英语是一种句型结构灵活多变的语言。由于拘泥于传统语法框架，许多初学写作的人都喜欢用名词开头写句子。这样写倒是无可非议，但若通篇文章都是干巴巴的同样结构的句子，就显得呆板生硬，缺乏生气了。事实上，在英语写作中除名词可放在句子的开头外，许多其它词类及词组均可放在句子开头的位置。
例句：Women leave their homes to take a fuller part in society as time passes。
上面这句话至少还有两种开头方式：
1. As time passes, women leave their homes to take a fuller part in society。
2. To take a fuller part in society, women leave their homes as time passes。
二、避免一个“I”写到底
初学英文写作的人的另一通病是一个“I”写到底，句首僵硬，缺乏变化。
试读下面这段文章：
One thing in particular I remember made me feel grateful toward my mother was that one day I went and asked her for my own garden, and she let me have my own little plot. I love it and take care of it well. I loved especially to grow peas. I was proud when we had them on our table. I would pull out the grass in my garden by hand when the first little blades came up. I would patrol the rows on my hands and knees for any worms and bugs, and I would kill and bury them。
上面这一段共用了八个“I”。当然上文若出自一个幼童笔下，倒不乏天真纯朴的趣味。不妨改写如下：
According to my recollection, one thing in particular that made me feel grateful toward my mother was the day I went and asked her for my own garden, and she did let me have my own little plot. I love it and take care of it well, especially the growing of peas. Having them on the table made me proud. I would pull out the grass in my garden by hand when the first little blades came up and would patrol the rows on my hands and knees for any worms and bugs, killing them and burying them。
改写后的段落仅有三个“I”，一看就出自成人手笔。
三、 注意句子的紧凑性