Ed, I think one of the reasons FANBOY connectives often start sentences is that conjunctions like "but" and "so" don't always simply connect two clauses, but often signal a shift in meaning that can follow several sentences and/or begin many more. "She was always friendly. She always smiled. No one could fault her everyday politeness. But something about her seemed cold." The "but in a sequence like that marks a shift in thinking rather than a connection to the previous clause. This is not just a hypothetical example. It happens very, very often in the best writing. Students come to college thinking they know a few things about grammar, and one of them is that "You shouldn't start a sentence with...." and that list includes "and", "but", "because", sometimes suprising things like "I." I don't see any reason for the rule. I would go even further--it is a foolish rule and foolish advice. I don't believe a single finite clause that starts with "for" is a fragment in traditional grammar. A single clause that starts with "because" would be. The details would differ, but Zwicky's overall point, that the two are not the same, is backed up. Craig I agree that it's not a problem for Zwicky's description (which, > thanks to Herb, I now have a clearer picture of), but sentences--- > indeed, paragraphs---beginning with FANBOYS connectives are quite a > problem for a great many English teachers, even though as Craig > pointed out earlier, college handbooks have never banned the > practice. Warriner neither approved nor disapproved, but a recent > Warriner clone warns against the practice in "formal writing." > > Ed > > On May 14, 2009, at 9:18 PM, STAHLKE, HERBERT F wrote: > >> I don't think a for-initial fragment where "for" means "because" >> would be a problem for Zwicky's description, precisely because it's >> a fragment and so would be interpretable as being the second of two >> clauses, the first being ellipted. >> >> Herb >> >> Herbert F. W. Stahlke, Ph.D. >> Emeritus Professor of English >> Ball State University >> Muncie, IN 47306 >> [log in to unmask] >> ________________________________________ >> From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar >> [[log in to unmask] >> ] On Behalf Of Edgar Schuster [[log in to unmask]] >> Sent: May 14, 2009 2:22 PM >> To: [log in to unmask] >> Subject: Re: Equivalent expressions >> >> Ah, I suppose Arnold and I are talking about two different things. >> Let me give an example from Oates of what I am talking about, an >> example that has many interesting features---fragments especially--- >> besides the initial "for," which starts not only a sentence but also a >> new paragraph. >> >> The "Weidel house," it would be called for years. The Weidel >> property." As if the very land---which the family had not owned in >> any case, but only rented, partly with county-welfare support---were >> somehow imprinted with that name, a man's identity. Or infamy. >> For tales were told of the father who drank, beat and terrorized >> his >> family . . . . >> >> Ed >> >> On May 14, 2009, at 2:02 PM, STAHLKE, HERBERT F wrote: >> >>> Ed, >>> >>> I assume you mean the coordinate clause introduced by "for" comes >>> before the clause that it's coordinate with. I don't have a copy of >>> Oates and Atwan. You might send these examples to Arnold. He would >>> find them interesting. >>> >>> Herb >>> >>> -----Original Message----- >>> From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar >>> [mailto:[log in to unmask] >>> ] On Behalf Of Edgar Schuster >>> Sent: 2009-05-14 12:42 >>> To: [log in to unmask] >>> Subject: Re: Equivalent expressions >>> >>> Herb, >>> I read the Zwicky article, and thanks for it, but I am puzzled by >>> his >>> stance that "for" cannot be used sentence initially. (I hope I >>> haven't misunderstood what he is saying.) Joyce Carol Oates uses >>> "for" initially six times in her 1995 essay, "They All Just Went >>> Away." Susan Sontag uses the same word initially five times in her >>> "Notes on 'Camp'." >>> And this is not a new phenomenon. In "The Handicapped" (1911) >>> "for" >>> is used by Randolph Bourne in sentence initial position 16 times, I >>> believe. It's also used, though much more rarely, by several other >>> writers. >>> (All these essays may be found in "The Best American Essays of the >>> Century" by Oates and Atwan.) >>> >>> Ed S >>> >>> On May 14, 2009, at 11:58 AM, STAHLKE, HERBERT F wrote: >>> >>>> English has a lot of equivalent expressions that attract the >>>> attention of writing teachers and grammarians. Consider because/ >>>> for, however/but, which/that, much/a lot, and others you can >>>> probably come up with yourself. Here's a link >>>> (http://arnoldzwicky.wordpress.com/2008/12/28/forbecause/ >>>> ) to an extraordinarily lucid and insightful posting on the topic by >>>> that extraordinarily lucid and insightful grammarian Arnold Zwicky. >>>> Follow the internal links, and you'll see a subtle, perceptive, and >>>> witty mind at work. >>>> >>>> Enjoy! >>>> >>>> Herbert F. W. Stahlke, Ph.D. >>>> Emeritus Professor of English >>>> Ball State University >>>> Muncie, IN 47306 >>>> [log in to unmask] >>>> To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web >>>> interface at: >>>> http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html >>>> and select "Join or leave the list" >>>> >>>> Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/ >>> >>> To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web >>> interface at: >>> http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html >>> and select "Join or leave the list" >>> >>> Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/ >>> >>> To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web >>> interface at: >>> http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html >>> and select "Join or leave the list" >>> >>> Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/ >> >> To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web >> interface at: >> http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html >> and select "Join or leave the list" >> >> Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/ >> >> To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web >> interface at: >> http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html >> and select "Join or leave the list" >> >> Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/ > > To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface > at: > http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html > and select "Join or leave the list" > > Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/ > To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/