Thursday, July 22, 2010

Weekly Grammar: Starting Sentences with the FANBOYS

Think way back to your grade school grammar lessons. Teachers often instructed us to never begin a sentence with a conjunction...words such as for, and, nor, but, or, yet, or so (the FANBOYS), but I don't remember them explaining the reason for the rule. All I know is that I feared the stroke of the red ink pen, so I was a faithful follower for years. Somewhere along the way, though, I discovered that it's perfectly acceptable as an informal writing style, because it makes writing sound conversational. Beginning a sentence with a conjunction can also add emphasis to the sentence. What a liberating thought!

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