Contrary to what we might have been instructed in school––or what we think we were instructed––we are allowed to begin sentences with And, But, and Because. Here are examples of correct sentences that make good use of these under-employed beginnings:
And we lost our next three games.
But we won the season finale in extra innings.
Because of our dramatic win in the last game, we made the playoffs.
So how did we get the idea that starting sentences with these three words was out of bounds? One explanation is that teachers can make mistakes too. If the belief that And, But, and Because should never bat in the leadoff spot is widespread, even some teachers are going to be affected by this myth.
But we can guess at other reasons. (Did you like how smoothly I did that, or did the But seem wrong?) Here is a theory for each word:
• Maybe a teacher circled all the Ands in red on a third-grade writing assignment because we were starting half our sentences that way. It was as if we were telling a story without taking a breath. And that’s important to remember. Using And to start a sentence is effective only when done sparingly.
• Maybe But has seemed too negative a way to begin a point, so we have shied away from it. But that’s nonsense. True, we do want to write with an affirming tone whenever we can, but But is usually just drawing a contrast and helping the reader anticipate a point that counters what was just expressed. If we put But in a locked drawer, we often end up using However to begin sentences when that’s not really the best use of the word. (However delivers more punch in the interior of a sentence: The rest of the program, however, was inspiring.)
• Maybe Because was circled in red back in school for a reason we forgot. It was probably circled because we wrote a sentence fragment instead of a complete sentence. Although using a fragment is often permissible as a style choice now that we’re grown-ups (as in Definitely by Thursday), fragments were no-nos to teachers making sure we understood that a sentence needs a subject and verb, and that a “subordinate clause” can’t stand on its own. Let’s review.
Because I forgot my wallet. That’s a fragment. What we have written is incomplete.
Because I forgot my wallet, I had to borrow money from my sister. That’s a sentence. The main clause I had to borrow money from my sister saves the day.
First postscript
Suppress the impulse to place a comma after an opening And or But. It’s true that when speaking we sometimes pause momentarily for drama (And … that will always remain a mystery), but that doesn’t give us a reason to stick a comma after And.
Incorrect: And, I never missed another class.
Correct: And I never missed another class.
Correct: And, despite my demanding work schedule, I never missed another class. (Here the comma is correct because the author wants to offset the words despite my demanding work schedule.)
Second postscript
Starting a sentence with Because often helps us regain our writing pace when we suddenly stall. Because a troublesome sentence probably has several components, it’s wise to see if turning to Because to set the sentence in motion solves the problem.
In addition to presenting workshops on writing in the workplace, Norm Friedman is a writer, editor, and writing coach. His 100+ Instant Writing Tips is a brief “non-textbook” to help individuals overcome common writing errors and write with more finesse and impact. Learn more at http://www.normfriedman.com/index.shtml.