence (written in the passive voice) to either the second sentence or third sentence (both of which are written in the active voice):

1.    The findings X, Y, and Z are suggested by this research.

2.    This research found X, Y, and Z.

3.    The findings of this research indicate X, Y, and Z.

If your proofreader fails to spot opportunities to improve your writing like this, it may be an indication that they are inexperienced. As a result, you will likely benefit from working with another professional.

 

2. Confusion of common words

Good proofreaders know the difference between all of the following commonly confused words:

·         Its and it’s

·         Their, there, and they’re

·         Your and you’re

·         Too, two, and to

·         Bear and bare

For this reason, to see whether your proofreader is experienced, consider creating a sample test containing some of these commonly confused words and submit the work as a free sample. This will help you to determine whether the proofreader is goodto work with.

 

3. Confusing who and whom

One of the clearest signs of an inexperienced proofreading service professional is a person who is unsure about the different usages of the words who and whom. In short, who is interchangeable with he or she, whereas whom is interchangeable with him or her.

As before, consider watching out for this mistake – as well as other similar basic errors – to determine whether your proofreader is a good match for your project.

How to Master Sentence Structures

Understanding how sentences work – otherwise known as syntax – is in important issue, and it is usually one of the first things new language learners look at when approaching an unfamiliar language.

In writing, especially when writing a foreign language, mastery of sentence structures is even more important than in speech because weak, unclear, and disorganised sentences will undermine the reader’s ability to understand the meaning of the text.

The tasks of proofreading and editing, both of which are essential stages in writing that authors may or may not perform with the assistance of proofreading and editing services, depend on an in-depth knowledge of sentence structures.

Given that proofreaders and editors are adept in terms of their knowledge of syntax and sentence construction, an easy way to improve the quality of your writing is simply to make use of their services.

However, if you cannot afford proofreading and editing services, or if you would prefer to complete the activity yourself (e.g., for learning purposes), reading this article will teach you the key points about sentence structures that are needed for clear writing in English.

 

What is a sentence?

Sentences are strings of clauses.

For example, in English grammar, a complex sentence is said to consist of 1 independent clause + 1 or more subordinate clauses.

 

What is a clause?

A clause is a series of words containing both a subject and a verb. One clause may form a sentence, but sentences usually consist of several clauses that are added together.

For example, an independent clause, which is defined as a clause that could be a grammatical and complete sentence, is shown below:

            We’ll eat lunch at seven.

            James and David helped the Duke.

As another example, a dependent clause, which is defined as a clause that is not a grammatical and complete sentence, is shown as follows:

            …because it was sunny.

Dependent clauses are often referred to as subordinate clauses.

The ellipsis (…) in the above example indicates that some text, not shown, must precede the dependent clause, which gives the clause its name. That is to say, the clause is dependent on (or subordinate to) to another clause for its full meaning.

If we add another dependent clause (or an independent clause, as below) to this, we will have a complete sentence:

            The roads were in good condition yesterday because it was sunny.

 

What are the types of sentence structure?

To master sentence structure, and thereby to improve your writing (and make life easier for your proofreader or editor), it’s worth knowing about the four types of sentence structure.

As explained already, a sentence is a string of clauses. The four possible types of sentence are:

·         Simple: 1 independent clause

·         Compound: 2 or more independent clauses

·         Complex: 1 independent clause + 1 or more dependent clauses

·         Compound-complex: 2 or more independent clauses + 1 or more dependent clauses

By varying your use of sentences and applying different sentence structures in your writing, you can create much more interesting, descriptive, and powerful text.

How to Find a Proofreader-Fast

Do you need a proofreadingservice as soon as possible?

For example, do you have to submit your writing – in a finished and polished state to your college, journal, or boss – within 12 hours, 24 hours, or even sooner?

Thanks to the Internet, you can find high-quality editing and proofreading services very rapidly today. Therefore, the short answer to the question of How can I find a proofreader, fast? is simply to follow these steps:

·         Step 1: Google your question

·         Step 2: Consider the first few search results (probably ads)

·         Step 3: Double-check the service provider can meet your deadline

·         Step 4: Order a service

·         Step 5: Ideally, review the work before submitting it

·         Step 6: Check-out their service reviews

Following the above steps will ensure you find a quick proofreading service. However, importantly, it may leave a lot to be desired in terms of quality.

