Is starting a sentence with a "But" still bad? I know some Harvard graduates who are native English speakers and do this when they write. Is it acceptable now?  What are some of the examples where "But" is and is not acceptable?  Is there ever a situation when replacing a "But" with "However" makes the sentence better?
114762
I know it's wrong, but I do it all the time or else my sentences would go on forever.
39083
I have often read people using sentences like...     Assume you are given a ball.   in place of      Assume that you are given a ball.   While both sound correct while speaking, the first sentence does not sound quite right while writing. Is it correct to use the first sentence in writing?
82424
I have a sentence:     Please show me the right way so that I can do that rather than take blind action.     Is this sentence grammatically correct?   Can I use instead of to replace rather than? If replaced, the meaning of this sentence is changed?   What is the difference between rather than and instead of? Can you show me some examples to distinguish them?
59125
I was asked if the following sentences will create problems and what are the assumptions I have to make:  (d) There are grammarians in the room but none of them is an American. (e) There are grammarians in the room but none of them are Americans.  What is the problem in both sentences? They clearly have two main clauses which are connected by the coordinated conjunction 'but'. I know that grammar-wise, the 'is/are' don't really matter since both can be used with 'none', but would the tense in the first main clause 'are' affect the use of 'none'?
120502
A colleague asked me which of these sentences is correct, or if they are both correct which is better to use.   Are you using the current template version? Do you use the current template version?   I recommended using the first sentence but only because it sounds better to me.  Is there anything grammatically wrong with the second sentence or does it convey a different meaning to the first sentence?
90024
Being an English language learner for about 30 years, I still make mistakes. In a written language, when I have misspelled and noticed it in a timely manner, I simply navigate to a wrong word and edit it.  However, in a spoken conversation, when I use a wrong word, I must stop and correct myself by saying a correct one. I've seen many ways to do that, but I'm still not sure which one to use:  He's going to school...   ...er... she's going; ...sorry, I mean, she's going; ...oops, she's going; ...I'm sorry, let me restate it from the beginning, she's going;   What is the grammatical and polite way to correct myself in a spoken conversation? Let's stick to a formal/business context if it matters.  Also, what part of a sentence should I repeat to make it clear?
85248
Can anyone give a cogent, simply described explanation of why the verb BE in:  What is it?  ... doesn't seem to be able to be contracted with the subject:  What's it? *  Compare the sentences above with:  What's this? What's that?  These are perfectly fine. In fact, the contractions here should be expected in almost all examples of spoken English. Answers with references to authoritative vetted sources would be greatly appreciated.
21938
Is there any alternative to this construction?      It was too stupid a question.    I mean, can we somehow put the 'a' in a different position and is it used in English (maybe informal) or the version I've given is the only possible?  Also, I feel as if something's wrong in my previous sentence, it would be very nice if anybody corrected it.
100767
Could it be correct to have the word "however" in the middle of the sentence flanked by two commas instead of a semicolon and a comma?  When I want to write something like this:     His passive vocabulary has definitely increased, however, his   ability to express himself in English still needs to be developed.   The software application "Word" always automatically changes it into this:     His passive vocabulary has definitely increased; however, his   ability to express himself in English still needs to be developed.   Does that mean that two commas on each side of however is always wrong and will give a wrong meaning?
105404
Is there any justification for using “is” at the end of an English sentence, or is there a rule that forbids this?
78335
I hear and read them all the time. I mean stuff like:      You're just going to stay here?   Instead of:      Are you just going to stay here?    Then I write like this out of habit and get called out on my grammar issues by people who speak English much worse than I do. That's kinda embarrassing. So, could someone please explain to me whether it's correct or not? Are they acceptable at all, and if so, in which situations?      So, what? You're gonna kill me now?
30590
I was once told by an English professor that a comma should never be used before but in a sentence. For years, I have followed her advice but sometimes I just feel like it just needs to be there. On the other hand, my brain also tells me that the word but is, in a sense, performing the same function as a comma in the sentence.    Does anyone know if there is a rule for this?
56732
Should you always type a comma after &quot;therefore&quot;,&quot;however&quot; etc. in the beginning of a sentence? Also, when these (and similar) words are used in the middle of a sentence, should there be a comma or semi-colon before and after the word?  Therefore, he must be killed! That man is revolting, however, some find him attractive.  Sorry for the lousy examples. I couldn't think of any better.
96225
The first and second chapters are....   Or      The first and the second chapters are...   Which is the correct usage? Is it correct to use the for both the phrases or not?? Please explain to me.
60045
My teacher recently marked on my paper not to use a gerund to start a sentence. I have been told by teachers in the past to use that format to vary sentence structure. It seems to make the paper flow better oftentimes. An example:     Learning to confront his problems is an important part of [character's] growth and maturity in the novel.   Is there a grammar rule about this? I haven't ever heard/seen one before.  Edit: It would also be helpful to know of any good examples or arguments I would be able to use when discussing this.
93536
Is it acceptable usage to use "or" with "respectively", or is it possible only with "and"?  Example:     If the light changes from red to blue or from blue to red, you must catch or throw the ball, respectively.   I've seen lots of construction with "and" but none with "or".
2728
Have you ever had a case where you felt compelled to include strange things like a double that in a sentence? If so, then what did you do to resolve this?  For me, I never knew whether it was acceptable grammar. However, what I did learn was that it was a logic distractor, could lead to confusion, and therefore should be reworded to avoid this.