Don’t start sentences with “I” or “me.” You know what we’re talking about: sometimes, you might find yourself writing sentences that begin with the word ‘I’ or ‘me’ too often—but never do it!
The problem with starting too many sentences with “I” or “me” is that it makes your writing sound self-centered and egocentric. If you’re guilty of this, then you’re not alone! This is a common mistake that many people make, especially when they’re just starting out.
This happens because it’s easy for us to slip into the habit of using “I” or “Me” in our writing as it feels natural: we’re talking about ourselves, after all. But, the truth is, there are more effective ways to get your point across without resorting to these words—and it’s not nearly as hard as you think!
To help you avoid this common mistake, the best essay writing service UK has put together a quick guide on how to avoid beginning sentences with “I” or “Me.” So without any further ado, let’s start exploring!
Why You Should Avoid Start Sentences With “I” or “Me.”
You’ve probably noticed that a lot of modern writing focuses on the things the narrator experienced. However, it’s really important to focus not just on yourself (which is easy to do), but also on making your point and your message relevant to other people.
It’s easy to start sentences with “I” or “me.” But it’s important to avoid doing this because it makes your writing sound self-centered and rude.
Here’s why:
- It sounds like you’re telling the reader how to feel about something, instead of letting them figure it out for themselves.
- It makes you sound like you’re trying to control your readers’ emotions and reactions.
- Using too much I in your sentences will make you seem insecure about yourself. It might feel like you’re afraid of what people will think of you if you don’t share everything about yourself in every sentence.
In this post, we’ll look at 7 tips to avoid beginning sentences with “I” or “me.” So let’s talk about fixing “I” or “me” at the beginning of your sentences.
Quick Tips To Fix “I” or “Me” In Your Sentences
Starting a sentence with “I” is a common mistake that many people make. But that’s not the best way to write! And it’s definitely not the way your reader wants to read. There are many other ways to start a sentence that are more effective. So today, law essay help UK experts going to show you how to fix this—and how to make sure your writing is clean, clear, and on target.
1. Use A Different Word To Start The Sentence.
When you’re writing, it’s easy to get caught up in the moment and start to feel like you have to put everything into a sentence. But that’s not necessary! The key to fixing this problem is to identify what these words mean for you and then use them appropriately.
If you find that most of your sentence starts with “I,” then use a different word that doesn’t start with “I” or “me”. For example: Instead of saying “I cried,” say “My eyes were red from crying earlier.” Or instead of saying “I felt bad because I forgot our anniversary,” say “The fact that I forgot our anniversary made me feel bad.”
2. Put A Prepositional Phrase First.
A prepositional phrase is a group of words that starts with a preposition. They’re used to introduce where something is or what it’s doing, and often include an object or verb that describes that location. For example: “in the forest” and “at the beach.”
To fix this problem, replace the word “I” or “Me” with a prepositional phrase. This will help you find your verb more easily and make your sentence sound less stilted!
Finally, if there is no preposition or action verb available for your sentence, try replacing it with a noun that describes what you are doing instead. For example: “walking through the woods,” and “reading in bed.”
3. Swap The Clauses.
Swapping clauses is an easy way to fix “I” or “me” in your sentences. If you’re having trouble with the word “I” or “me”, try swapping the clauses. You can do this by simply swapping their order. Or even just making small changes like swapping the subject and verb.
If your sentence contains more than one clause, try moving the clause that begins with ‘I’ so it is not at the beginning of a sentence. For example, consider the following sentence: “I have a lot on my mind right now and I don’t know what to do.” This sentence is a bit boring because it has only one clause (the first one), and that clause begins with ‘I’. Try rewriting this sentence as follows: “Right now, I have so much on my mind that I don’t know what to do about it.
To keep your sentences fresh and avoid monotony, you can also rewrite your sentence. You can do this by changing the position of your verbs in relation to one another. Switching the position of your verbs can also create variety without changing their meaning. You can also substitute pronouns for them altogether.
4. Eliminate Unnecessary Activities.
If you’re having trouble with your “I” or “me” sentences, try cutting out the unnecessary actions in the sentence. If a sentence is too wordy and uses too many actions, it will be difficult to read and understand. Instead of saying “I cleaned up our mess and you cleaned yours,” try rephrasing it by saying something like “We cleaned up our mess.” It is a law to remove unnecessary activities to make your sentence look perfect.
You might think that avoiding “I” would ruin your writing voice because it’s so common in conversation, but this is not true. If anything, writing without “I” will make your writing sound more professional and less personal.
5. Avoid Using Filter Phrases
Filter phrases are words that filter your thoughts and feelings so that they sound like someone else’s voice. When writing in a first-person narrative, it’s best to avoid using phrases like “I think” and “I believe.” These are known as ‘filter phrases’ because they act as an unnecessary filter between your character and your readers.
Filters are used when the narrator is unsure about what they’re saying. They can indicate to readers that the character’s thoughts are unclear, or that their emotions are confusing them.
You should present your character’s thoughts and feelings as if they were the reader’s own because that is how a first-person narrator expresses them.
So instead of writing ‘I saw the car parking at the hilltop’ you can just write ‘The car was parked at the hilltop’.
6. Use Action Verbs Instead Of Personal Pronouns
Action verbs describe the actions of the subject. They give you more information about the sentence, which makes it more interesting and engaging to read. On the other hand, personal pronouns can be passive or active depending on how they’re used in a sentence. Passives are used when they refer back to something else (e.g., “The ball hit my friend’s head”). Actives are used when they describe or name something directly (e.g., “I knocked over his coffee table with my car”).
When you’re writing, you should always be conscious of how your sentences begin. The first word of a sentence can often set the tone for what’s coming after it. A sentence that begins with “I” is generally perceived as more personal than one that doesn’t. This means that the readers will perceive it as less objective and more subjective.
In order to avoid this, try using action verbs instead of personal pronouns in your first line or two. Using action verbs helps to keep your sentences from sounding too subjective or too impersonal. It can also make your sentences sound less professional or more casual.
7. Add More Fictitious Dialogue.
To avoid a sentence starting with “I” or “me”, add more fictitious dialogue to the story. This will help you avoid sounding like you’re bragging about yourself. While there’s nothing wrong with telling a story that features you. It might make your writing boring for the reader if every sentence starts with “I” or “Me.”
Instead, try adding more fictitious dialogue into your story. But make sure that the dialogue is consistent with the voice of your character. This will give your reader an idea of what your character is thinking and feeling—which will help them connect with you more easily.
End Note
I-sentences are an easy trap for beginning writers. Remember, the best way to fix this problem is by rewriting your sentence. The key to fixing this problem is to identify what these words mean for you and then use them appropriately. Start by removing the beginning of your sentence and replacing it with something else. You may start with a prepositional phrase, use a subject pronoun (she/he/they), swap clauses, or cut out unnecessary actions. The important thing is that you don’t just stick with “I” or “me.” These are the tips to help you achieve excellence.