Job Discussion Forums

[leosmith]

I know this isn't the right place to ask this, but is it ok to start a sentence with "so"? Also, can you point me to the right place for grammar questions?
Thanks!

[gaijinalways]

In casual N. American English conversation it's not that unusual, especially if you're surprised by another speaker's statement and may be attempting to change the topic or clarify a previous statement made by another speaker.

[zorro (3)]

Can you not begin a sentence with so when you are summarising or qualifying what you have previously said?

The new Ford is a great car with bags of potential for a family with lots of kids. So, if you need a great car with.....

http://www.collins.co.uk/Corpus/CorpusSearch.aspx

Type in so and you will see many examples of so at the beginning of a sentence.

[Angelfish]

I think it's also used kind of as an exclamation. Just follow it with a comma like any other exclamation.

So, what did you do this weekend?

So, I went to the beach the other day and blah blah blah...

[jotham]

Yes, you can start a sentence with so. I've heard a lot of uninformed advice bandied about that would caution writers against starting sentences with and or but, but I had never heard anything about so.
Some ignorant teachers picked it from somewhere and propagate it, but the professionals don't. These well-meaning teachers probably noticed that children, and other beginners, have problems effectively starting sentences with these words � a lot can go awry.
I quote myself concerning and and but on another forum:
http://forums.eslcafe.com/teacher/viewtopic.php?t=7480&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=45

[leosmith]

Thanks jotham!

[Henry_Cowell]

FANBOYS

So it's okay after all!!

[Kilgore Trout]

FANBOYS is simply a mnemonic device to remember coordinating conjunctions with. It proves nothing regarding the usage of a coordinating conjunction at the beginning of a sentence.

The use of coordinating conjunctions is simply ruled by the use of ACADEMIC English versus creative, journalistic or conversational usage.

The answer is that in academic English it is not acceptable to begin a sentence with a coordinating conjunction, and I can give you umpteen resources to refer to for reference if I thought anyone would actually look.

In all other forms of English, apparently even legal speak (the language of law), the rule does not apply.

I have two degrees in Linguistics and have taught this basic rule at 3 universities in composition as well as research writing classes, so I hope this at least gives me a little credibility with all the pseudo-experts.

I hope this ends the debate, but I am certain there is someone with an uninformed opinion to revive what should be a dead issue.

[jotham]

Could you give me some of your references on that? I'm not challenging it; I just never heard anyone say this before � especially someone in a linguist circle. Most linguists I know blame the grammarians for this rule. But the grammarians criticize the rule as well � at least American ones. (By the way, I'm on the prescriptive grammarian side of the divide.) Could this be a British-American difference?
This probably isn't the proper forum to continue this discussion. Would you mind bringing this up on the Applied Linguistics forum? (I think separate registration is necessary.)
http://forums.eslcafe.com/teacher/viewforum.php?f=3

[Henry_Cowell]

[Kilgore Trout]

Analyzing English Grammar, Second Edition, Thomas P. Klammer and Muriel Shultz (would you like the rest?)

"Coordinators join grammatical structures of similar form, transforming them into a single grammatical unit. They join words . . . When single words or phrases are joined, the result is a phrase. When two sentences are joined by coordinating conjunctions, the result is a compound sentence". (Need a page number?)

Yes, there are others, but I have wasted enough of my time already.

Tell me Henry, where does it explicitly say to use a coordinate conjunction at the beginning of a sentence?

Did you look beyond Google?

I think that is a choice you made for yourself based on a limited search, and it goes against academic convention. However, that is an issue which appears to be at the root of the problem.

I would look up join in the dictionary for you, but I will leave that for you.

While it does not directly say one may not use a coordinate conjunction to begin a sentence, I believe I understand the meaning of join well enough to infer the intent.

Actually, the ability to understand and infer may be more important than anything here. That all important Critical Thinking class is the source I normally use to arrive at these ideas.

Do not attack ideas with fallacy and attempt to debunk based upon useless evidence.

Thus, I refer to my previous post and repeat that FANBOYS has absolutely nothing to do with anything in this issue, or will you choose to ignore that again.

(YET) One more time, for you Henry, it is an ACADEMIC convention only to not begin a sentence with a coordinating conjunction.

(FOR) If you choose to do it, by all means do so, but remember it is more of a journalistic or creative device used to emphasize, which again infers it is not ACADEMIC when used to begin a sentence.

(BUT) I suppose you consider journalism to be academic in some fashion.

(SO) If you performed this little action on a paper in my class, I would ask you not to, and if you continued, I would takes points off until you got the message.

(AND) In fact, I think it shows true competence in writing to avoid such devices when the counterparts to coordinate conjunctions can be utilized just as easily. Would you like some examples, or is the (ahem) low road of never picking up a reference book your preference?

Believe me, I completely understand your attitude. Maybe you are one of my former students who did not listen or was it that you simply did not understand.

Now run out there and spread the word that according to Henry it is perfectly okay because Henry says so, and I am certain the world will follow you, believe you and annoint you the omnipotent source of all grammar, except for that pesky FANBOYS thing (whatever it meant).

Okay Henry, have at it but do not attack my education because you feel inferior in some way for it was not my intent to lord my education over anyone. In fact, I was simply stating my credentials, and in your fallacious thinking, you decided to attack from that perspective, which was clearly predictable.

How about a comma fight? I have plenty of reference TEXTS!

[markle]

[Kilgore Trout]

[Henry_Cowell]

This issue has been done to death. See, for example, the following thread:

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=52732&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=begin+sentence&start=0

The individual who wrote the following sentences is most definitely somebody to follow in terms of grammar advice.

[G Cthulhu]