Starting Sentences with -ing Words
In my Proofreading Secrets of Best-Selling Authors, I address the myth that writers should never start a sentence with a conjunction (and, or, nor, because, for, yet, so, since, unless, until). But I recently heard that there’s a new “rule” floating around in the industry that says that starting a sentence with an -ing word is the sign of an amateur.
Gotta admit, that was news to me! But I asked my agent, and she verified that she’d heard of this rule as well.
Now, an -ing word could be a verb, present participle, adjective, noun, or gerund (verb or participle used as a noun). So for clarification, here are some examples of each:
“Writing is the hardest work you’ll ever do.” (Writing is used as a gerund here.)
“Preparing her proposal package, she decided to include a head shot.” (Preparing is a present participle here.)
“Trembling hands opened the letter from her agent.” (Trembling is an adjective here.)
“Siblings often have opposite personalities.” (Siblings is a plural noun.)
“Dashing through the snow in a one-horse open sleigh” (Dashing is a verb.)
I see sentences starting with -ing words all the time. Gerunds are often used at the beginning of a sentence, like “Fishing is my favorite sport” or “Seeing is believing.” Rewording sentences like that to avoid starting with an -ing word would result in pretty awkward flow.
And writers do want to vary sentence structure. One way to do that is to use participial phrases at the beginning of a few sentences.
So what’s the purpose behind this new rule?
I have a theory. I suspect it might be because sentences that start with -ing words often end up being grammatically incorrect.
In my Proofreading Secrets, I address the issue of dangling and misplaced modifiers. Here are some excerpts from that section of the book:
When you start a sentence with a modifying word or phrase, the subject of the sentence is what must be modified by that word or phrase. A “dangling modifier” is a phrase that does not clearly and sensibly modify the appropriate word. For example:
Changing the oil every three thousand miles, the Mustang seemed to run better.
A Mustang cannot change its own oil. So you’d want to rewrite that as something like “By changing the oil every three thousand miles, Fred found that his Mustang ran better.”
The position of a modifier determines what thing or action is being modified. Example:
Mona sent out a proposal for her book on living with horses last week.
Mona’s proposal wasn’t for a book about “living with horses last week.” Reword to:
Last week Mona sent out a proposal for her book on living with horses.
The introductory phrase must be accomplished at the same time as the action in the rest of the sentence. Example:
Hugging the postman, Delilah ripped open the box containing her new novel.
Delilah cannot simultaneously hug the postman and rip open a box. Reword to:
After hugging the postman, Delilah ripped open the box containing her new novel.
I see dangling and misplaced modifiers in the manuscripts I edit quite often. When I do, I point them out to the author and sometimes suggest ways to reword to fix the problem.
Analyzing sentences to catch any dangling or misplaced modifiers, and fixing them when they appear, does require work—and attention to detail. It’s much easier to simply decide not to start any sentences with -ing words. And writing should be easy … right?
When I hear any new writing advice, I check the industry-standard reference manuals. If I don’t find the rule there, I check multiple sources to see how pervasive the advice is and who’s giving it. I also try to understand the reasoning behind it. Then I can make my own decision about whether I wish to follow it. I don’t want to ignore advice that might improve my writing. But I also don’t want to blindly follow something simply because someone (or even a few someones) decided it should be a new rule.
So I did an internet search for this new guideline. Most of the forums I found had authors ranting against it. Many said they had no intention of following this advice. (Although I’m guessing that if they got a contract with a big traditional publisher whose editor told them to cut out all -ing words at beginnings of sentences or lose the contract, they’d probably accede.)
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. If you’ve heard about this rule, please identify where you heard it. (No need to give names, but please do specify if the person was your agent, your publishing house editor, a freelance editor, someone in your critique group, etc.) If you found this rule in a professionally accepted reference book, I’d love to know the title and author. If you have a personal opinion on this, please state your thoughts as opinion. Presenting opinions as facts can be confusing. (Oops, guess I should’ve prefaced that last sentence with “After all” to avoid beginning with an -ing word. 🙂 )
February 19, 2018 @ 10:28 am
Reading all these new rules, leave me questioning my longing to be writing when I could easily be enjoying a day lounging at the spa.
