Can i use however at the beginning of a sentence

I have heard that starting a sentence with however is wrong. What are the grounds for this view and is it still held by a majority of pedants?

The Grammar Girl has a good article on this topic, basically:. It is fine to use however at the beginning of a sentence; you just need to know when to use a comma. I think this advice comes from the somewhat strange idea that sentences should have one complete idea.

If your sentence begins with the conjunction "however", then it's an extension of the idea in the previous sentence and is therefore not a "complete idea". The same reasoning is behind advice not to begin sentences with "or" and "and".

Of course this advice is silly because sentences and "complete ideas" don't always line up, and there's no reason that a conjunction can't join a sentence with the previous one. There is no rational, linguistically valid reason for this rule.

It's just a convention promulgated by misguided English writing teachers. It is acceptable to start a sentence with however. No grounds whatsoever. However, a teacher is a teacher , so if you want to get a higher grade, I would suggest "basking in your own glory" without telling your teacher they are in the wrong.

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New York: Pearson Education, , p. Scharton, M. Second edition. Spina, G. Naperville: Sourcebooks, , p. Hacker, D. Garner, B. Oxford University Press. February 6, Stilman, A. Grammatically Correct. Cincinnati: Writer's Digest Books, , p. Lutz, G. Grammar Desk Reference. Let them lie unspoken of, in his breast. However distinctly or indistinctly he entertained these thoughts, he arrived at the conclusion, Let them be.

Among the mighty store of wonderful chains that are for ever forging, day and night, in the vast iron-works of time and circumstance, there was one chain forged in the moment of that small conclusion, riveted to the foundations of heaven and earth, and gifted with invincible force to hold and drag. Tom K. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away. Henry David Thoreau, "Walden.

Report writing Uncategorised Psychology and linguistics Reader-centred writing Online and social media Technology Punctuation Podcast Technical writing Spellings Presentations and speeches News from Emphasis Jargon International issues Customer relations Letters and CVs Numbers and finance 9. Design and formatting 9. Courses for companies 8. Proofreading 8. Graduates 7. Videos 7. Quizzes 6. When "however" means nevertheless, it is followed with a comma. When "however" means to whatever extent, there is no comma after it.

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