Outlaw Openers

There was a time when starting a sentence with And, But, or So felt like breaking the law.

- BY RYAN G. VAN CLEAVE

And then you opened nearly any published book and spotted it right away: writers starting sentences with And, But, and So like it was the most natural move in the world. No red pen, no grammar jail. Just clean, confident writing.

So, what’s the real story here?

WHY TEACHERS PUSHED THIS “RULE”

A page where every other line starts with And or But can look sloppy on a test or essay, especially when a writer leans on them as automatic throat-clearing. So teachers handed down a simple guideline: Keep conjunctions in the middle of a sentence.

WHAT AND, BUT, AND SO REALLY DO

Each of these words does a slightly different job.

• And adds. Stacks. Builds.

• But pivots. Contrasts. Throws a small, satisfying wrench.

• So moves the story forward. Cause, then effect.

Look at this flat version: She trained for months for the audition. She walked onto the stage. She froze.

Now give those sentences the openers they clearly want.