DanMargarita.com

This was a cardinal rule that I was taught in elementary school. However, you can pick up any major newspaper or magazine in the country and find writers who think nothing of starting a sentence with the words “AND” or “BUT.”

Am I now to disregard every lesson I was taught in elementary school? Is it okay to cross the street without looking either way? Should I gladly accept rides from strangers? Is it really a good idea to put my hand in a bowl of warm water before I go to sleep? If Johnny Jones jumps off the Brooklyn Bridge, is it now okay for me to do it too?

While I wouldn’t ascribe this new philosophy to a post-9/11 world, we do live in a different time, grammatically speaking. I learned in the Sean Connery movie Finding Forrester, a film about a writing prodigy, that it is commonly accepted that you can start a sentence with “AND” or “BUT” these days and no one will think any less of you. I also learned from the Sean Connery movie Goldfinger that if you’re a British spy, you can seduce any woman you wish to. Of course, if her name is Pussy Galore, your chances are probably pretty good even if you’re a CPA, BUT I digress.

It seems to me that the words “AND” and “BUT” indicate a connection to, or a continuation of, a previous sentence or statement. The period at the end of said previous sentence or statement should indicate that that sentence or statement has ended (duh). Yes, I just used the word “that” twice in a row and while it may sound odd or read strangely on the page, I think it is acceptable despite my spell-check’s insistence on highlighting it as a repeated word.

As a baseball fan, one recent grammatical change I’m having a hard time dealing with is when broadcasters and writers, referring to the abbreviation of the phrase “Runs Batted In” as “RBI” instead of the long-held “RBI’s.”

Referring to more than one RBI requires some sort of plurality. I realize that it’s the first word, “runs” that is plural, but when the whole term is abbreviated, it becomes a singular entity. A good example would be the phrase “prisoners of war” or “POW’s.” You wouldn’t say, “Several Allied soldiers became POW.” It would be even more confusing, if during a baseball game among prisoners, several POW knocked in many RBI. If you don’t want to refer to them as “RBI’s” you can refer to them as “R’s BI.” Of course, since it’s the beginning of December, this isn’t an issue I’ve had to think about with much lately.

I’m not one to generally succumb to peer pressure, but seeing as this practice is considered acceptable, I have to admit, I’ve tried starting a sentence with “AND or “BUT” on a few occasions (which made me feel so daring and Bond-like). It just didn’t seem right. I felt that somehow my fourth grade teacher Miss McQuinn would seek me out and slap me around. I’m speaking proverbially, of course. She’s a sweet, gentle woman who’d never hurt a soul.

While knowing that starting a sentence with “AND” or “BUT” is an acceptable, commonplace practice, I still try to avoid doing so.

If I do it again, I wouldn’t blame Miss McQuinn for finding me and kicking my BUT.