When Can I Start a Sentence With and
Y'all should never starting time a judgement with the words "and" or "but"—never.
If that was drilled into your caput at some bespeak during your elementary school English language lessons, and so you're not lone. Virtually of us were taught this rule in school—and we followed it with every writing assessment, research paper, and book study we e'er wrote.
And so, if it's improper to start a sentence with the words "and" or "simply" and then why do and then many prolific, notable writers do it? As do bloggers, journalists, and copywriters. It might seem like a rebellious move—simply the truth is, it'south not really "confronting the rules" at all.
Telling It Straight
The truth is, it's okay to get-go a sentence with the words "and" or "but"—if you do it correctly. After all, there is a time and place for everything, right?
First, let's take a quick jump down memory lane to those Schoolhouse Rock! tapes y'all watched when the substitute teacher didn't know the subject. Always had the tune to "Conjunction Junction" stuck in your head for no credible reason? You're non alone.
Notwithstanding, afterwards then many years, do you recall what the function of a conjunction really is? Information technology might seem obvious—a conjunction connects two thoughts or ideas. "And" and "only" are called coordinating conjunctions and are a function of a much longer list of words.
There are seven coordinating conjunctions:
- and
- simply
- or
- nor
- for
- and then
- yet
Withal, the ones nosotros were specifically taught to avert starting a sentence with are "and" and "just." The good news is, you can rest easy knowing that there is no truthful grammar dominion that says y'all can't ever start a judgement with 1 of these conjunctions.
"Opposite to what your high school English teacher told y'all, there's no reason non to begin a sentence with merely or and; in fact, these words often brand a judgement more forceful and svelte. They are almost always better than beginning with nonetheless or additionally." — Professor Jack Lynch, Associate Professor of English, Rutgers Academy, New Bailiwick of jersey
Why Were We All Taught a Rule that Doesn't Be?
Realizing at present, 10, twenty, or even thirty years or more later that you were lied to might be frustrating—but your teachers really did have your best interests in heed. While there is no definitive answer as to why we were taught this "dominion," the caption that makes the most sense was that it was meant to preclude kids from writing they manner they talk.
Think about it—take you listened to a child or teenager talk for any extended amount of time? If you lot have, then y'all tin can sympathize exactly what these teachers were trying to avert.
If you haven't—well, these 2 examples will assist provide some insight…
"We wanted to go to go burgers and they weren't open. But we still got burgers. But we had to go somewhere else to get them. But they weren't as good as the ones we were going to become."
"My friend and I went to the beach yesterday. And while we were on the embankment, we saw lots of seagulls and other birds. And this one seagull stole some guys chips while he was trying to eat them! And it scared the guy so much, he jumped nearly x feet in the air!"
It's one affair to verbally hear a story told in this fashion. But reading information technology is an entirely dissimilar feel. No thing what the word is, yous never want to start also many sequent sentences with the same give-and-take. The overuse of "and" and "simply" in spoken English is likely the main reason our teachers forbid us from starting a sentence with them in our writing!
When Is It Okay to Start a Sentence with "And" or "Merely"?
So, if there is a fourth dimension and identify for everything—where is the proper time and place to apply "and" or "but" at the beginning of your sentence?
The first thing yous want to think is that you're using this give-and-take to connect two thoughts—and so your phrase should exist able to stand on its own. This means it has a clearly divers bailiwick and verb.
If you remove your conjunction and y'all suddenly accept a sentence fragment that doesn't seem to make sense, so you need to rework your wording. Perhaps this means making your 2 sentences one—using "and" or "merely" with a comma, rather than a menses.
You should also have into consideration what yous are writing. Different types of writing telephone call for different approaches. The use of "and" or "only" at the offset of a sentence sometimes brings a sense of informality. Information technology might be right for your blog posts, whereas more formal coordinating conjunctions like "additionally" or "notwithstanding" might read better in a white newspaper.
The bottom line is though, information technology's never truly off limits. Sometimes it'southward more impactful to be so precise and direct.
When Should You Follow the Old "English language Grade Rule"?
In nearly business writing—especially digital marketing copy similar web log posts, emails, and social media posts—you shouldn't stress using "and" or "but" to commencement your judgement. No i is going to point information technology out. No 1 is going to laugh at you. In fact, someone else who doesn't already know the truth might think you're the rebel for being then daring in the first identify!
Just there are times when you'll want to follow this mock rule. Information-driven content—instance studies, statistic focused white papers, text book content, these are places where you might not only run into less opportunity to first a sentence with a conjunction, but also where it could exist beneficial to avert doing and so.
If yous've already got years of practice avoiding starting your sentence with i of these words, and so it might have some retraining to find yourself starting a judgement this way. On the other hand, following this dominion helps you to expand your vocabulary and use other words and phrases to become your points across. (I could accept used "but" to start that last sentence; "on the other hand" adds diversity while also giving a stronger sense of weighing up options.)
Exhale Easy Knowing You lot're Not the Only Misled Student
Information technology's been years now since teachers started drumming into students that they should never—ever—get-go their sentence with the words "and" or "but." If you're one of likely millions who was taught this prevarication during your schooldays, don't feel bad. This is just another instance of a few people creating a trouble for the residual of us.
Since teachers didn't think they could trust some students to be more than creative in telling their stories, they restricted everyone. Sure, it worked—you'll hardly come up across something written on the internet with repetitive starts, particularly not "and" or "only"—simply at what toll? Many of united states were post-obit a grammer dominion that doesn't be—and probably got irrationally mad that editors missed such a common mistake again and once more.
Tin you already feel the weight lifted? If you lot're one of many who has been fugitive using "and" or "but" to starting time a sentence, don't hold back! It's the liberty that comes with finding out a constraint you've worked effectually for years is no longer an event.
Try using this new technique in your writing to create more direct and powerful statements.
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