June 15, 2020 @ 12:50 am
Hello, I am Yeshi. One of the students doing master. Recently I have seen your above comment having used the adjective phrase in the form of gerund.. I have also started the sentence with adjective phrase “reading all these books, provide me an extra knowledge” but some say that we should not use comma after the phrase and the verb should be singular “provides.” Would you mind sharing your insights on this matter please? Thank you
July 21, 2020 @ 12:03 pm
In your example, “reading all these books” is not an “adjective phrase.” It is a gerund phrase (using a verb “reading” as a noun). It’s not an introductory phrase, as discussed in this blog post, so it would not be followed by a comma. “Reading all these books” is a single action; therefore, it requires a singular verb. “Reading all these books provides me with extra knowledge” would be grammatically correct and properly punctuated. If you had “Reading all these books, I gained extra knowledge,” that would be using a gerund in an introductory phrase.
February 19, 2018 @ 1:44 pm
It really chaps my hide when people in authority couch their personal preferences as “rules.” This kind of pointless non-rule just hobbles writers.
February 21, 2018 @ 9:25 am
Continue to write with clarity. Avoid over using any one particular sentence structure; change them as best engages your reader. Writing is an art. Reader Effect remains my goal.
Unless some editor with a fetish gets in my way. (Sigh.)
February 26, 2018 @ 10:13 am
I once belonged to a critique group where one participant kept marking -ing words for deletion, even gerunds. Her reasoning was that all -ing words are passive construction. I tried to show her differently, but my words fell on deaf ears. For instance, is it more active to say “I run” or to say “I am running”? “I run” means I engage in that behavior from time to time. “I am running” means I’m actively running at the moment. And to say “Running is exhausting” uses two -ing words, one at the beginning, but it’s a perfectly fine sentence, in its place. Dealing with these kinds of “rules” are exhausting me!
February 26, 2018 @ 10:15 am
Oops. That last sentence should be “Dealing with these kinds of ‘rules’ IS exhausting me!” I should have proofread it before posting. 🙂
March 12, 2018 @ 1:51 pm
I haven’t seen this but I often find myself using “ing” words to start sentences in my book reviews and I usually end up changing them. You can be certain that I will be conscious of this now!
November 4, 2018 @ 6:24 pm
Once again a perfectly useful turn of phrase gets misused so often that it starts to bother people. Then the grammar nazis decide in their wisdom that the easy way to fix it is to ban it completely.
They tried it with adverbs and adjectives and it didn’t take. Now they’re on to another one.
Resist with all the democracy in your soul!
(But please, please, learn to use the method correctly.
December 16, 2018 @ 7:25 am
I agree with Derrell Thomas, except for the bit about the publisher’s ideas. I self-publish.
December 17, 2018 @ 5:12 am
I think it’s all about moderation. A few ing words can help break up the pace of the sentences, but yes, they need to be used properly. I suspect the adverse reaction to them is from reading manuscripts where they are overdone.
Great reminder article. I’m bookmarking it to point to when I beta read! Thanks.
November 13, 2019 @ 12:06 pm
I was told some 20 years ago to not start sentences with an -ing word and have been following that advice for, well, 20 years. I am just now starting to slowly incorporate some back into my writing, but it’s trying to shift a 20-year habit and will take some time to break.
November 18, 2019 @ 10:27 am
I had a hard time retraining my fingers not to put two spaces between sentences! Old habits are tough to break.
January 23, 2020 @ 5:36 pm
I’m running my work through Pro Writing Aid and it keeps suggesting I start some of my sentences with a gerund. Not sure what to make of it all.
January 24, 2020 @ 10:23 am
No software program can give suggestions for improving your writing that are always spot-on. Writing is an art, not a science.
It’s not always wrong to start a sentence with a gerund. Just don’t overdo it. Vary your sentence structure. And when you do start a sentence with a gerund, make sure the introductory phrase and the subject of the sentence are in agreement to avoid misplaced or dangling modifiers.
