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Starting a sentence with an and. And whether it is right?



Don Quixote

Well-known member
Nov 4, 2008
8,362
It is completely fine. Pick up any book of ficton and you'll probably find sentences that begin with and or but.
 






Herr Tubthumper

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 11, 2003
62,683
The Fatherland
And Cameron is a ****.

Seems right to me.
 


Blue Valkyrie

Not seen such Bravery!
Sep 1, 2012
32,165
Valhalla
So many people appear to think, incorrectly, that is wrong to start a sentence with "so".
It is incredibly irritating ( to me ) though, when listening to an interview, if every reply starts with it.
 


Monkey Man

Your support is not that great
Jan 30, 2005
3,224
Neither here nor there
English is a language that is mercifully free of a lot of the rules you find in other places but from time to time people have tried to codify it a bit more with rules about split infinitives, starting sentences with conjunctions etc. In most cases these rules don't make sentences more intelligible or elegant and very often they simply add to the confusion.

Having said that, using expressions like "should of" instead of "should have" and getting apostrophes in the wrong place are things that kids should be taught to avoid - these aren't arbitrary rules but things that ensure their words are more readily understood and are taken more seriously by the reader. Ditto spelling.
 




GT49er

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Feb 1, 2009
49,181
Gloucester
‘There is a persistent belief that it is improper to begin a sentence with and, but this prohibition has been cheerfully ignored by standard authors from Anglo-Saxon times onwards.’
RW Burchfield, New Fowler’s Modern English Usage

I was always taught not to start sentences with 'and', and by and large I still agree with that. Have to accept the authority of Fowler's, though - even though they don't actually go as far as to say it's right!

Many congratulations for being able to actually find something in Fowler's by the way - it's a nightmare for looking things up in.
 




GT49er

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Feb 1, 2009
49,181
Gloucester
It is incredibly irritating ( to me ) though, when listening to an interview, if every reply starts with it.

That's probably because it's the verbal equivalent of 'so' followed by a comma, when it often becomes an alternative to 'errr' or 'yer know'.
 




seagullsovergrimsby

#cpfctinpotclub
Aug 21, 2005
43,943
Crap Town
Dave wants to be cool with the kids who grew up under a Thatcher administration.
 










Arthritic Toe

Well-known member
Nov 25, 2005
2,484
Swindon
I understand its mandatory for Match of the Day pundits to start every sentence with "For me..." and for every player interviewed post match, to start "Yeah no ..."
 


soistes

Well-known member
Sep 12, 2012
2,651
Brighton
Quick example:

We've come along way since 2010. And now, thanks to the hard work and determination of the British people, we are making our way back: the deficit is down, taxes have been cut, new businesses are opening and more jobs are created. And we've done all this whilst protecting the NHS budget and investing an extra £12.9 billion in it since 2010.

But the job is not done. And the choice you face now is whether we stick to a plan that is working, or turn back and waste all the hard work and sacrifices of the last five years.

His English isn't too bad, but his economics is full of holes.
 






Worthingite

Sexy Pete... :D
Sep 16, 2011
4,965
Chesterfield
I think Hove Born and Bred is the grammatically sound go-to guy for this question.
 


Eeyore

Colonel Hee-Haw of Queen's Park
NSC Patron
Apr 5, 2014
25,906
And it came to pass....
 


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