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Column: So what’s the deal with ‘so?’

Column: So what’s the deal with ‘so?’

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By on Carmel, Grammar Guy

Question: “Hello. I’ve recently started receiving The Southside Times and love your columns. Now I have an issue I’d like for you to address. It seems like so many people are starting a sentence with the word ‘so,’ even when it appears to be incorrect (not to mention extremely annoying). Would you please check the rules and let people know what they are? I know it’s the latest trend, but the sooner it runs its course, the better. Thanks and keep up the good work. We need more people like you.” – (Marlena Linne)

Answer: Is that what the kids are doing these days? I’ve had my head buried in Céline for the last few weeks, though no apologies there. Maybe I’m not as cutting edge as I used to be.

At the heart of the matter here is whether it’s acceptable to begin a sentence with a conjunction – even a coordinating conjunction like “and,” “but” or “so.” And, as we’ve discussed previously, it is.

Of course, as the Oxford Dictionaries say in their defense of leading with conjunctions, “it’s best not to overdo it.” Fortunately we only have to hop over to Cambridge (Dictionaries) for a concise list of just when it’s acceptable to start a sentence with “so.” For brevity’s sake I won’t include all of them, but here are a few:

•To connect a sentence with something that has been said or happened previously. (“So as I’ve written before…”)

•To refer to a discovery that you have just made. (“So you really can swim right after lunch!”)

•To make certain you or someone else understand something correctly. (“So a conjunction connects two ideas, right?”)

•To introduce a subject of conversation that is of present interest, especially when asking a question. (“So, what are the Colts’ odds of winning the Super Bowl this year?”)

•To belittle a point under discussion (“So what?”)

So, what’s the point, Mr. Grammar Guy? Beginning a sentence with any conjunction, “so” or otherwise, should be done sparingly and to serve a particular purpose like adding emphasis, controlling the pacing of a sentence and, most importantly – perhaps necessarily, even – establishing a connection to a previous idea or statement. After all, a conjunction must still serve its proper function. (If you’re still not clear what that is, I believe there may be an educational tune floating around there somewhere to help you out. And it’s catchy, to boot!)


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Column: So what’s the deal with ‘so?’

Column: So what’s the deal with ‘so?’

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By on Lifestyle, Noblesville

Question: “Hello. I’ve recently started receiving The Southside Times and love your columns. Now I have an issue I’d like for you to address. It seems like so many people are starting a sentence with the word ‘so,’ even when it appears to be incorrect (not to mention extremely annoying). Would you please check the rules and let people know what they are? I know it’s the latest trend, but the sooner it runs its course, the better. Thanks and keep up the good work. We need more people like you.” – (Marlena Linne)

Answer: Is that what the kids are doing these days? I’ve had my head buried in Céline for the last few weeks, though no apologies there. Maybe I’m not as cutting edge as I used to be.

At the heart of the matter here is whether it’s acceptable to begin a sentence with a conjunction – even a coordinating conjunction like “and,” “but” or “so.” And, as we’ve discussed previously, it is.

Of course, as the Oxford Dictionaries say in their defense of leading with conjunctions, “it’s best not to overdo it.” Fortunately we only have to hop over to Cambridge (Dictionaries) for a concise list of just when it’s acceptable to start a sentence with “so.” For brevity’s sake I won’t include all of them, but here are a few:

•To connect a sentence with something that has been said or happened previously. (“So as I’ve written before…”)

•To refer to a discovery that you have just made. (“So you really can swim right after lunch!”)

•To make certain you or someone else understand something correctly. (“So a conjunction connects two ideas, right?”)

•To introduce a subject of conversation that is of present interest, especially when asking a question. (“So, what are the Colts’ odds of winning the Super Bowl this year?”)

•To belittle a point under discussion (“So what?”)

So, what’s the point, Mr. Grammar Guy? Beginning a sentence with any conjunction, “so” or otherwise, should be done sparingly and to serve a particular purpose like adding emphasis, controlling the pacing of a sentence and, most importantly – perhaps necessarily, even – establishing a connection to a previous idea or statement. After all, a conjunction must still serve its proper function. (If you’re still not clear what that is, I believe there may be an educational tune floating around there somewhere to help you out. And it’s catchy, to boot!)


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Column: So what’s the deal with ‘so?’

Column: So what’s the deal with ‘so?’

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By on Lifestyle, Westfield

Question: “Hello. I’ve recently started receiving The Southside Times and love your columns. Now I have an issue I’d like for you to address. It seems like so many people are starting a sentence with the word ‘so,’ even when it appears to be incorrect (not to mention extremely annoying). Would you please check the rules and let people know what they are? I know it’s the latest trend, but the sooner it runs its course, the better. Thanks and keep up the good work. We need more people like you.” – (Marlena Linne)

Answer: Is that what the kids are doing these days? I’ve had my head buried in Céline for the last few weeks, though no apologies there. Maybe I’m not as cutting edge as I used to be.

At the heart of the matter here is whether it’s acceptable to begin a sentence with a conjunction – even a coordinating conjunction like “and,” “but” or “so.” And, as we’ve discussed previously, it is.

Of course, as the Oxford Dictionaries say in their defense of leading with conjunctions, “it’s best not to overdo it.” Fortunately we only have to hop over to Cambridge (Dictionaries) for a concise list of just when it’s acceptable to start a sentence with “so.” For brevity’s sake I won’t include all of them, but here are a few:

•To connect a sentence with something that has been said or happened previously. (“So as I’ve written before…”)

•To refer to a discovery that you have just made. (“So you really can swim right after lunch!”)

•To make certain you or someone else understand something correctly. (“So a conjunction connects two ideas, right?”)

•To introduce a subject of conversation that is of present interest, especially when asking a question. (“So, what are the Colts’ odds of winning the Super Bowl this year?”)

•To belittle a point under discussion (“So what?”)

So, what’s the point, Mr. Grammar Guy? Beginning a sentence with any conjunction, “so” or otherwise, should be done sparingly and to serve a particular purpose like adding emphasis, controlling the pacing of a sentence and, most importantly – perhaps necessarily, even – establishing a connection to a previous idea or statement. After all, a conjunction must still serve its proper function. (If you’re still not clear what that is, I believe there may be an educational tune floating around there somewhere to help you out. And it’s catchy, to boot!)


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