And, I use it a lot

Let me first start by saying that throughout school, you’re taught to not begin sentences with conjunctions. It’s during this time when you also learn how to diagram sentences and construct creative paragraphs, essays, etc. But, as you proceed into the writing world, you are given some freedom of expression – well, somewhat. So, when I begin a sentence in one of my articles with the word “and,” it’s technically fine. But one of more recent pieces my mother read (Having Seconds - South Philly Review - March 11, 2010), made her stop and ask why I decided to write incorrectly. Well, she actually said, “I just wanted to ask you a question, are you supposed to start a sentence with “and?” And, I realized exactly what she was asking since it wasn’t the first time I've encountered this interrogation.

Whenever I have Joe read over one of my pieces before sending it along, he always points out the sentences beginning with that little conjunction. It’s definitely a pet peeve of his, he just doesn’t like nor approve of its use at the start of any sentence – and it goes against all grammatical usage he and my mother have ever learned.

After being the brunt of their questions, I decided to research a little bit (basically, I googled it) to find out who was correct or if the whole topic was simply a matter of taste.

Apparently, it’s not standard practice to use “and” at the beginning of a sentence, but that doesn’t mean it’s incorrect. But, you should – as with any conjunction in the beginning of a sentence – follow it with a comma (although I didn’t follow that rule in the above mentioned article). It’s also a good idea to use it as an effect or to accentuate an aspect of the content. And, trust me, many writers have also used "and" in the same way. I even noticed it while reading Elizabeth Gilbert's most recent venture, Committed. So, I'll finish by saying it's a matter of taste whether you prefer to use conjunctions at the beginning of sentences or be more grammatically rigid and not.