{"id":755,"date":"2021-11-16T16:21:53","date_gmt":"2021-11-16T16:21:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordsofworth.org\/ca\/?p=755"},"modified":"2022-06-15T08:06:06","modified_gmt":"2022-06-15T14:06:06","slug":"whats-wrong-with-a-sentence-starting-with-but","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordsofworth.org\/ca\/blog\/whats-wrong-with-a-sentence-starting-with-but","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s wrong with a sentence starting with \u201cbut\u201d?"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> < 1<\/span> minute<\/span><\/span>

Have you ever been told that you shouldn\u2019t start a sentence with \u201cbut\u201d, \u201cand\u201d, \u201cor\u201d, \u201cyet\u201d or \u201cbecause\u201d? Maybe your response to that was \u201cwhy shouldn\u2019t I?\u201d<\/p>\n

The aforementioned words are all conjunctions (with the possible exception of \u201cbecause\u201d, which some word nerds argue is a preposition, but that\u2019s a different essay) and are used to connect phrases or clauses within a sentence. It\u2019s because they are linking words that so many writers and editors are not keen on seeing them at the beginning of a sentence \u2013 they need to refer back to the sentence before them in order to make sense.<\/p>\n

To illustrate this, consider the below sentence couplets and whether they might function better as a single sentence:<\/p>\n

\u201cI waved at my friend. But she didn\u2019t see me.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cHe told me to be quiet. Yet he was the one making the most noise.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Not starting a sentence with a conjunction helps you avoid \u201cfragments\u201d like the above, and usually leads to a more concise, consistent and flowing style of writing.<\/p>\n

That said, the advice is often ignored, as indicated by the paragraphs starting with \u201cand\u201d and \u201cbut\u201d in this soccer match report<\/a>, so it\u2019s by no means a no-no if you feel confident. If you prefer to stay safe though, it\u2019s better to leave it out.<\/p>\n

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