January 28, 2020 @ 5:50 pm
With all due respect, I think:
Sometimes it is a noun “badly chosen” that complicates the sentence and not a gerund or a word – “ing”
1- Hugging the postman, Delilah ripped open the “envelope” containing her…………
Delilah, yes, can simultaneously hug the mailman and open an envelope. …or while the hug lasts ….. This is very possible
2- Approaching the mailman I take the newspaper ( from or of … or… ) the lawn
This is very possible, too.
3- I think that writing is a verb in this sentence “Writing is the hardest job you’ll ever do.” As in “Dashing through the snow ………..
4- “Seeing is believing” is beautiful sentence to start a sentence or phrase, but it is not a sentence, but a sentence (ruling) or a proverb or a compressed phrase, of: “You have to see, to be able to believe” or maybe it is actually longer.
January 29, 2020 @ 11:02 am
With equal respect, I agree that often a sentence can be rewritten to avoid grammatical errors or unclear prose.
In your first example, for “Hugging the postman, Delilah ripped open the box containing her …” you suggested changing box to envelope. But in my sample sentence, she was opening a box containing copies of her first novel … which would not fit in an envelope. It’s important that you don’t change a sentence to make it grammatically correct in a way that alters the meaning.
In your second example, “Approaching the mailman I take the newspaper” would be awkward because you couldn’t take the newspaper until you’d reached the mailman. Unless you had the gift of telekenesis.
You’re right, in the sentence “Writing is the hardest job you’ll ever do,” the word “writing” is a noun. In “Dashing through the snow, “dashing” is a verb.
“Seeing is believing” is a sentence since “seeing” is a noun and “is believing” is a verb phrase. You could lengthen the proverb for clarity, if your reader needed the clarification, to something like “You have to see, to be able to believe” … but no comma there.
March 21, 2020 @ 10:12 pm
I googled this topic because I’ve become so pissed off at a Kindle Unlimited author whose suspense series has a formula I kinda like but whose writing is so horrific I’m getting migraines. He begins sometimes several in a row sentences with present particles. ( Realizing he’s alive, he takes a deep breath. Wishing the moon was made of green cheese, he looks up) Pretty much this bad. Thanks o your post I realize not all ING phrases are bad writing. Without exception, this guys ING phrases can be dropped without losing a thing except his boring, repetitive rhythm and useless verbiage.
March 22, 2020 @ 11:09 am
Varying sentence structure is one of the recommendations in my new book, Editing Secrets of Best-Selling Authors, available now for preorder on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. I wish more self-published authors took the time to learn professional writing techniques and did the work of self-editing before adding to the plethora of shabbily written/edited books out there.
August 14, 2020 @ 4:19 pm
I’m a new fiction writer, and one of the hardest things I’ve found about writing is the constant advice about subject, verb, object, and not writing in the passive voice, though it is grammatically correct, just not preferred by editors. There are only so many ways to say “John rode his bicycle to the store,” without boredom setting in. I’ve found that using gerunds to start sentences allows you to get your point across in a structure that isn’t repetitive. I agree with you that if you’re going to use it, it must be grammatically correct, and your examples on how to use it are excellent. I have a little more leeway right now with my novel, which I am editing myself with two widely used grammatical programs. After I have done that, I’m going to hire a professional for editing and advice regarding a rewrite.
At present, I am writing a short story for a contest (1500 word maximum), and the grammatical programs I have at my disposal grouse about using sentences that start with gerunds, so I have been forced to modify those as you’ve suggested or have taken them out altogether. Three editors will be judging this contest and I suspect the “rule” you have referred to is probably going to be enforced since the main sponsor is a grammar program that is widely used by authors and it has “the rule.”
I have three more days before submission and am going to order your book to see if I can pick up some last-minute pointers. I hope you’re going to have a chapter on hyphenation. Editorial and grammatical programs use those frequently as well as the Oxford comma which I thought had fallen out of favor in most areas of literature (I’m an attorney by profession and neither are used in legal writing). I still cringe turning in hyphenated words I haven’t hyphenated in years.
August 14, 2020 @ 5:12 pm
You’re so right, Laura, about mixing up sentence structure–including starting sentences with introductory phrases that begin with a gerund. As long as they’re done right, they can be a wonderful way to keep things from getting boring. Especially with fiction.
