Authors cheerfully break and ignore rules all the time; mostly for impact than a deliberate sneer at grammar.
'And' and 'but' are two examples that can be confused as to whether either are appropriate as a beginning. The rules dictate never to start a sentence with either, however, both can be acceptable, depending on the circumstances.
People are always talking over one another. They are stuttering, pausing, shouting discussing, lecturing, and a whole host of other things. Sentences, when spoken, are incomplete, poorly constructed, have wrong words, can be barely understood, and easily misunderstood. People aren't wrong or poorly educated, merely expressing themselves.
When you're on a bus or standing in a line, listen to the conversations around you. They're not only a great source for inspiration, but also for understanding how people communicate. It's more through body language, facial expressions, voice intonation, than perfect language skills. Actors are an exception as they read from a script.
You might note the commercials that have: "But wait! There's more!" A useful device to attract our attention. When overused, it's simply irritating.
As you have recognised, 'and' and 'but' are conjunctions. That is, they are words that join two sentences. For emphasis, though, they can be dramatic. And attractive. And give an indication in a sudden thought. And finish up a story: "And so I went to my grave in peace". And... so on, and so on.
'But' can be used with equal effect. When a character is shocked: "But... but... I did put the jewels in the safe!" When a character is filled with sly knowing: "But you knew that. Didn't you."
To me, the English language is the other side of the coin from Mathematics. Maths is filled with unbreakable rules: 1 + 1 = 2; English is changeable and fluid: What equals 2? 10 - 8, 40 / 20, the square root of 4; there are many answers.
As a writer, knowing when to use and or but at the beginning of a sentence is tricky. Keep in mind whether the sentence and paragraph would benefit from the abrupt use, and whether the two sentences should be connected. Be the actor reading a script and emote the lines; listen to see if it works; if it doesn't, use the conjunction.
You can play with the rules of English. But be careful. And make sure you're doing it for the right reasons.
3 comments:
Icelandic sagas start half of the sentences with 'and' and sometimes 'but'. Thus, it never felt wrong to me to use those words to begin a sentence. I've cut down a bit on that stylistical habit but I have never abandoned it entirely.
Editor of The New Fowler's Modern English Usage 1996, R.W. Burchfield said of the use of and: "There is a persistent belief that it is improper to begin a sentence with And, but this prohibition has been cheerfully ignored by standard authors from Anglo-Saxon times onwards." That's the joy of English, you can twist the rules into pretzels if you wish, so long as the sentence works.
twist the rules into pretzels
I like that. *grin*
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