The reason for this is that in today’s market for proofreading services and other writing services, there are two broad problems: first, the problem of overpriced services; and second, the problem of guaranteeing the quality of the work you receive. It’s typically easy to solve one or the other of these problems; however, solving them both together (i.e., finding a high-quality and cost-effective proofreading service) is not as simple.

Therefore, to give the long answer to the question of How can I find a proofreader, fast? let’s consider how to ensure that you receive a service that is both high-quality and cost-effective. To do so, let’s add the following steps to the process shown above:

·         Step 1: Check offline word of mouth

o   For example, recommendations from family and friends or your university/journal

·         Step 2: Check online word of mouth

o   For example, online reviews, press releases, and media reports

·         Step 3: Decide on several possible service providers

o   Try to gain a sense of the available prices and find a competitive price

o   Also, choose between a freelancer and a dedicated online proofreading company

·         Step 4: Double-check your deadline with service providers and receive free samples

o   Ensure the service provider can meet your deadline

o   Receive and evaluate free proofreading samples from your chosen providers

·         Step 5: Order a service 

o   Remember to ensure that the proofreader is a good fit for your project (in terms of experience, expertise, etc.)

·         Step 6: Review the work before submitting it

o   Similar to the shorter version of this process (shown above), you should vet the proofreader’s work after they have provided it

o   If you aren’t satisfied with the work, you should request revisions until you are

The six-step process of finding a high-quality, cost-effective proofreading service is – of course – longer and requires more effort than the earlier five-step process.

Therefore, the shorter approach may be preferable if you’re extremely short on time, but you may have to compromise on both quality and price.

How Does Proofreading Help in Copywriting?

Most people recognise that content is king, and this applies to all pieces of writing ranging from digital marketing content and corporate press releases to journal articles and undergraduate essays. 

Since content and, especially in business writing, copy – which is the term used for written material – are so vital for clear communication, both proofreading and copywriting, as well as proofreading services and copywriting services, are booming in today’s market.

A proofreading service is intended to correct the mistakes in your writing, serving as the last stage of error identification and correction before publishing your work. Finding a good proofreading service is fairly straightforward nowadays, especially with the ready availability of word of mouth via the Internet (e.g., product reviews, websites, and Google searches).

In contrast to proofreading, copywriting is a creative act. Writing copy involves producing scripts for videos, blog posts, social media snippets, website articles, marketing content, and product descriptions. Despite the fact that proofreading and copywriting are different tasks, and although a different skillset is needed for each one, they often go hand in hand.

The pipeline used to complete most writing projects involves three broad stages:

1.    Planning (e.g., how do specific articles fit into wider content strategy?)

2.    Copywriting

3.    Editing, usually consisting of:

a.    Developmental editing

b.    Structural editing

c.    Copy editing

d.    Line editing

4.    Proofreading

5.    Publication

With the above pipeline in mind, it is clear that in order to complete a copywriting project, it is essential and unavoidable to engage in proofreading. If the essential proofreading stage is skipped, this can undermine all the effort that came before, both during the copywriting and editing phases.

To understand how useful professioanl proofreading services can be for copywriters, it is worth considering the different applications of copywriting. These include:

·         Website copy

·         Landing pages

·         SEO copywriting

·         Advertisements for social media

·         How-to manuals

·         Video scripts

·         Technical writing

·         Blog writing

With these applications in mind, it is, therefore, evident that if the proofreading process is avoided in copywriting projects, the success of all of these types of copy diminishes.

In turn, this may have a significant reputational hit on the business concerned. In the case of academic essays or journal articles, for example, not proofreading your work the first time around before publishing can often be costly, leading to the need to apply time-consuming revisions at a later stage.

To give another example, consider the case of technical writing. If, for instance, a technology company needs to produce a reference manual for one of its products, it might assign the task to one of its software developers or specialist technical writers. If the resulting reference manual is not proofread, it runs the risk of containing errors that could undermine the purpose and clarity of the text.

Altogether, proofreading is an essential stage in copywriting that should never be avoided. Today, these services are easier than ever to order, so there’s no need to wait!

Grammar Mistakes you Should Never Make Again

Grammar mistakes happen; this is a fact of life, even for the most seasoned writers.

One of the easiest ways to avoid making grammar mistakes – of all kinds – is to leverage the availability of proofreading services, where a proofreading service involves asking a trained specialist to correct any spelling, grammar, and typographical errors in your writing before publication.

