I love starting sentences with “And”, and I do so quite frequently in my writing. And no matter what you say, you cannot convince me it’s bad writing to do so.
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Oh, yes! Do so, please! The punctuation rule is that if you begin a sentence with any coordinating conjunction, it should be followed by a comma though I do love Seamus Heaney's opening to his 2000 English translation of 'Beowulf': 'So.'
Grammar “rules” are for the peasants, to make things easier for them to understand. Anyone with any real writing skills knows those “rules” are not absolute and can be broken with style.
And when you assert your right to use your own judgement in this matter, I applaud. But another good way to start a sentence if you want to say something different is…
When writing short posts for social media, certain liberties are often taken with grammar rules. And beginning sentences with and is one of them. But that’s not the only one.
Language is powerful:
Instead of using “No, but [insert your argument to counter other’s]”, try using “Yes, and [insert your argument to counter other’s BS]”.
This was lesson from mentor that worked extensively in Asia and specifically in Japan.
“And” allows for a continuity of cordial discussion.
And why not? Freedom of speech and all that. I write what I want to write because that's what writers do. If I write what I think YOU want, I am a PR flak or a copywriter.
It is absolutely fine to begin a sentence with ‘and’ or ‘but’. You can also split infinitives and end a sentence with a preposition. These are all daft outdated ‘rules’ that never made sense.
Agreed. For me it somewhat depends on register — there are contexts in which I wouldn’t do it myself… but it’s a stylistic choice. And I do it all the time too. English as a language is a total shambles anyway…
I’m pretty sure that not starting a sentence with “And” or “But” is one of those things that you’re taught as a child and realize as an adult is complete nonsense.
And on top of that, starting a paragraph with an and, in response to a perfectly reasonable comment about starting a sentence with an and, is also completely reasonable, even if said paragraph is somewhat inarticulate!
More of a stylistic choice than a grammatical one.
That said, I love the line from the movie Magnolia, "And so it goes, and so it goes. And the book says we may be through with the past, but the past ain't through with us."
Professional editor here, and definitely not bad writing. Also okay to start sentences with "But" or other transition words. Reason: it's better to have shorter sentences than long ones. Most important Q to ask: Is your message clear and will be received correctly by your audience? Y? Then you win.
Eh no. I'd rather parrot things I heard in middle school as a way to feel superior to others and miss the linguistic forest for the grammar trees (that are ever evolving but I refuse to understand that complexity factor too)
If you die on this hill, I can promise that you will not do so alone for I will be there with you. And we shall mount a wall of 'and leading' paragraphs to charge in with.
Maybe I’m just uneducated but to me that sounds like simplified advice for children. Like how my teacher told us to not use the word “good” to try and help us expand our vocab. But like, sometimes something isn’t “nirvanic” or “relishable”, it’s just good. And that’s not bad writing.
Unless it's instructional, the only bad writing is that which does not convey what the writer intends. I personally 'overuse' punctuation for inflection. 🤷
"And" is often used in conversation to hold the stage between thoughts, shutting down opportunities for others to speak. Obama does this in interviews. A pause before the "and" allowing an opening is much preferable to a pause after the and.
I think it's perfectly acceptable for writing. But I hate when I read deposition transcripts and my questions start with 'And'. It drives me nuts for some reason.
Yeah. But doing so means you have to earn it by what you wrote in preceding paragraphs. JFK started his most famous sentence: "And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." Listen to how he earned the right to use that "and."
I remember when conjunctions couldn’t start a sentence, but times change.
Typewriter rule was 2 spaces after the end of a sentence, but that changed to 1 space on computers.
I agree. Because I’ve been told I use too many run-on sentences. So, one way or the other, I’m gonna make a long-winded point. And you’ll probably be so glad you got to the point, you won’t have time to be bothered by the sentence starting with And. 😁🤣📝✍️
And I too do this to start a sentence.
Apparently I have a lot of peeps on here who aren't afraid to do the same. And I acknowledge their bravery from the grammar police who are actually wrong in their assessment of what is good grammar in this instance.
As a former magazine editor and a proponent of starting sentences with “And”, I find there are some people who would write better if they DIDN’T allow themselves to ever use it. Otherwise? I’m a big fan 😁
Writing and language should be flexible and have as few 'rules' as possible, otherwise they become less interesting and less reflective of the diversity of the people who use them
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Instead of using “No, but [insert your argument to counter other’s]”, try using “Yes, and [insert your argument to counter other’s BS]”.
This was lesson from mentor that worked extensively in Asia and specifically in Japan.
“And” allows for a continuity of cordial discussion.
(I'm also not always bothered by redundancy.)
And I also find that if you go back and delete that word, your sentence is stronger.
*I also find that if you go back and delete that word, your sentence is stronger.
However, my grammar sucks. But I intentional use it for effect and other times my grammar just sucks.
Academically it might be, but wants to read a book about algorithms 🤣
Sometimes "and" can start the whole show.
I find writing in a style that lowers the gap from how we speak can be pleasing to read.
That said, there are limits. A verbatim transcript of a conversation is only slightly easier to parse than a can of alphabet soup.
So have at it.
That said, I love the line from the movie Magnolia, "And so it goes, and so it goes. And the book says we may be through with the past, but the past ain't through with us."
And you know it. 👍😁
And there are no rules to language; you can noun a verb if you want to.
And the world is so large that the fathoming of the inter-connections brings migraines.
And yet so dense at times, it can fit in our pockets.
"stet" is the magic word
It also says, "In fact, a substantial percentage (often as many as 10 percent) of the sentences in first-rate writing begin with conjunctions.”
You would have license for a lot worse following that road 😹
Typewriter rule was 2 spaces after the end of a sentence, but that changed to 1 space on computers.
For your listening pleasure:
Apparently I have a lot of peeps on here who aren't afraid to do the same. And I acknowledge their bravery from the grammar police who are actually wrong in their assessment of what is good grammar in this instance.
It’s meant for academia. Professional papers, scientific studies, etc.
And for those truly averse to putting a conjunction after a stop, there’s always the em dash to make things right. 😉
“And another thing” can attest