Sentence Starters For Debate

How to Start a Debate?

Starting a debate can be nerve-wracking especially for kids who are still developing their public speaking skills. The key to beginning strong is having the right words to kick off your thoughts with clarity and confidence. That’s where sentence starters come in!

Sentence starters are ready-to-use phrases that help you frame your opinion, respond to others, or transition smoothly between arguments. They’re incredibly useful for kids who are new to debating, as they take the pressure off thinking of what to say next.

In this blog, we’ve listed powerful sentence starters categorized by use whether your child is opening a debate, agreeing, disagreeing, adding points, or concluding. Let’s help your child debate like a champion!

Sentence Starters to Express Your Opinion

I strongly believe that...
I think...
I feel that...
In my opinion...
From my point of view...

These help open your argument with confidence.

Sentence Starters to Express Disagreement

I’m afraid I disagree...
I respectfully disagree because...
I see your point, but...
I don’t think that’s correct...
That’s not always the case...

Use these to share your view respectfully during rebuttals.

Sentence Starters to Agree With the Speaker

I agree with your point because...
That’s a great point...
I think you’re right...
I support this idea as...
I share the same view because...

These show alignment and help build stronger team arguments.

Sentence Starters to Present an Example

For example...
For instance...
A good example of this is...
Let me give you an example...
Such as...

Examples add strength to your points and make them relatable.

Sentence Starters to Add More Points

Furthermore...
In addition to that...
Also...
Moreover...
Another key point is...

These are great for adding extra weight to your argument.

Sentence Starters to Conclude

In conclusion...
To sum up...
Therefore...
Hence...
That’s why I strongly believe...

These help you close your point with clarity and impact.

How to prepare for a great debate?

A debate formally discusses an argument where two groups present opposing opinions about a subject. So, it is clear that while presenting your ideas, you need to consider what the other group might have to say about the topic so that you can present better and winning arguments. Having discussions and debates in English can be challenging, especially if you are a beginner and are unaware of the dos and don'ts of debate. It can get overwhelming, and you need to prepare for the worse. Debating needs a powerful voice and lots of preparation. Don't worry. We have some helpful tips for you to prepare for a great debate. Check them out below-

If you are going to participate in a group, don't work individually. Brainstorm ideas in a group and have discussions before writing your speeches individually.
Working in coordination is the necessary first step so that your partners are also aware of the facts and evidence you will use to do their research accordingly.
Check your facts thoroughly before using them in your content. All the facts and evidence you include to support your argument should be analysed properly, and avoid writing opinions and arguments that are not supported by facts.
If you include opinions, you should be able to support them with enough research so that if the opposing team cross-questions, you will be able to answer.
Use powerful debate sentence starters while putting forth an argument to grab maximum attention, and these will also help you look more confident among the audience.
Don't hold yourself back from researching the opposing motion as well. If you are supporting an argument, it is also important that you research the opposing side of the argument.
Researching the opposing side will prepare you for the contenders' content of the debate. And you can base your questions accordingly.
Convincingly opening your debate is also extremely important. You could start your debate with a powerful quote or strong facts to draw attention instantly.
Practice is crucial to mastering any art. So, if you are nervous about your debate, practice, practice, and practice some more. Your fear will go away!

Tips to enhance your debating tone and style

A good debater has shining confidence that can influence people for the best. If you think that you kids don't possess convincing and persuasive powers yet, it is not something to worry about. Persuasion doesn't have to be an innate skill.

