For more interesting captions, vary those caption introductions.

Actually, I do not know why present participles have been given such a bad rap as caption starters. Some yearbook evaluation booklets even grade books down if they use present participles to begin their captions. I think present participles are a really good way to begin a caption, but I allow only one per double-page spread.

To show students how to get more variety, I give them a sentence-pattern handout that lists the different ways they can begin sentences:

(S=subject; V=verb)

Adverb clause, SV
If he could erase the errors of his youth, would he do it?

Adverb, SV
Surprisingly, Donna is the antithesis of her twin, Debbie.

Infinitive V or Infinitive, SV
To augment his salary, Ira did freelance editing or To augment one’s salary is difficult.

Present Participle, SV
Facing every crisis with curiosity, Jamie looks forward to deadlines.

Past Participle, SV
Accused of ambivalence, the president was asked to clarify his position on the death penalty.

Gerund
Dancing until dawn was Jane’s favorite part of prom.

Adjective, SV
Cold and aloof, Regina has few friends.

Prepositional Phrase, SV
In Hollywood, where you are only as good as your last picture, reputations tend to be ephemeral.

Appositive, SV
The most intelligent boy in the class, Jim Jackson just received a full ride to Harvard.

Appositive, appositive, appositive, SV
A telephone call, roses, a romantic note — all of these are nice things for a guy to think about before prom.

These patterns and others can be found in a handy little Barron’s paperback titled The Art of Styling Sentences.

Article by Donna Skates

Donna Skates is an English teacher at Shawnee Mission East High School, Prairie Village, Kan. She advised the award-winning Hauberk for 13 years. From 1995 to 1998, her students won more than twice as many CSPA Gold Circle awards than any other school in the nation.

Donna has written 8 article(s) for the Idea File.