Should You Ever Start a Sentence with “And?”

For many of us, it’s one of the first grammar rules we learned: Never start a sentence with “And.”

The reasoning? “And” connects two clauses. For those of you who zone out when we start using scary grammar terms like “clause,” a clause is just a group of words with a noun (subject) and a predicate.

What is a predicate? (This could go on forever, but stick with me and you’ll have all you need to know in a moment). A predicate is a phrase that describes something “true of” the noun. It can be something the noun is doing, something the noun is, or something the noun possesses. In the sentence “Dawn is a writer,” Dawn is the subject and “is a writer” is the predicate.

Why not just call a predicate a verb? Because the predicate part of a clause contains a verb (whether it’s an active verb, like “runs” or a passive verb, such as “is”) but it may not be the only part of the predicate. Now we’re getting dangerously close to diagramming sentences. But I promise this will be painless.

Dawn is a writer.

Dawn = noun (subject)

Is = verb

Is a writer = predicate

She writes.

She = noun

writes = verb and predicate

Now let’s get back to the topic at hand. Why should you not start a sentence with “and?”

“And” connects two clauses. Case in point: “Dawn is a writer and she writes.” If you separate the clauses into two sentences, they’re no longer “connected,” so you don’t need the word “and.”

In many cases, writers begin a sentence with “and” to create a pregnant pause or to show a link between two sentences with emphasis on the second part of the sentence. It acts almost as a semi-colon, changing the tone in which the audience reads the sentence.

I see this quite often in copywriting, where the writer really wants that second clause to stand out to readers as a benefit of the product.

Ex: “Dawn is a published writer. And you can be, too, if you continue reading the FWJ Grammar Guide.”

In this example, becoming a published writer is the benefit or pay-off to reading the FWJ Grammar Guide.

Arguments against using “and” to begin a sentence

Many writers say using “and” to begin a sentence sounds pretentious or arrogant. This can be true depending on the overall tone of the piece. Remember, one writer’s “arrogant” is another writer’s “authoritative.”

This leaves us with a staid semi-colon or our friendly little m-dash to add emphasis when we have two related clauses. But too many m-dashes in an article just look messy, so writers have to use their judgment.

A checklist: When “And” is OK

Ask yourself these questions to decide when it’s okay to use “And” to begin a sentence:

-         Who is your audience? Is the article’s tone casual? Formal writing doesn’t permit us to break many rules. If you start a sentence with “and” in an academic setting, for instance, professor’s heads will spin as they spew pea soup from various orifices, kind of like that scene in The Exorcist. Not pretty.

- Are the two thoughts (clauses) related?

- Do you want to emphasize the second clause? Modern readers have come to expect a pay-off when they see the word “and” beginning a sentence. It’s like telling readers to wait for the punch line. If the second clause is a benefit of the first – or more information the reader may need before making their decision – “And” may be the appropriate way to start the sentence.

- How does your editor feel about it? For professional freelance writers, the editor’s word is law. If your editor consistently edits out your “And”s, don’t fight it. If you don’t want to follow an editor’s rules, start your own blog.

Now you know the rule. And you know when and why you might break it.