I like ancient myths. They carry grains of truth that can be planted in our everyday lives to produce a harvest of good outcomes. While this may be the case for some grammar myths, such “rules” can also hinder an aspiring creative writer by causing a tendency to overanalyze stylistic choices that distinguish his or her voice. So let’s clear away some of the “bad grammar” cobwebs that keep writers from doing what they do best: creating vivid and compelling prose.
The following are four common grammar “rules” that are not strictly true:
You shouldn't start a sentence with a conjunction.
Many of us were taught to avoid beginning a sentence with coordinating conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so), and specifically the subordinating conjunction because. This “rule” can certainly help inexperienced writers to avoid sentence fragments, but it has no historical or grammatical grounding that requires strict adherence. Many excellent published writers—even the most conservative in matters of grammar—have used conjunctions in this way throughout the history of English literature (see the Chicago Manual of Style, 5.203). For a classic example, you’ve probably heard the fairytale ending, “And they lived happily ever after.”
Of course, beginning sentences with conjunctions should be used judiciously: all writing needs variety. But if you have a good grasp of English grammar, it’s perfectly safe to begin a sentence with a conjunction. In the case of because, as long as an independent clause follows the comma, your sentence will be grammatically correct. For example, "Because I stayed too long at the library, I missed my appointment." Because makes the first clause dependent, so it needs an independent clause after the comma to properly support it.
2. You shouldn't split infinitives.
The infinitive form of a verb is two words: “to” + the verb; for example, “to go.” When you place an adverb between these two words, you’ve split the infinitive. A famous example is from Star Trek: "to boldly go." The Victorians mistakenly believed that English must follow Latin's grammar, and in Latin, it’s impossible to split an infinitive verb form because it’s only one word. However, English uses two words, so this rule is not necessary; although, in some cases, it may sound better if you choose not to split the verb. But this should be up to the writer's discretion.
3. You shouldn't end a sentence with a preposition.
This is another “rule” that has been inappropriately borrowed from Latin grammar. In Latin, a preposition is truly “pre-positional”: it introduces the noun that follows it. But this isn't always the case in English. The preposition only needs to be removed when it’s unnecessary. For example, in the sentence “Where are you at?” the “at” can be removed and the meaning of the sentence remains intact, but in the sentence “What are you waiting for?” the preposition is essential. Furthermore, some idiomatic phrases—called phrasal verbs—end with a preposition, such as “look down on" or "throw up.” So when such a verb appears at the end of a sentence, it cannot be separated from its accompanying preposition(s).
For many years, I strongly believed this grammar myth. When I was a writing consultant in university, I would teach students my trick to move a preposition farther back into the sentence and pair it with a question word (e.g., which, where, whom). In some cases, this was helpful. In other cases, however, my trick made the sentence sound ridiculous. Thankfully, my boss cleared up this misunderstanding, and I learned a more nuanced approach to ending a sentence with a preposition.
Again, a writer should practice discretion and variety in constructing sentences with a preposition at the end. It is preferable to end a sentence with a preposition when rearranging the sentence will result in awkward or stuffy phrasing. As Reader’s Digest illustrates, “‘I want to know where he came from’ could be written, ‘I want to know from where he came’—but no one talks like that.”
4. You shouldn't start a sentence with however.
Many people treat the word however as a conjunction, using it after a comma and before an independent clause to create a comma splice (when two complete sentences are joined by a comma, creating an incomplete sentence). For example, “I applied for the job over a week ago, however, I have not heard back from the hiring manager.” Instead of a comma, either a semicolon or a period is necessary to separate these two independent clauses:
“I applied for the job over a week ago; however, I have not heard back from the hiring manager.”
OR “I applied for the job over a week ago. However, I have not heard back from the hiring manager.”
Contrary to popular belief, however is not a conjunction; it’s an adverb. It’s part of a long list of conjunctive adverbs, such as therefore and nonetheless, that are extremely versatile. However is mainly used to provide contrast with the previous sentence and can appear in four different places:
At the beginning of a sentence: “However, this was a wound that would never fully heal.”
After the subject: “This, however, was a wound that would never fully heal.”
After the verb: “This was, however, a wound that would never fully heal.”
At the end of a sentence: “This was a wound that would never fully heal, however.”
In addition to a sense of contrast, it can also mean “no matter how.” For example, “However this turns out, we will still be friends.” Notice that a comma is never used after however when it has this meaning.
Hopefully, if you're a creative writer, this list has left you four unnecessary rules lighter. Of course, formal or academic writing often calls for a less relaxed sense of grammar. I wouldn’t recommend beginning sentences with conjunctions or splitting infinitives in these settings, especially if you're aware that your reader will not look kindly on this usage. As with any writing, you must keep your intended audience in mind. But if you're a fiction writer, feel free to bend certain "rules" to accommodate your literary style.
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