When can you start a sentence with and

It is worth noting, however, that starting a sentence with a coordinating conjunction still looks nonconformist to many people, so you are advised to reserve this practice for impact.

Table of Contents Show

Starting a Sentence with a Conjunction (e.g., "And," "But")
Examples of Starting Sentences with Conjunctions
Use "And" and "But" for Impact
Comma after "And" or "But"

Starting a Sentence with a Conjunction (e.g., "And," "But")

In the past, schools were rigid in their ruling that sentences could not start with coordinating conjunctions, such as "and" or "but." However, this ruling is now considered outdated, meaning it is perfectly acceptable to start a sentence with a coordinating conjunction.

Examples of Starting Sentences with Conjunctions

Here are some examples of starting sentences with coordinating conjunctions:

And let every other power know that this hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house.
(President John F Kennedy)
I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But, this wasn't it.
(Comedian Groucho Marx)
It is better to be beautiful than to be good. But, it is better to be good than to be ugly. (Playwright Oscar Wilde)

The two most common conjunctions used in this way are "and" (meaning "in addition") and "but" (meaning "however").

Use "And" and "But" for Impact

All modern style guides support using words like "and," "but," and "or" at the start of sentences. However, for most people, a sentence that starts with such a conjunction still looks a little nonconformist. This is because coordinating conjunctions are typically used to join like terms. For example:

Mark and Dawn
Rich but sad
Quickly or slowly

When a coordinating conjunction starts a sentence, it is not being used to join like terms but as a link between two sentences (i.e., like a conjunctive adverb). In effect, they are being used as follows:

And = In addition
But = However
Or = Put another way

So, the real question is not whether you can use a coordinating conjunction to start a sentence but whether "and," "but," and "or" are conjunctive adverbs as well as coordinating conjunctions. And it seems they are. Read more about coordinating conjunctions.

Comma after "And" or "But"

As we've covered, when a coordinating conjunction starts a sentence, it is being used like a conjunctive adverb such as "however," "consequently," and "therefore." This raises another question. Do we need a comma after "and" or "but" (like with "however," "consequently," etc.)?

Here's the guidance: If you want a pause, use a comma. If you don't, don't. (In other words, you are safe to use your discretion to get the desired flow of text.)

There is nothing wrong with starting sentences with “and,” “but,” or other similar conjunctions. You may, however, encounter people who mistakenly believe that starting a sentence with a conjunction is an error, so consider your audience when deciding to structure your sentences this way.

Consider the example below:

Many people fear crashing in an airplane. But riding in a car is actually more dangerous.

Separating these sentences with a period is a dramatic way to emphasize the contrast introduced by but. Not everyone likes this style, though. It’s also possible to connect these sentences with a comma:

Many people fear crashing in an airplane, but riding in a car is actually more dangerous.

Some readers especially dislike seeing the conjunctions or, nor, and yet at the beginning of a sentence. While it may not be an error, starting sentences with these words does sometimes seem melodramatic.

It’s a rule beloved by schoolteachers: you can’t start a sentence with and or but. It’s also one of the few rules of grammar many people remember actually being mentioned at school. But could we in fact have ditched it, along with that uniform shirt on which everyone scrawled their goodbyes on the last day of school? Yes, sir. We could, sir. Because it isn’t really a rule of grammar at all: it falls somewhere between superstition and style choice.

Conjunctions can begin sentences

And and but are conjunctions: words that connect words, phrases, clauses and even whole sentences to one another. Other conjunctions include because, or, nor, for, yet, so, since, unless and until.

If God can do it …

If you feel you still need more ammunition against Miss Wild from year 7 English, just point her to Genesis 1:

And God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.

Or, for those with a different deity, there’s always Fowler’s Modern English Usage:

The widespread public belief that but should not begin a sentence seems to be unshakeable. But it has no foundation in grammar or idiom, and examples are frequent in good literature.

And of course, we haven’t forgotten the Brothers Gibb (via Dolly or Whitney, depending on your preference):

And I will always love you.

Do it, but do it right

Granted, starting every sentence with a conjunction wouldn’t result in the prettiest prose. Because it might seem fragmented, like this. Since it would stop and start a lot. And it’d sound like you’d just run up some stairs. This may be why teachers banned the habit in the first place: they wanted you to practise creating longer sentences with more complex structures. But, now that doing that is second nature, you can feel free to intersperse your writing sporadically with sentences beginning this way. Do remember, though, that you put a comma after the and or but only if it marks the start of a clause that could be removed. In this case, you also need a second comma at the end of that clause – as above:

But, now that doing that is second nature, you can feel free to intersperse your writing with sentences beginning this way.

So next time you feel like reliving your younger days, by all means dig out your old school tie, roll your skirt over at the waist or even submit to the cane if that’s your fancy. But don’t bother resurrecting this so-called rule. And spit that gum out.

Verdict: myth

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