Hyphenation messes up a lot of people, and I have thought about doing some kind of a Hyphenation Dictionary to go with my Capitalization Dictionary! But if you look up words in Webster’s Collegiate, and in general follow the CMOS rules, you can usually find what you need.
The Oxford comma is optional according to the AP Stylebook, which is used for journalistic-style writing (including your legal profession). But The Chicago Manual of Style, the industry standard for book publishing, calls for its use in all cases.
Hope you get a lot out of my book. And good luck on the short story contest!
October 13, 2020 @ 9:11 pm
I’ve never heard it given as an all-encompassing rule. I’ve read about the perils of misplaced modifiers, as with your postman and oil change examples. I’ve also read that starting too many sentences with present participles will feel repetitive and possibly klunky, and if you find yourself doing it too frequently, you should consider what you are attempting to convey and whether a different sentence structure encompasses it better.
I don’t see any evidence that editors from big trade publishers are telling their authors never to structure sentences this way. I run across plenty of present participles in the trade-published books I read. I think it’s a bit like the advice re never ever ever tagging with anything but said–at least somewhat hyperbolic and overstated.
October 14, 2020 @ 9:06 am
Oh, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with starting a sentence with an -ing word. You’re right that it’s a good way to keep variety in sentence structure. The caution is to make sure the introductory phrase is an appropriate grammatical match with the subject of the sentence, to avoid the misplaced modifier.
October 16, 2020 @ 9:53 am
I am reading the Longmire series by Craig Johnson. The present participle beginning is a constant annoyance. Hundreds of sentences begin with ing words, and, as you say, they are often grammatically incorrect. For example, “Passing through the office, we started down the steps.” Of course, they couldn’t do both simultaneously. Now, I’ve never heard of an actual rule, but there should be a rule about not annoying the reader! I’ve written to the author suggesting that he needs an editor and proofreader to correct his vast number of spelling and structural errors!
October 16, 2020 @ 11:59 am
Unfortunately, I’ve found that even the traditional publishing houses aren’t being as careful with punctuation and grammar as they used to be. I don’t often write to an author and tell him/her about errors I’ve found in a book–unless I know the author personally. Usually I just stop reading if I find too many mistakes, because it takes me out of the story (or the message in the case of nonfiction). I hope your suggestion to the author helps him to see the need for high-quality editing and proofreading. (And Christian Editor Connection is an excellent way to find established, professional freelance editors and proofreaders!)
October 18, 2020 @ 3:38 am
Hello, with all due respects. I have a few questions since I still don’t understand the usage of this sentence structure. May I give you some example sentence below?
1) Walking on the beach, I got sunburnt.
2) Having revisions for several weeks, I have successfully got an A in the final exam.
Could you please tell me whether these two sentences are in the relation of “cause and effect”?
Can I rewrite the sentence in the following ways?
“Becuase I walk on the beach, I got sunburnt.”
“I have had revisions for several weeks, thereby getting an A in the final exam.”
Are there any other kinds of meanings in this sentence structure? Also, I wonder if there is any situations which I can’t use this structure?
I am quite confused about the usage of this kind of sentence structure.
Hope you can answer my questions, thanks.
Vincent
October 18, 2020 @ 2:30 pm
Your first example, “Walking on the beach, I got sunburnt,” is grammatically correct (although “sunburnt” is a substandard variant–should be “sunburned”). Here you’re saying that you got sunburned while walking on the beach.
Your rewritten version, “Becuase I walk on the beach, I got sunburnt,” has a different connotation. Here you’re saying that you got sunburned (past tense, so something that happened at some point in the past) because you walk on the beach (present tense, so something you do regularly). (Another problem with that is the first word is typo’d–should be “Because”)
My preferred rewrite for this sentence would be “Because I walked on the beach, I got sunburned.” Or better, “While walking on the beach, I got sunburned.”
Your second example, “Having revisions for several weeks, I have successfully got an A in the final exam,” is confusing and grammatically awkward. What does it mean that you were having revisions for several weeks? “Have got” is very substandard English grammar.
