{"id":399,"date":"2008-10-27T12:00:46","date_gmt":"2008-10-27T18:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kirkmahoney.com\/blog\/2008\/10\/beginning-a-sentence-with-and-or-but\/"},"modified":"2015-12-10T13:24:03","modified_gmt":"2015-12-10T19:24:03","slug":"beginning-a-sentence-with-and-or-but","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kirkmahoney.com\/wordpress\/blog\/2008\/10\/beginning-a-sentence-with-and-or-but\/","title":{"rendered":"Beginning a sentence with “And” or “But”"},"content":{"rendered":"

I learned yesterday that I have incorrectly begun sentences for years with “And” or “But” — but not in the way that some readers might expect.<\/p>\n

Question:<\/strong>
\nShould a comma follow a coordinating conjunction that begins a sentence?<\/p>\n

Explanation:<\/strong>
\nThe coordinating conjunctions in English are “for”, “and”, “nor”, “but”, “or”, “yet”, and “so”, a mnemonic for which is FANBOYS.<\/p>\n

Some teachers instruct their students that a coordinating conjunction should never<\/em> begin a sentence, but this is incorrect instruction.<\/p>\n

In contrast, I was (incorrectly) taught relatively early that a comma should immediately follow one of these coordinating conjunctions when the conjunction begins a sentence.<\/p>\n

For example, I was taught that the comma belongs after “And” in “And, he was happy with the results.”<\/p>\n

Similarly, I was taught that the comma belongs after “So” in “So, you should see a doctor immediately.”<\/p>\n

As a result, for years I have put commas immediately after the coordinating conjunctions that began my sentences.<\/p>\n

Imagine my surprise, then, when I read on several websites yesterday that a comma should not<\/em> be put immediately after a sentence-opening coordinating conjunction unless that conjunction is followed by an interrupter in a sentence such as “But, given the circumstances, you should not travel tomorrow.”<\/p>\n

Here are some of those websites:<\/p>\n