The coordinate conjunctions are and, but, for, or, nor, so, and yet. While you may have heard that using a coordinate conjunction as the first word in a sentence is grammatically incorrect, that is not the case. Although the technique should be used carefully, placing a conjunction at the beginning of a sentence can be a useful tool for demonstrating relationships between sentences. In this issue of Grammatically Correct, we will look at the technique of using a conjunction at the beginning of a sentence. Specifically, we’ll look at the three most common coordinate conjunctions, and, or, and but.

Below is a list of the three conjunctions and their functions. However, this list should not be interpreted as all-inclusive, and it should be understood that the function of a conjunction can change depending on sentence context, the type of conjunction used, and the author’s intention.

And……………………………………………………….Joins two similar ideas together.

But…………………………………………………...Joins two contrasting ideas together.

Or…………………………………………………….Joins two alternative ideas together.

Let’s look at a few sample sentences:

Developers in Goliad county hope to begin the uranium mining process shortly after surveying is complete. And scientists propose that there may be up to 10 million pounds of the element lying under Goliad soil.

Psychologists of the behaviorist school claim that human beings are simply stimulus/response mechanisms. But existential psychologists insist that the behaviorist tradition places too little emphasis on human cognition and personality, thereby effectively reducing people to fleshy machines.

One proposal suggests that the build-up of so-called, “greenhouse-gases” may lead to a positive feedback cycle known as “the greenhouse effect,” which will eventually lead to a rise in the overall temperature and sea level of the earth. Or, as some critics propose, global warming may actually be beneficial to the economy because it will stimulate certain sectors of business.

Note the effect that the conjunction but has on the second sentence in the first example. It allows the writer to express a contrasting opinion, highlighting the difference between two schools of thought. Furthermore, placing a conjunction at the beginning of a sentence has the effect of emphasizing the second statement, making it of greater importance than the first statement.

** Please note that when a conjunction is used as the first word in a sentence, it should never be followed by a comma, unless that comma indicates a parenthetical expression, such as is shown in the third example above.

This technique affords writers an opportunity to vary sentence structure and change the amount of emphasis a sentence receives.                                 

In addition to our own website, this week we recommend Jack Lynch’s guide to grammar and style. Lynch, an associate English professor at Rutgers University, has assembled this free guide featuring explanations of grammatical rules and suggestions on style and usage. Check out Lynch’s guide at http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Writing/.

Test your understanding of conjunction used at the beginning of a sentence by filling in the blanks in the following examples.

1.)    Thermo-nuclear-physics is an exciting, challenging new field in science. (___) students are lining up by the hundreds to be part of this historic movement.

2.)    Researchers currently believe Parkinson’s disease is caused by a lack of the neurotransmitter dopamine. (___) others insist that a lack of dopamine does not fully explain all the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

3.)    I am currently investigating the graduate program for social work at the University of Nevada, Reno. (___) I may consider the University of Texas at Austin instead.

Answers
        1.) Thermo-nuclear-physics is an exciting, challenging new field in science. And students are lining up by the hundreds to be part of this historic movement.

2.)    Researchers currently believe Parkinson’s disease is caused by a lack of the neurotransmitter dopamine. But others insist that a lack of dopamine does not fully explain all the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

3.)    I am currently investigating the graduate program for social work at the University of Nevada, Reno. Or I may consider the University of Texas at Austin instead.

Grammatically Correct is a grammar tip of the week created by Academic Center Peer Writing Tutors at the University of Houston-Victoria in Victoria, Texas.

Comments about this newsletter should be directed to Summer Leibensperger, leibenspergers@uhv.edu.

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