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Adjectives: An Easy Guide with ExamplesAdverbial Clauses: What Are They?AdverbsAnalogy: Definition & Meaning (with Examples)ArticlesBad AdverbsClauses: Definition, Meaning, and How to Use ThemConjunctionsCoordinating Conjunctions: What Are They and When Should You Use Them?Dangling ModifiersDeclarative Sentence: Examples + MeaningExaggerationHomophones: Definition and ExamplesHow to Use Subordinating ConjunctionsInfinitivesInterjections: Definition, Meaning, and ExamplesIntransitive Verb: Definition, Meaning, and ExamplesNounsParticiples PluralsPrepositional Phrase: What Is It & How to UsePrepositionsSplit Infinitive: The Complete Guide (with Examples)Subordinate Clause: Definition, Types, and ExamplesThe Complete Guide to Transitive VerbsTransitions: A Complete Guide (with 100+ Examples)Types of VerbsVerbs: Types of Verbs, Definition and ExamplesWhat is a Pronoun? Rules and ExamplesWhat Is Symbolism in Writing?Word ClassesHow should I use an "-ing" word at the start of a sentence?

An "-ing" word at the start of a sentence is not wrong, if it is used in the correct way. Often authors use an "-ing" word, also called a gerund, to avoid using the word "I" too much.
- Taking the hint, I said goodbye.
However, you need to be careful when you start a sentence with a gerund. It can potentially cause confusion:
- Travelling north, the weather got colder and colder.
This sentence doesn't make sense as it fails to include a subject. Strictly speaking, it is the weather that is travelling north in this sentence. Adding a subject rectifies this:
- As I was travelling north, the weather got colder and colder.
It is also important to only use an "-ing" phrase when the action occurring in that phrase happens at the same time as the action in the main part of the sentence. Otherwise, you're left with something that doesn't work:
- Unlocking the door, she left the room.
In this case, it doesn't make sense for her to unlock the door and leave the room at exactly the same time. To rectify this, you need to pair two actions which can happen together and make her movement sequential:
- Unlocking the door, she sighed, then left the room.