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Q&A How do I stop using 'the' to start sentences so much?

Something that always bothers me in my writing is how often I start sentences with the word "the". A terrible nonsensical example: The dog ran through the rain-swept streets, chasing a ball he...

2 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by linksassin‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

#4: Attribution notice removed by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-20T00:53:24Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/41728
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T10:44:09Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/41728
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by (deleted user) · 2019-12-08T10:44:09Z (almost 5 years ago)
Something that always bothers me in my writing is how often I start sentences with the word "the".

A terrible nonsensical example:

> The dog ran through the rain-swept streets, chasing a ball he thought he'd lost. The ball was just ahead of him, always out of reach. The ball was a dull red colour, difficult to see through the rain. The dog was gaining on it, slowly but surely.

Note: this isn't an extract of something I've written but a quick sample to demonstrate the problem. Answers that only deal with restructuring this particular paragraph are not useful.

I'm not concerned with the quality of my writing overall. I know that's something that will improve with time and practice. This also isn't about overuse of "the" in general, which would be a duplicate of [this question](https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/29358/saying-the-too-frequently).

**What techniques can I use to prevent myself from starting sentences with "the"?**

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2019-01-29T11:26:57Z (almost 6 years ago)
Original score: 36