However, even if you’re sending your next piece of writing to your favorite proofreader, there is no reason why it should be written badly and contain needless grammatical errors – not, at least, if you can avoid doing so?

In fact, the outcomes of a proofreading service are much more likely to be positive if you submit a better-quality piece of writing to the proofreader (i.e., the final draft of your document), rather than if you submit a haphazard piece of work. If your written text still requires a lot of development, revision, and restructuring, you should always contact an editor rather than a proofreader!

With the above in mind, this article sets out several grammar mistakes that, after seeing once, should stick with you for a very long time, if not forever.

 

1. Too many Adverbs

Adverbs modify verbs. They typically end in -ly (e.g., really, beautifully, quickly, and so on). In most cases, the use of adverbs is acceptable. However, overuse of adverbs can strip the dynamism from your writing.

For example, consider the following two sentences:

1.    The cat jumped really fast up the tree.

2.    The cat bounded up the tree.

In the first sentence, the use of the adverbial phrase really fast is weak. It doesn’t sound descriptive or impactful, and – most importantly – if a proofreader spotted this, they would not make a correction because there is nothing grammatically “wrong”; only an editor would change this.

By contrast, the use of the verb bounded in the second sentence adds substantial dynamism – as well as descriptive power – to the writing.

 

2. Confusing who and that

Consider the following two sentences:

1.    James is the one that asked for a seat.

2.    Here is the milk carton who Jack was referring to!

Both sentences are grammatically incorrect. The reason – according to the APA Style Guide – is because the word who should be used to refer to people and animals with names, whereas that should be used for inanimate objects and animals without names.

Corrections for the two above sentences are:

1.    James is the one who asked for a seat.

2.    Here is the milk carton that Jack was referring to!

 

3. Confusing fewer and less

Can you count the object? If so, use fewer; if not, use less. For example:

1.    There are fewer grains of sand on this beach than that beach

2.    There is less coffee in this cup than that cup

3.    I would like less water and fewer ice cubes

Essential Resources for Students in 2022

Once you’ve received a place in higher education, whether at college or university, it can feel like a non-stop ride until your degree is achieved.

Students should use all available resources to increase their chances of success. Paid and non-paid resources exist that can ease your life as a student, ranging from high-quality professional proofreading services (to polish your writing for presentation) to reference management software (to help make the creation of bibliographies significantly easier).

For the upcoming year of 2022, an important trend is digitalisation and the growing inclusion of technology in higher education. Therefore, many of the essential resources for students in 2022 are digital tools, but not all of them; in fact, some key resources – such as professional proofreading – are human-driven tasks that, currently, computers perform quite badly at!

Read on to find out more about the three most essential resources for students in 2022.

 

1. Google Scholar

Released initially in November 2004, Google Scholar has emerged as one of the most valuable resources for academic research, literature reviews, and student assignments.

The purpose of Google Scholar is to offer an easilyaccessible – and freely available – web search engine that contains a vast database of full-text scholarly literature (or associated metadata), valuably covering a range of disciplines and publishing formats (e.g., journal articles and grey literature).

If you combine the use of Google Scholar (in your web browser, such as Chrome or Safari) with the use of a browser plug-in reference manager (discussed in Point 2 below), students can rapidly increase their ability to retrieve and cite the information they need.

 

2. Reference Managers

The purpose of a reference manager is to keep a record of all your journal articles, papers, and studies that you want to cite in your writing.

Using a reference manager, you can easily auto-generate reference lists conforming to a specific style guide (e.g., APA). Importantly, as a student or academic, this can save a lot of time and effort when creating bibliographies.

Reference managers are not a new development in 2021 and 2022; indeed, they’ve been around for a long time. Notably, with every year that has passed, they have been improving in leaps and bounds.

For example, Zotero, which is a long-running, free reference manager, is currently on version 5.0, and it offers many high-powered features compared to earlier versions.

 

3. Professional Proofreading Services

The final essential resource for students in 2022 that is worthy of mention in this article is professional proofreading.

As discussed in the introduction to this article, proofreading is not a task that computers can complete effectively and reliably today, which is unlike Google Scholar and reference managers; in both of these cases, computers outperform humans by a long stretch.

Dissimilarly, for professional proofreading, it is important to hire an experienced proofreader who can improve your work. Although this takes some effort, you can still use digital resources – such as the Internet, search engines, and review aggregation websites – to find a worthwhile service that suits your needs!