Korean Job Discussion Forums

[widespread123]

I teach writing to middle school students. I teach them to NEVER start a sentence with And/Or/But/Because. It has been pounded into my brain since I was in middle-school but I don't know why. I am a first year teacher and don't know my grammar very well. The Koreans all claim you can but can't explain very well. The waygooks all say that you shouldn't. I tell them that the students aren't advanced enough to use them properly. I would never start a sentence with this words but can't explain why.

Can someone explain why I am wrong/right?

Could someone also explain why I was taught this throughout my formative years?

I guess I should mention that I went to top-notch school and wasn't taught by hillbillies.

[SuperHero]

It's a good rule of thumb that I also teach my students at the university level. Once you know how to write well then it's okay to break the rules for style.

Basically, and this is my opinion, using "And, So, But" at the beginning of a sentence ends up sounding like spoken, informal speech. When writing academically one is supposed to avoid conversational or colloquialisms.

As for "because" I think it is fine assuming they use commas correctly for the dependent and independant clauses.

[Rapacious Mr. Batstove]

Beginning sentences with a conjunction is not grammatically incorrect and educated people have been doing it for years.

I remember being told to not to start a sentence with 'and' at primary school to avoid 'listing' in general story writing and to build vocabulary and variety in my writing.

Students here (and adults) often butcher their writing by beginning sentences with 'but' and 'because' and their sentences are often incomplete (as I'm sure you are well aware), as they lack the English competency to correctly use conjunctions.

Beginning sentences with 'so' is usually left to informal narrative writing where some grammar rules are often forgone, this is not an area where inexperienced students need to worry too much about.

Basically, students need to master the basics with as many rules set in concrete to enable them to get the fundamentals down. They need to walk before they can run.

I would inform any questioning co-teacher that while experienced and competent users of English such as themselves (snicker) can freely use English and express themselves with the language in any way they please, beginners still need guidelines, steps and goals, to advance gradually.

[confused and upset]

Great post, Rapacious Mr. B.

[Billy Pilgrim]

I work at a uni, and I make sure that the students learn never to start a sentence with the FANBOYS conjunctions, because they are more or less training for academic writing, and they have to try and make their writing as formal as possible. If we were doing creative writing, I'd let it slide somewhat (but warn against the typical Korean overuse of the tactic - seriously, every other sentence sometimes!)

Starting a sentence with "because" isn't the same, because you can follow it with the main clause attached with a comma. With the FANBOYS lot you can't.

[cubanlord]

I agree with the majority of you. "and", "so", and "but" should not be used as a sentence opener. I teach my 6th graders not to. However, using "because" is okay as I have already taught them complex sentences. They use it correctly.

[Young FRANKenstein]

[Mr. BlackCat]

Man oh man is this a sticking point for me. I've mentioned in other threads here that left to their own devices Koreans would only start sentences with so, because, and, but (along with "Frankly Speaking" for the adults). When I read my kids short essays on average out of 20 sentences I will have;
So: 10
And:5
Because:3
But:2

I told them never, ever to do this. Never. When they hand papers in, look it over. Erase every one of these words that begin a sentence. I still get the above results. It drives me crazy. I've held whole classes on the subject, having them write sentences without one of these words at the beginning and try to use over the top positive reinforcement to encourage them. Still, nothing. I don't know Korean well enough to explain why this is, but it's like they believe sentences can only be made starting with these words.

Then, of course, they'll find sentences in books or whatever starting with any of these words. I tell them to count all the sentences in the book and understand that out of those thousands, only ONE started with one of these words and to consider the context (usually it's dialogue). Not 20/20 in a short academic essay.

Learning to write is like learning to ride a bike. You've got to learn to ride with your hands firmly gripping the handlebars before you can try it with no hands at all.

[thegadfly]

I also disallow the use of and, but, or, so, and because as the first word of a sentence. I know it does not violate an actual grammatical rule to do so, but about 90% of the time, when a student writes a sentence that way, it is a sentence fragment, the conjunction was not actually necessary, or the student puts a comma right after the conjunction...and this kind of problem is roughly half of the mistakes I see in a typical student's paper...so one solid rule to wipe out about 45% of a student's mistakes? (90% of 50%, or 50% of 90%, whichever way you want to slice it.) I'll take it, even if it means a student will revise 1 sentence out of 10 that didn't actually need to be revised...doesn't hurt 'em to follow the rule, usually hurts 'em not to do so....

I also forbid the use of contractions in essays, though they are allowed in letters, stories that include dialogue, notes, and other informal pieces. Why? Contractions are informal or casual, which may or may not be reason enough to forbid them in an essay, but the real reason is that I am SO sick of seeing: ...dosen't...he don't...I'm go...he's favorite food...she's favorite book... , and of course, 's for simple plurals. One rule (my students think I hate apostrophes) fixes a whole slew of mistakes....

Once they can write without these common errors, I am all for slipping contractions and initial conjunctions back in, but only once they steer clear of the common mistakes....

[mistermasan]

gadfly- you example on contractions is spot on. in academic writing contractions are to be avoided. in a similar vein, for academic purposes (the bulk of english learning here) perhaps training the students away from starting of with "and" or "but" is a good call. it is all nuance. and nuance is everything.

And, personally I remember that I was taught to NEVER use the first person "I" when writng back in the day. Because it is understood that any opinion put forward was to be the opinion of the author and actually stating tha the opinion was that of the author was unnecessarily redundant clutter.

[reactionary]

I still only use "I" very sparingly when writing an academic essay. A lot of essays/journals do the same actually. "I think..." is indeed redundant clutter - of course you think that, you're writing it.

Of course, as cubanlord said, because can begin a sentence, as long as it's complete.

[normalcyispasse]

Because "and" is a conjunction, it should never be used to begin a sentence.

With confidence -- nay, with surety! -- I say this.

[artyom]

I like to teach the same rule because when I see it in my students' writing 95% of the time it is wrong. However I tell them that if they really think that a sentence should start with and,or,but or because then they should ask me because there are obviously times when it is OK.

It doesn't help when you are teaching a novel which is poorly written (like spoken English) and almost every other sentence begins with and.

[Woden]

[crusher_of_heads]

You must be a product of the Ontario Ministry of Education.


Because of NDP left wing jerkasses, you think it is improper grammar to start a sentence with because, but, you are wrong. Fortunately, new English Education graduates are teaching more grammar in hgih schools, but because of the oversupply, the days where grammar is taught will be with supply teachers.