View source for Can a sentence begin with “and” or “but”?

A long-held tradition of stickler English teachers, the great sin of beginning a sentence with "and" or "but" is, in fact, not a sin at all. To consider why this myth has persisted, we must first look at what "and" and "but" are -- conjunctions. Coordinating conjunctions, to be exact.

==Coordinating Conjunctions==
A coordinating conjunction joins elements of a sentence that are equally important. (Soanes)

===Example===
:The cat was black and white.

<br>In this example, "black" and "white" are both adjectives joined by the coordinating conjunction, "and". And, as you might have noticed over time, coordinating conjunctions tend to be placed ''within'' a sentence -- the possible root of why so many grammarians and teachers seek to stop their use at the beginning of a sentence. However, there is no strict rule for keeping these coordinating conjunctions detained to the inside of sentences.

==Usage==
While there is no real rule against using "and" or "but" at the start of a sentence, you should still be careful about its overuse. The reason to use these words is for emphasis and dramatic effect -- not mere convenience.

===Example===
:Bob was having a bad day. And it was about to get worse.

<br>Creating a second sentence, in this example, adds more emphasis to that sentence. Thus, the usage of "and" or "but" at the beginning should only be done as a stylistic consideration and overuse should be avoided, lest you deflate the importance of such breaks.

==Links==
* http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/print/resource/457
* http://public.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/nonerrors.html

==Reference==
# Soanes, Catherine "Grammar myths #2: please miss, can I start a sentence with a conjunction?" OxfordWords Blog. 5 Jan. 2012 <http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2012/01/can-i-start-a-sentence-with-a-conjunction/>
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