Can we start a sentence with a conjunction such as and or but? In the not-too-distant past, this was a big no-no. How many times did your teachers tell you to never start a sentence with and? I heard this countless times growing up, and it's a hard habit to break. But break it we should! These days, many style guides and grammarians advocate for starting sentences with conjunctions. Out with the old, outdated, prescriptivist grammar rules, they say! This is all well and good for native speakers, but what about English language learners? Let's review the different types of conjunctions in English, see what the major style guides have to say on the subject, and decide what's best to teach our students. Show Conjunctions are words that link two words, phrases, clauses, or sentences. Some conjunctions provide information—the four main functions they serve include contrast, time, cause and effect, and conditional. Though our focus today is on coordinating conjunctions, here is a brief overview on the three main types of conjunctions in English. Coordinating ConjunctionsThese conjunctions link words, phrases, clauses, or sentences that contain similar parts of speech. They function as indicators of similarity, opposition, choice, etc. Conjunctions in this category include the famous "fanboys" (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so). For more practice and examples, try our grammar lesson on Conjunctions.
Subordinating ConjunctionsThis type of conjunction is at the start of a dependent clause that gives information about contrast, time, cause and effect, or hypothetical situations. Subordinating conjunctions include after, as, although, because, before, if, since, though, unless, until, when, where, while, etc. Conjunctions and clauses of this type are also called conjunctive adverbs, transition words, adverb clauses, and adverb phrases. For more examples, see these posts on Adverb Clauses and Adverb Phrases.
Coorelative ConjunctionsThese paired terms link words and phrases. The first part of the coorelative conjunction provides emphasis and can often be dropped. For examples, see this post on Parallel Structure and Paired Joining Terms.
Most major style guides agree that we can begin a sentence with a coordinating conjunction:
So what do we teach our English language learners? Informal WritingAs the style guides listed above suggest, most people consider starting a sentence with a coordinating conjunction perfectly acceptable. Though I admit it's a hard habit to break, I do tell my students that they can begin a sentence with conjunctions in informal, casual writing.
But just because it's acceptable to start a sentence with a conjunction doesn't mean you have to do it or should only write that way! Encourage students to use conjunctions to link up shorter words, phrases, and clauses within the same sentence, and teach them that using a conjunction to begin a sentence repeatedly doesn't sound great.
Also, remind students that it is common practice to join long clauses with a coordinating conjunction in the same sentence. Point out that when joining two clauses, coordinating conjunctions are often preceded by a comma, especially when the first independent clause is long or has a different subject. For more examples and explanations of comma use in sentences, see this blog post: Commas in Independent & Dependent Clauses.
You might also want to mention that it's not considered best practice to put a comma after a coordinating conjunction. In their entry for but, Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage states that "the force of the but is weakened by the unneeded comma."
Formal WritingOn the flip side, teachers are often expected to also teach formal, academic writing. When writing academic essays, it is probably best to avoid starting a sentence with a coordinating conjunction. Students can instead use subordinating conjunctions (also called conjunctive adverbs, adverbial expressions, transition words, etc) such as however, in addition, furthermore, on the other hand, etc. You should also point out the punctuation used in formal writing. For more examples with however, see However: 7 Sentence Positions & 2 Uses.
What should we teach our students? I tell my learners that it's fine to use a coordinating conjunction such as and or but to start a sentence in informal writing, but that it's still best to avoid doing so in formal writing. For academic and business writing, it's best to use transition words (at least for now). How do you use for as a conjunction in a sentence?as a conjunction (connecting two clauses): I told her to leave, for I was very tired. I've brought a cup of tea for you. Claudia, this present is for you. So, what can I do for you?
What is the use of for in conjunction?We sometimes use for as a conjunction meaning 'because'. We use it in very formal, and often literary, contexts: Chasing the white stag through the forests, never catching it, of course, for it is a creature of legend.
How can I use for in a sentence?For sentence example. I've waited at that station for five hours. ... . Thank you for inviting us. ... . He was going to like the clothes she bought for the trip. ... . You've paid a dear price for this thing. ... . He had been taking care of her for nearly a year now. ... . How much did you pay for it? ... . We're going out for breakfast.. What are the 10 examples of conjunctions?Examples of subordinating conjunctions are if, although, though, after, before, because, as if, unless, until, when, while, etc.
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