Crystal, Your encouragement of your students is a matter of choice, but I don't see that beginning a sentence with "Because" is incorrect. tj On Wednesday 04/13/2011 at 10:01 am, Crystal Edmonds wrote: > > > The subordinating conjunction "because" is used to link the dependent > clause to the independent clause. I encourage my students to place > such subordinate clauses at the end of the sentence so that there are > no errors in comma usage. However, many students want to begin a > sentence with "because". While it is not incorrect, the sentence > structure does appear awkward. > > Using "for" illustrates students' sentence variety. That is important > for me. > > > > > C. Edmonds, Chair > Associate in Arts > English and Humanities > Robeson Community College > PO Box 1420 > Lumberton, NC 28359 > (910) 272-3700 ext. 3362 > (910) 272-3328 (fax) > [log in to unmask] > RCC 4 R.E.A.L. Reading Engages Active Learning > A Quality Enhancement Plan at Robeson Community College > >>> On 4/13/2011 at 8:52 AM, in message > <[log in to unmask]>, > "Katz, Seth" <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > Traditional lists of coordinating conjunctions included "for" (hence > the "F" in the acronym "FANBOYS" for remembering the list of > coordinating conjunctions); but it seems to me that the use of "for" > as a coordinating conjunction in English has largely been succeeded by > the use of "because." > > I find I'm not sure here what the distinction is between a > coordinating conjunction and a subordinating conjunction. Help? > > Dr. Seth Katz > Assistant Professor > Department of English > Bradley University > > ________________________________ > > From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar on behalf of T. J. > Ray > Sent: Wed 4/13/2011 6:16 AM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Re: Punctuation Question > > > I believe you're right in thinking he feels this is a coordinate > conjunction. My understanding is that > "because" clauses are dependent and hence should not be preceded with > a comma. I just > wanted a number of opinions before I bring it to the committee's > attention, folks who evidently > don't see a problem with it as no one had marked any of these before I > saw the MSS. > > Thanks for your time. > > > > On Wednesday 04/13/2011 at 5:43 am, "Dixon, Jack" wrote: > > Focusing on the obvious, I suspect the writer believes that "because" > functions as a coordinating conjunction rather than a subordinating. > Does the student punctuate most subordinating clauses that follow the > independent clause this way, or do he make this mistake with "because" > only? > > I seem to remember that Martha Kolln in _Rhetorical Grammar_ addresses > the few instances when terminal subord. clauses are set off with > commas. > > ________________________________________ > From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar > [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of T. J. Ray [[log in to unmask]] > Sent: Tuesday, April 12, 2011 8:10 PM > To: [log in to unmask] > Subject: Punctuation Question > > I have a doctoral student who produces sentences like the following: > > "This quatrain cannot be read in isolation at all, because the syntax > is > inherent and incomplete on its own." > > My question is not a search for whatever he meant to say but is about > his punctuation: the comma. Comments are welcome. > > T. J. > > 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/ > > > E-mail correspondence to and from this address may be subject to the > North Carolina Public Records Law and may be disclosed to third > parties by an authorized state official. (NCGS.Ch.132) 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/