|
|
Beginning a Sentence with AND - a Violation or Not? Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:41:00 +0000Posted by LousyWriter.com by Brian Scott
Writers violate the laws of grammar most frequently when they use the conjunction "and" at the beginning of a sentence. A sentence begun with "and" weakens it rather than strengthens it by its use. If "conjunctions connect words and sentences" and "a period at the end makes a declarative or imperative sentence," then it is incorrect and improper to begin a sentence with the conjunction "and" immediately after a period.
No sentence, whether followed by a declarative, imperative, interrogative, or exclamatory sentence, should begin with the conjunction "and."
In almost any book, magazine, newspaper and on websites and blogs, we can find many instances where the writer could have avoided starting a sentence with "and" without any loss to the language. We can also find improper uses of "and" in works on grammar. Many writers on the subject of grammar are inconsistent with their own rules in this respect.
You should avoid using "and" to begin a sentence, especially if the sentence makes complete sense without it. If a sentence cannot sustain itself without the conjunction "and" standing before it, then the punctuation is faulty and you need to change it. You should supersede the period preceding the conjunction with a colon, a semicolon, or a comma.
[ << Back to ENGLISH GRAMMAR Blog ]
|
