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Is it incorrect to begin a sentence with an emotion?

For example:

"Afraid and alone, he no longer wished to continue on."

I'm translating some work from a foreign language into English, but I would like to keep the original sentence structure if possible. Starting the sentence with "being" or "as he was", just doesn't seem to give the same feel.

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  • 1
    That is grammatical. It is fine as is. :)
    – F.E.
    Dec 18, 2013 at 6:59

2 Answers 2

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Sentences don't begin with emotions, they begin with words, in this case, the adjectives afraid and alone modifying he. They are perfectly acceptable as written, and that they reflect emotions is completely irrelevant to their grammaticality.

Furious and humiliated, he no longer wished to continue on.

Footsore and soaked, he no longer wished to continue on.

Having already won $10,000, he no longer wished to continue on.

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  • Would it act as an adverb? Aug 30, 2016 at 14:37
  • @varfirstName Would what act as an adverb?
    – choster
    Aug 30, 2016 at 16:14
  • The entire phrase "Furious and humiliated"; does it act as an adverb like "Today" or "Yesterday"? Aug 30, 2016 at 17:35
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It is correct to start off a sentence with emotions till you are using the right set of punctuation.

  1. You can consider emotions to be kind of interjections (http://grammar.yourdictionary.com/parts-of-speech/interjections/what-is-an-interjection.html)

  2. Take another example of starting a sentence with the (http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/starting-a-sentence-with-however-right-or-wrong)

  3. Another way to look at it is that since the emotion comes earlier, it prepares the reader with the right set of emotions to read ahead.

  4. On a lighter note: It reminds me of Star Wars or should I say, "Star wars, it does remind me of".

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