Abstract

Initial sentence elements signal changes, shifts or stages in the progression of the discourse. These elements serve different functions in the discourse. Thus, this study aims to shed the light on the forms and functions of initial sentence elements of the method section of environmental engineering research articles. The data of this study comprises 10 method sections extracted from research articles published in three prestigious journals published by Elsevier. The data were analysed based on a framework suggested by Ebrahimi (2014). The results indicated the predominance of the research-related object grammatical subject, time context frame, and additive textual marker. The results showed that self-mention grammatical subject, time context frame, and additive textual performed greater variety of functions in method section. Thus, the results suggest that writers need to know that the selections of initial sentence elements' forms and functions are related directly to the rhetorical functions of the method section and to the disciplinary nature. Writers need to be aware that the initial sentence element is a pivotal position in which care must be practiced concerning the selection and realisation of the elements.