So this is one that always get me.
Grammatically speaking, or however it is known, can you use Ands and Buts at the beginning of sentences? And can you use it at the start of dialogue as well?
For example:
Jack turned back to me. “Fine.”
I let out the breath of air, feeling the relief wash over me.
“But while you are here, you both must go to school. Everything must go on as normal. You will take your Uncle’s last name for everything - school records, personal identification, the lot. The last thing we need is for the authorities to track you down to here. Is that understood?”
Does that work? Can you use it in that context?
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10,181 / 50,000
Nov 3, 2009 - 14 42
Absolutely. And it reads well. :)
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2005: 50,916 words
2003: 12,078 words
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Nov 3, 2009 - 14 49
So it only works in that context? You couldn't begin a sentence like that?
Katie shook her head, standing up. "I'm fine, honest. I'll be back soon."
And she walked away. I let her go.
10,181 / 50,000
Nov 3, 2009 - 14 54
Any context - except maybe academic writing. Sentences beginning with 'and' or 'but' have a chatty feel, but are perfectly grammatical.
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2005: 50,916 words
2003: 12,078 words
50,048 / 50,000
Nov 3, 2009 - 15 00
No, they are not grammatically correct. But that is a bit of grammar that can be ignored in fiction. It makes for a more colloquial style, and can also be used for dramatic effect. I use it when I want a short sentence with punch, that reads like an "on second thought" addendum to the previous sentence.
And, of course, in dialog you can do whatever you want, so long as it can be understood and feels natural.
----------Tom L Waters
Cuyamungue, New Mexico, USA
14,424 / 50,000
Nov 3, 2009 - 22 07
You can, and it is grammatically correct, far as I'm concerned. That page has good advice, however: don't do it unless it honestly adds punch to the writing.
----------Site - Fic - LJ - Flickr
59,927 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 00 18
Yes, you can. But test the sentence out without the 'but' or 'and' - sometimes you'll find that they're not necessary. Also, I find that you can avoid 'and' by using a semi-colon.
My only other caveat is that it could become repetitive. If you find too many 'buts' in your writing (run a Find on the word to check on this) an alternative word is 'however'.
Good luck with your Nano.
----------MJ
50,048 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 09 42
Allow me a quibble, pointytilly. The site you link to (which I am a fan of, by the way) is concerned with usage standards, not grammar. They are related but not identical. Grammar deals with categories such as parts of speech, and the logical rules of syntax for constructing sentences. Grammatically, conjunctions link words, phrases, or clauses. So from a grammatical standpoint, a sentence beginning with a conjunction is a fragment, and hence ungrammatical.
For many decades, grammar per se has become less and less relevant. From a linguistic standpoint, the rules of grammar are not adequate to the task of describing how language is actually used. Talking about acceptable usage rather than grammatical correctness avoids some of the problems created by grammar's emphasis on categories and rules, and recognizes the subtleties and complexities of natural languages.
Nevertheless, the rules of grammar remain one way that readers will evaluate the "correctness" of a piece of writing, so it's helpful to understand when grammatical rules are being broken, even if the usage in question is otherwise acceptable.
Although beginning a sentence with a conjunction is acceptable in fiction (there is wide agreement on this), it is not acceptable in technical, academic, or formal writing. The reason it is not is that it is ungrammatical.
----------Tom L Waters
Cuyamungue, New Mexico, USA
10,181 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2009 - 11 02
But a sentence beginning with a conjunction is not necessarily a fragment, and fragments are not necessarily ungrammatical. English grammar allows for ellipsis all the time.
Surely the reason is that it's informal.
----------2007: 28,513 words
2005: 50,916 words
2003: 12,078 words