Your revised version is still confusing and grammatically awkward. What does it mean that you “have had revisions for several weeks”? And “thereby” indicates an action performed simultaneously with “getting an A in the final exam.” Also, proper American grammar would be “on the exam,” not “in” it. In addition, I’m wondering what you revised for several weeks in order to get an A on a test, which is not something that can be revised over the course of several weeks. I’m not sure how to revise that sentence since the meaning is so unclear.
I would strongly recommend that you hire a professional freelance editor to work with you on polishing your manuscript to make sure that what you’re trying to convey is being communicated clearly.
December 24, 2020 @ 6:51 am
Up with which I will not put . Grammar is stultifying imagination!
December 24, 2020 @ 11:17 am
Ending sentences with a preposition is no longer considered taboo, thankfully. But grammar rules in general don’t need to stifle creativity. In many cases they’re important for clear communication. The author’s job is to know what the rules are and find ways to express what he/she wants to get across to readers in the best way possible, only breaking those rules when there’s a good reason that won’t take readers away from the story or message.
May 19, 2021 @ 2:11 am
I think you can help me solve a problem I have. I teach and have students who consistently begin sentences with ‘ing’ words in a way which I am certain is incorrect, but I am struggling to work out how to advise them accurately. I know enough about grammar to know that there are a lot of different types of ‘ing’ word but am struggling to work out which type it is that they are incorrectly using. Here are some examples: “Meaning that rituals impact on all aspects of people and societies.” “Arguing that anthropologists have moral obligations toward the people that they study.” “Minimising the importance of geographical location.” Can you help me identify specifically what it is that they are doing – what ‘ing’ form is that? It could be the second half of a sentence but it doesn’t work as a stand alone … thank you!
May 19, 2021 @ 2:17 am
Other examples not involving ‘ing’ words I have seen in the last 24 hours are “Made possible by …”, “Which …” and “As well as …”
May 19, 2021 @ 12:16 pm
These are examples of incomplete sentences being used as stand-alones. That is a trend in casual writing (such as fiction or memoir) but should be avoided in formal writing.
June 2, 2021 @ 2:36 pm
I am doing a masters. My Superviser mentioned that using gerund words at the beginning of the sentence might confuse the reader.
June 3, 2021 @ 11:54 am
Beginning a sentence with a gerund could confuse indeed the reader if the introductory phrase doesn’t fit with the subject of the sentence or the timing.
January 24, 2022 @ 7:25 am
I think the myth is rooted in the widely read book The Art of Fiction by John Gardner. In his chapter entitled, “Common Mistakes” he makes a point to label the use of gerunds at the start of a sentence as an amateurish practice without actually ever explaining why. I think his intent was to discourage a practice that often leads to the formation of grammatically incorrect sentences, but the net result was that his readers interpreted the very practice itself as verboten.
January 24, 2022 @ 11:18 am
You may have something there, Aaron. I think some writers avoid starting a sentence with a gerund because they’re afraid of being grammatically incorrect. Rather than take the chance, or learn how to do it right, they simply avoid the practice altogether.
April 9, 2022 @ 2:30 pm
There are certainly no “rules” but for my taste, too many of those pesky ing-words make the writing drone, suck the life out of sentences and yes, are a sign of a rookie-writer.
April 10, 2022 @ 5:25 pm
Too many of almost any sentence structure makes writing weaker in general. What constitutes “too many” is a gray area, different for different people.
April 18, 2022 @ 1:04 pm
Hello! Interesting article and comments. What are the industry standard reference manuals the author references in the articles?
August 3, 2022 @ 10:50 am
The industry-standard guidelines for book publishing are The Chicago Manual of Style and Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. For guidelines specifically related to Christian writing, the industry standard is The Christian Writer’s Manual of Style.
September 15, 2023 @ 4:25 pm
The problem I find with “ing” openings isn’t misuse of the words. It is that writers don’t realize how much they are using them. Instead of adding variety to sentences every other sentence begins with a present participle. In one book I’m trying to read, the author uses present participles seven times in five paragraphs! I’m so distracted that I hear a loud PING! in my head every time I read any word ending with ing. The whole thing PING! sounds like playing PING! a very even table tennis match, and I’m losing PING! track of the plot. Using PING! these words correctly isn’t adding PING! variety, it’s driving PING! me crazy.