Don't stress: The first and foremost rule is for your kids to keep calm. When preparing the content, they should not think about winning or losing. Just focus on the topic. Overthinking the performance and the results will only create stress, and they will not be able to present the best of their personality in front of the audience.
Believe in yourself: Debating can seem like a daunting task, especially if they are a beginner. Don't stress about it, there is always a first, and they need to believe in themselves to give their best. Staying confident throughout the process is also important.
Speak in a bold voice: The voice plays a vital role while presenting an argument. If they are not speaking clearly, people will not understand their arguments; however strong they are, they will soon withdraw their attention from the speech and will begin checking their phones and shifting in their seats. So, present the arguments loud and clear and change the pace according to the content.
Use sentence starters for debate: It is crucial to use jargon while presenting arguments to sound persuasive and confident. There are many types of debate sentence starters. Sentence starters are important for discussions in groups as well. If they are discussing a subject among friends, too, using sentence starters can make the argument more effective.
Focus on your body language: Verbal and non-verbal communication plays a crucial role in a debate. Make sure that they are using hand gestures and body movements effectively. This will help the audience to understand their point in a better way. Also, it is important to make eye contact with the people in the audience and their opponents. It will bring out the confidence in their speaking as well.

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What is the importance of debating?

In today's rapidly moving world, children are expected to have excellent communication skills. This reflects confidence in their personality. PlanetSpark has various comprehensive courses to develop many new-age skills in students to prepare them for a successful future. Debating is one of them. Any student needs to indulge in public speaking activities from an early age to enhance their communication skills and boost their confidence.

Debating is important in many ways. It helps students become confident about themselves and bring out the best in their personalities. Let's check out the benefits of learning debating:

Boost their confidence- The most important benefit of debating is that students get great exposure while preparing their debating speech and standing behind a podium presenting their arguments—the whole experience of debating fuels their personality with immense confidence.
Improves critical thinking- Debating is all about presenting well-researched arguments supporting or opposing an argument. Hence, it is a completely rational process. Students will develop critical thinking skills that would be useful for their everyday lives as well. Debating skills make them more rational than emotional. They are not adhering to their opinions just for the sake of being right but giving a well-informed answer even while having a conversation.
Improves analytical and research skills- Preparing a debate speech needs thorough research while selecting the topic and forming arguments. The arguments and opinions need to be supported by properly analysed facts. So, indulging in research activities from an early age will make them confident about their arguments and opinions.

Help Your Child Master Debating with PlanetSpark!

Debate is more than just arguing it’s about thinking critically, speaking clearly, and building confidence. At PlanetSpark, our expert-led live classes equip kids with the tools to speak fearlessly using proven frameworks, including sentence starters like these.

Why Choose PlanetSpark for Public Speaking and Debates?

✅ Live 1:1 coaching from expert trainers
✅ Structured curriculum with real-world speaking practice
✅ Activities like debates, storytelling, extempore & more
✅ Personalized feedback to track progress
✅ Builds confidence for school, competitions, and beyond

Give your child a head start Book a FREE Trial Class today!

Frequently asked questions.

1. How do you use the word debate in a sentence?

Debate is a form of formal discussion and arguments where people support their arguments with the help of facts. Different people present opposing arguments on a subject to discuss different opinions and bring forth the pros and cons of the subject matter. You can use the word in various forms, for example, "They will debate about their rise tomorrow".

2. What are the different types of sentence starters?

You can start your speech with a powerful quote. It will hook the audience instantly. Or you could start with introducing yourself like "Hello/Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen", "Welcome to this side of the house", then you can present the motion of your debate. The audience must understand the topic of your debate.

3. What are the examples of sentence stems?

Sentence stems are important phrases to help you begin with your sentence powerfully. You could frame sentence stems according to the content and style of your debate. Some examples of sentence stems are: "I believe that", "I see your point, but…", "I see it differently because", and "I understand your point when you said that…".

4. What is a good sentence starter?

Sentence starters hold their importance according to their applicability. There are various occasions while debating where you can use sentence starters to introduce your opinion strongly. For instance, when you disagree with a person "A", you could start your statement with "A", which has an interesting point. Still, we need to consider…", or a general example would be, "In my opinion…", "I believe that", etc.

5. What are prepositional openers?

Prepositional openers are the sentences that open with a preposition like "under", "inside", "over", "above", etc. Examples of prepositional openers are, "Under the tree, the boy sits", "Over the bridge, the man awaits his children", etc.