英语语法：90 Starting a Sentence With "However"

Grammar Girl here.

Today's topic is how to use the word however in a sentence. It's probably more complicated than you think it is.

The question I get asked most frequently about however is whether it is OK to use however at the beginning of a sentence, and the answer is yes: it is fine to use however at the beginning of a sentence; you just need to know when to use a comma.

The comma is important because however is a conjunctive adverb that can be used in two different ways: it can be a conjunction that joins main clauses, or it can be an adverb that modifies a clause.

If you use however at the beginning of a sentence and don't insert a comma, however means “in whatever manner” or “to whatever extent.”

For instance, in 1674 Nicolas Boileau wrote, “However big the fool, there is always a bigger fool to admire him,” and in 1860 Ivan Turgenev wrote, “However much you knock at nature's door, she will never answer you in comprehensible words.” In both of those sentences, however isn't playing a role as a conjunction. It's not joining anything to anything else. I don't think anyone has ever disputed starting a sentence with however when it is used this way.

On the other hand, the esteemed¹ grammarians Strunk and White did say in their book, The Elements of Style, that you shouldn't start a sentence with however when you mean “nevertheless.” Most of the time people stick with Strunk and White, but this is one rare instance where the majority of modern writers have decided² that the classic advice is unreasonable³ (1, 2, 3, 4, 5).

Here's why: when you put a comma after however at the beginning of a sentence, everyone knows it means “nevertheless.” There's no reason to outlaw⁴ a perfectly⁵ reasonable use of the word when you can solve the problem with a comma! Some writers have even gone so far as to say it is preferable to start sentences with however instead of burying the word in the middle of a sentence, because putting it at the beginning makes the connection between sentences more clear and therefore makes the text easier to scan (6).

Here are some examples of sentences from famous works that start with however when the writer means “nevertheless”:

Robert Pirsig wrote this in the introduction to the book Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: “What follows is based on actual occurrences. However, it should in no way be associated with that great body of factual information relating to orthodox Zen Buddhist⁶ practice.”

Charles Dickens wrote this in Nicholas Nickleby: “It is a great deal easier to go down hill than up. However,  they kept on, with unabated perseverance⁷.”

As an aside, it's also acceptable to start a sentence with coordinating⁸ conjunctions like and, but, and so. It's a somewhat informal style, and it's a good idea not to overdo⁹ it in business writing, but it's not wrong (7, 8, 9).

And let me add a bit more about business writing: Despite the fact that it's not wrong to start a sentence with however, a lot of people think it's wrong; so I wouldn't advise doing it in a really important situation where you don't know the people you are writing for and you won't get a chance to defend yourself. For example, I wouldn't start a sentence with however in a cover letter for a job. I'd rather be hired than be right.

If you want to avoid starting a sentence with however, it's not hard to do—just grab a semicolon and use it to connect your two main clauses. What I mean is that instead of putting a period at the end of the sentence before the however, put a semicolon there instead. For example, Dickens wrote, “It's a great deal easier to go down hill than up. However, they kept on,” but he just as easily could have put a semicolon in place of the period and written, “It's a great deal easier to go down hill than up; however, they kept on.”  

You can also bury a however that means “nevertheless” in the middle of your sentence. You might do this to avoid using it at the beginning when you are insecure about your audience or you might do it because it makes sense with the rhythm of your sentence.

For example, Dickens buried the however in this sentence from Nicholas Nickelby: “Love, however, is very materially assisted by a warm and active imagination.”

When you put however in the middle of a sentence like this, it should be surrounded by commas.

Here's another example: in Breakfast of Champions, Kurt Vonnegut wrote, “The chief weapon of sea pirates, however, was their capacity to astonish. Nobody else could believe, until it was too late, how heartless and greedy they were.”

Again, put a comma before and after however when you use it in the middle of a sentence this way. This is one area where people get confused because sometimes you need a semicolon before however in the middle of a long sentence and sometimes you need a comma before however in the middle of a long sentence. Just remember that you only use the semicolon when you are joining two main clauses and the however just happens to be in the way shouting “nevertheless.” As I said in the episode on semicolons, think of a semicolon as a sentence splicer—it splices¹⁰ together two main clauses.

So remember, don't let anyone tell you that it's wrong to start a sentence with however. On the other hand, it might be a good idea to avoid the practice if you're applying for a job since a lot of people mistakenly believe that it is wrong. Mind your commas and semicolons, and don't use any punctuation¹¹ after however when you use it to mean “in whatever manner” or “to whatever extent.”

That's all.

 

1 esteemed   

adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 )；敬重；认为；以为

参考例句：

• The art of conversation is highly esteemed in France. 在法国十分尊重谈话技巧。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He esteemed that he understood what I had said. 他认为已经听懂我说的意思了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 unreasonable   

adj.不讲道理的，不合情理的，过度的

参考例句：

• I know that they made the most unreasonable demands on you.我知道他们对你提出了最不合理的要求。
• They spend an unreasonable amount of money on clothes.他们花在衣服上的钱太多了。

4 outlaw   

n.歹徒，亡命之徒；vt.宣布…为不合法

参考例句：

• The outlaw hid out in the hills for several months.逃犯在山里隐藏了几个月。
• The outlaw has been caught.歹徒已被抓住了。

5 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

6 Buddhist   

adj./n.佛教的，佛教徒

参考例句：

• The old lady fell down in adoration before Buddhist images.那老太太在佛像面前顶礼膜拜。
• In the eye of the Buddhist,every worldly affair is vain.在佛教徒的眼里，人世上一切事情都是空的。

7 perseverance   

n.坚持不懈，不屈不挠

参考例句：

• It may take some perseverance to find the right people.要找到合适的人也许需要有点锲而不舍的精神。
• Perseverance leads to success.有恒心就能胜利。

8 coordinating   

v.使协调，使调和( coordinate的现在分词 )；协调；协同；成为同等

参考例句：

• He abolished the Operations Coordinating Board and the Planning Board. 他废除了行动协调委员会和计划委员会。 来自辞典例句
• He's coordinating the wedding, and then we're not going to invite him? 他是来协调婚礼的，难道我们不去请他？ 来自电影对白

9 overdo   

vt.把...做得过头，演得过火

参考例句：

• Do not overdo your privilege of reproving me.不要过分使用责备我的特权。
• The taxi drivers' association is urging its members,who can work as many hours as they want,not to overdo it.出租车司机协会劝告那些工作时长不受限制的会员不要疲劳驾驶。

10 splices   

v.绞接( splice的第三人称单数 )；捻接（两段绳子）；胶接；粘接（胶片、磁带等）

参考例句：

• All field splices were bolted using ASTM A325 hex head bolts. 所有现场拼接都用美国材料试验协会的A325六角形头螺栓。 来自辞典例句
• A gateway splices together two different kinds of protocols. 网关可拼接两种不同的协议。 来自互联网

11 punctuation   

n.标点符号，标点法

参考例句：

• My son's punctuation is terrible.我儿子的标点符号很糟糕。
• A piece of writing without any punctuation is difficult to understand.一篇没有任何标点符号的文章是很难懂的。