Lesson Objectives

Lesson Objectives

By the end of this lesson we will:

1. Have planned our short story

2. Be able to vary our sentence openers

Task One

Take a sheet of A4 and plan what you are going to write in each of your paragraphs and what you are going to say.

Using a variety of sentence openers to make our writing more interesting.

One of the most common ways to start a sentence is to begin with the thing being described as subject(first word). So we start with ‘the...’, or ‘she/he/it...’, followed by the verb (action).

Eg: The lanky, unkempt fellow slinked down the canal path...

This way of structuring the sentence can get a bit boring...

The car was very fast.It (the car again) drove around the corner

before spinning out.It’s passenger was saved by the seatbelt as the

car’s breaks gave out and it rolled onto the pavement.

The passenger managed to prise open the door and crawl onto a grassy strip out of danger.

Use an ‘ly’ (adverb) opening word:

Unsteadily, the lanky, unkempt fellow slinked down the alleyway...

Open your sentence with words indicating location:

Along the canal towpath , the lanky, unkempt fellow ambled slowly...

Start the sentence using a word ending in “ing”:

Ambling along the canal tow path, the intoxicated thief spied his victim...

‘Drop in’ clause or ‘comma sandwich’:

The inebriated man, who was lanky and unkempt, stumbled along the canal towpath...

Use a variety of sentence lengths, from short and punchy,

to more complex:

She froze.They waited.He fell to the ground, with a

thud.

Use ‘although’, or ‘despite’ as a sentence starter:

Although he was intoxicated, the thief managed to escape through the deserted canal towpaths which criss-crossed the city...

Despite his intoxicated state, the thief was able to escape through the deserted canal towpaths...

Open using a word ending in –ed:

Terrified, the girl darted out of the path of her pursuer...

Use alliteration:

Ragged, rough and rank, the criminal closed in on the student walking alone down the alley...

Use sentences of three, for impact:

She staggered home, yanked off her painful shoes, and made a cup of tea...

Speech, followed by action with an ‘ing’ clause:

“Help me!”, he screamed, tripping on the slimy cobblestones..

Start with a name:

Detective Marshall didn’t believe a word of the devious criminal’s story...

Start with a question:

“Are you sure its safe to walk by the canal tonight?” asked his anxious girlfriend.

Start with a wish:

Why couldn’t he be lying safely wrapped in his fluffy duvet instead of here bleeding into the slush and snow...

Introduce a new character:

Her name was Morwenna and everyone realised there was something mysterious about her right from the beginning...