Can a Sentence Begin with 'And' or 'But'?

This week on Ask a Teacher we answer a question from Yigitcan.

Question:

Yigitcan asks if it is correct to begin a sentence with conjunctions² such as and, but and or. Their grammar book, this person adds, says no.

Answer:

It is completely³ acceptable⁴ to begin a sentence with the words and, but, and or. Conjunction¹ words like these join together sentences, clauses⁵, or phrases⁶.

Sometimes starting a sentence with a conjunction makes your writing sound better. It can keep your thoughts clearly separate⁷. And it can add importance to a thought, like in this example:

Not only is Stella my sister, she also is my best friend. And she is a great business partner, too!

Other times, it might be better to use a different word, such as, however. The word "however" sounds a bit more formal and serious than "but." The right word choice depends on the kind of writing you are doing.

Let's look at another example. This one is from a recent Words and Their Stories article on the Learning⁸ English website. Listen for the two sentences that begin with a conjunction.

"To make it on Broadway, you have to be very good. But you also have to be tough. Actors usually have many doors closed in their faces before other doors, hopefully, open.

But even if you are hard-working and gifted, you may also need something else to succeed on Broadway – luck!

Yigitcan's question is not surprising. Many people are taught to avoid using conjunction words at the start of sentences. In fact, experts at Merriam-Webster.com write: "Everybody agrees that it's all right to begin a sentence with and, and nearly everybody admits to having been taught at some past time that the practice was wrong."

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Words in This Story

conjunction grammar noun⁹ : a word that joins together sentences, clauses, phrases, or words

formal – adj. suitable for a proper occasion

1 conjunction   

n.联合，连接，接合；连接词

参考例句：

• Two or more sentences may be joined together by a conjunction.两个或两个以上的句子可以用连词连接。
• The conjunction of heavy rains and high winds caused flooding.暴风雨的同时发生引起了洪水泛滥。

2 conjunctions   

n.连词( conjunction的名词复数 )；结合；联合；（恒星、行星等的）合

参考例句：

• "And", "but"and"whereas" are conjunctions. and，but和whereas是连词。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Prepositions and conjunctions are particles. 介词和连词是小品词。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 completely   

adv.完全地，十分地，全然

参考例句：

• She never completely gave up hope.她从不完全放弃希望。
• I feel completely in the dark on this question.这件事使我感到茫然。

4 acceptable   

adj.可接受的，合意的，受欢迎的

参考例句：

• The terms of the contract are acceptable to us.我们认为这个合同的条件可以接受。
• Air pollution in the city had reached four times the acceptable levels.这座城市的空气污染程度曾高达可接受标准的四倍。

5 clauses   

从句( clause的名词复数 )； （法律文件等的）条款

参考例句：

• Relative pronouns and adverbs introduce attributive clauses. 关系代词和关系副词引导定语从句。
• Please underline the noun clauses in the passage. 请用线画出短文中的名词性从句。

6 phrases   

n.短语( phrase的名词复数 )；成语；说法；乐句

参考例句：

• Sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 体育解说员翻来覆去说着同样的词语，真叫人腻烦。
• Television sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 电视体育解说员说来说去就是那么几句话，令人厌烦。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 separate   

n.分开，抽印本；adj.分开的，各自的，单独的；v.分开，隔开，分居

参考例句：

• Are they joined together or separate?它们是合在一起还是分开的？
• Separate the white clothes from the dark clothes before laundering.洗衣前应当把浅色衣服和深色衣服分开。

8 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

9 noun   

n.名词

参考例句：

• What kind of noun is this?这是哪类名词？
• This word is a collective noun.这个词是个集体名词。