Korean Job Discussion Forums

hagwonnewbie · Joined: 09 Feb 2007 Location: Asia

Am I correct in saying that a statement like "Because I am tired" is not a complete sentence? Isn't this considered a dependent clause?

I was under the impression that it should be written like "Because I am tired, I will go to sleep." That is to say that a dependent clause should be followed opr preceded by an independent clause for it to be a complete sentence.

While using dependent clauses by themselves is acceptable in informal speech, I know it is incorrect in formal writing.

Am I the only one that has noticed that every Korean does this. Am I the only one who is wrong? Do you stress this point when teaching?

Straphanger · Joined: 09 Oct 2008 Location: Chilgok, Korea

lifeinkorea · Joined: 24 Jan 2009 Location: somewhere in China

A: Why don't you want to run another lap?
B: Because I'm tired.

I wouldn't always use "because", but I don't see anything wrong with it every now and then.

createasaurus21 · Joined: 22 Feb 2009 Location: Seoul

... Because in Korean language, a similar equivalent is used commonly to start sentences.

hagwonnewbie · Joined: 09 Feb 2007 Location: Asia

They also begin sentences with "and" and "so".
That kills me.

harlowethrombey · Joined: 17 Mar 2009 Location: Seoul

So. . . they learned conversational English somewhere?

If they pepper their sentences with 'um' and 'like' then you know they've fully embraced western speech.

Just teach your kids the difference between gramatically correct, formal English and natural speaking.

Whenever I correct official papers at school I change all the sentences beginning with Because or But or And. But if I'm just having a normal conversation I might use those myself.

Underwaterbob · Joined: 08 Jan 2005 Location: In Cognito

It's everywhere! Sentences starting with and, but, so, because, hence, therefore, however etc. It's one of the hardest habits to get out of them in when teaching writing. The bloody public school (middle) textbooks have sentences beginning with "but" and "and" in them.

njp6 · Joined: 01 Sep 2005 Location: Gangnam, South Korea

Yeah, I'm a grammar Nazi on this also. Normally I'm not too strict, but what's the point of a conjunction (a word that joins two sentences) if you use it to make a new sentence? I know there are exceptions, but you can't break the rules (successfully) until you know the rules. Most of the kids think starting a sentence with because is the rule rather than the exception. One of my co-teacher was actually teaching them to do this.

lifeinkorea · Joined: 24 Jan 2009 Location: somewhere in China

WoBW · Joined: 07 Dec 2007 Location: HBC

losing_touch · Joined: 26 Jun 2008 Location: Ulsan - I think!

Just teach them about it. I correct it in their writing, but the subject is just too much for them to understand. My oldest students are able to understand why it is wrong. This would fall under the conjunctions category. It annoys the heck out of me when I see it in writing.

Xuanzang · Joined: 10 Apr 2007 Location: Sadang

Better than them starting off with I no Englishee. I would try to correct my elementary school kids but they dont speak enough as it is.

katepult · Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2009 4:12 pm Post subject:

In China they started sentences with "and", "but," "or," "so" and "because" all the time too. I taught high school students that it was incorrect in writing. The students who listened and stopped doing it started losing points on sentence correction in their school English tests because they'd correct sentences beginning with "and" and "but." But the Chinese English teachers didn't want them corecting this or didn't know that it was not correct in writing.

ardis · Joined: 20 Apr 2006 Location: Seoul

They do it probably because no one has corrected them and they hear it all the time. It is sometimes acceptable to start sentences with "and" or "but." I agree with the others saying that its something that shouldn't be accepted from young students, however.

But I will say...I worked at my university's research paper help center for a year and was pretty disgusted with what I saw there. I can understand people who aren't native speakers having crappy grammar, but there is no excuse why a 20 year old--at a very competitive university--should be writing those kinds of disaster papers. They couldn't understand why the professors kept giving them low marks. It was a bad experience working there.

dutchschultz · Joined: 01 Feb 2004

IT IS NOT INCORRECT TO START A SENTENCE WITH A CONJUNCTION.

Let me quote The Chicago Style of Manual regarding this topic. For those who actually have a copy of th 15th edition, go to 5.191.

There is a widespread belief-one with no historical or grammatical foundation- that it is an error to begin a sentence with a conjunction such as and, but, or so. In fact, a substantial percentage (often as many as 10 percent) of the sentences in first-rate writing begin with conjunctions. ...Next to the groundless notion thtat it is incorrect to end an English sentence with a preposition, perhaps the most wide-spread of the many false beliefs about the use of our language is the equally groundles notion that it is incorrect to begin one with 'but' and 'and.' As in the case of the superstition about the prepositional ending, no textbook supports it, but apparently about half of our teachers of English go out of their way to handicap their pupils by inculcating it. (Emphasis added)

It does go on to state that one should use care when starting a sentence with but, in that one needs to make sure that it truly contrasts with what it precedes.

GRAMMAR NAZIS BE DAMNED