It is not wrong to start a sentence with an adjective provided that it reads well and it is not convoluted like this one. However, many today view such structures as rather archaic

The passive construction as suggested by Holgersson makes reading rather difficult:

Necessary for such an approach would be to develop a system where biologists rank the environments as suggested by Holgersson (2007). 

Holgersson (2007) suggests that it is necessary for such an approach to develop a system where biologists rank the environment. 

The same pitfall occurs in the following:

Essential for local sourcing is to avoid that it becomes a hinder in the peace process.  It is essential for local sourcing to avoid hindering the peace process. 

Common to most studies is also that they as dependent variable use some proxy for the performance of the firm. 

As is the case in most studies, they use a proxy for the performance of the firm as a dependent variable. 

12.19 The following gives the impression that the title of the paper is Claessens et al. It has to be rewritten to dispel the ambiguity and clearly show that Claessens et al. are the authors:

Among the first papers to investigate the impact of institutional ownership on market value of equity was Claessens et al (2002). 

Claessens et al.’s (2002) is among the first papers to investigate the impact of institutional ownership on market value of equity. 

Claessens et al. (2002) are among the first scholars to have investigated the impact of institutional ownership on market value of equity. 

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12.20 The paragraph below is wordy. It has 57 words. Compare it with the correct version:

The role of dividends in agency context is then further classified by La Porta et al. (2000b) according to two main views. The first type of agency models regards dividends policy as an outcome of agency problems and the legal protection of shareholders. The second type regards dividend policy as a substitute for legal protection of shareholders. 

La Porta et al. (2000b) further divide the role of dividend in agency context into two main types: dividend policy as an outcome of agency problems and the legal protection of shareholders, and dividend policy as a substitute for legal protection of shareholders.  12.21 It is not wrong to start your sentence with that as a complex sentence marker (see 12.4). If you do, please try to make sure that you do not end up with a convoluted structure like the following:

That dividend payout decreases with the voting power of the largest shareholder is shown by Gugler and Yurtoglu (2003), on a sample of German firms. 

Gugler and Yurtoglu (2003), relying on a sample of German firms, show that dividend payout decreases with the voting power of the largest shareholder. 

12.22 A straightforward English sentence of subject + verb + object (see 12.1) will dispel the ambiguity surrounding the following:

To the extent that the trend, of many broken families, is a result of a lack of positive ideals, it can be hampered by the parents being good examples. 

Good parents can offer the example that will hamper the rising numbers of broken families lacking positive ideals. 

12.23 The following sentence is short but again a bit hard to read. We do not know what the pronoun it refers to. Also, the sentence is wordy and verbose:

Summarizing this chapter it implies that a development of new firms in the aerospace manufacturing sector has taken place. 

In summary, this chapter shows that new firms in the aerospace manufacturing sector have developed. 

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WHERE YOU MAY GET IT WRONG

WHEN WRITING ENGLISH sentenCes

12.24 The following sentence, though short, is still hard to read. Note the pronoun it, which gives the impression that its antecedent might not be the letter. Pronouns are usually placed a bit far away from their referents in the same sentence in English (see Chapter 11). Also note, industrial utveckling. Occasionally, some writers use English words and phrases when speaking or writing in their native tongues. That is quite alright as far as understanding goes if the expectation is that the majority of readers understand English. But inserting foreign words and phrases in your English text without translation is a totally different matter:

In the letter from the dean it says that Staffan Laes should be evaluated as professor in the subject area “industrial utveckling.” 

In his letter, the dean says that Staffan Laes should be evaluated for professorship in the subject area of “industrial development.” 

12.25 You will make the sentence easier to read if you change the passive (in bold) into active. Change the agent Linell into subject and rewrite:

To study speech acts out of its context has been criticized by, among others Linell (1998). 

Linell (1998), among others, criticizes studying speech acts out of their context. 

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12.26 A subject in a sentence can be one noun or a noun phrase that may include other parts of speech as well as phrases and clauses. Long subjects like the one in the following sentence (identified in bold) make your text rather awkward and hard to read. The use of the passive voice at the end of the sentence is another source of awkwardness:

The move from external to internal mediation, that is a society where nothing separates men from each other so that they are exposed to direct competition, is also discussed by Alexis de Tocqueville in his Democracy in America. 

Alexis de Tocqueville in his Democracy in America discusses the move from external to internal mediation, a society where nothing separates men from each other when exposed to direct competition. 