Starting With Conjunctions

Conjunctions are words that connect the clauses in a longer sentence. The most common ones we utilize in our speech and writing are: and, but, or, yet, so, for and nor.

  Let’s go to the battlefield and we can head to lunch after walking Pickett’s Charge.

  I used to really enjoy going to the movies but I don’t anymore.

  It would be nice to take a trip, or we could just stay home this summer.  

There are many others, usually designated as subordinating conjunctions. They include: although, however, because, while, if, and though.

  She had to miss the lecture because she was ill.

  The lecturer was interesting, yet his presentation was a bit long.

  General Lee was ill at Gettysburg, however, he carried on with a vengeance.

Conjunctions not only connect our phrases, they often illustrate opposition, inclusion, and secondary phrases that might describe a situation or concern.

One of the long-standing rules of grammar is that one simply cannot start a sentence with a conjunction, and never use one to start a paragraph.

Or can one?

With our ever-changing vernacular, our speech and our writing mirror what we are communicating. We have come to learn that, while starting a sentence or a speech with a conjunction may be awkward, sometimes it's okay to start a subsequent sentence with one – and perhaps even start a subsequent paragraph with a conjunction, like I just did.

If someone were to say “But I said I didn’t like it”, we are left wondering, “What didn’t you like?” If, though, the person were to say instead, “I wanted to stop at a restaurant. My friend said, 'How about sushi?' But I said I didn’t like it”, then we understand fully what that person means. So, sometimes it is all right to start a sentence with a conjunction, as long as it isn't the first one. (I just did it.)

Here are the same sentences used at the beginning, but divided into two:

Let’s go to the battlefield. And we can head to lunch after walking Pickett’s Charge.

I used to enjoy going to the movies. But I don’t anymore.

It would be nice to take a trip. Or, we could just stay home this summer.

She had to miss the lecture. Because she was ill.

The lecturer was interesting. Yet his presentation was a bit long.

General Lee was ill at Gettysburg. However, he carried on with a vengeance.

It depends on how the speaker or writer wants to convey a thought. Using a period and creating two complete sentences give more pause. And sometimes we want that pause.  

It is a question of individual preference and tone. And it is a decided change from an old grammatical rule.

We should never put new wine into old bottles, but we can sometimes add new methods into our living conversations. As long as we don’t start with conjunctions in our first uttered or written sentence (or paragraph), we may, if we wish, insert them at the beginning of our follow-up sentences. And grammarians everywhere can breathe a sigh of relief.

Pass the word.