but和and能不能用在句首？

这张图片说的是在口语交际中，有些连词可以放在句首，功能和副词差不多。接着又说这种用法在写作中也是很常见的。注意这种用法的主要功能是强调，如果没有强调的意思的话就不要这样用。

除此之外我最想和大家分享的是Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace中的观点。Style这本书讲得内容从标题上就能看出，讲如何写得清楚和漂亮，在这之前作者用了一章的笔墨来解决“写得正确”这件事。他把语言的规则分为了三类：Real Rules, Social Rules, and Invented Rules.

Real Rules就是一些死规定，例如我们中文说“我爱你”，英语说“I love you”，法语说Je t'aime（按语序应该是“我你爱），当我们听到有人说“爱我你” “I you love”的时候我们知道这是不正确的。

Social Rules是“标准英语”，为了显得自己是受过教育而形成的一些规则。例如我在从双重否定看英文语法中提到的，潘玮柏和苏芮在《我想更懂你》这首歌曲开始之前有一段英文对白, 潘玮柏说:

You don't know nothing. 这样的表达很“地道”，但是这种说法并不正规。按照Social Rules，这句话应该写成我们更熟悉的“You don't know anything.”

Invented Rules很多时候只是一些人的偏好，一种风格而已。作者说“For 250 years, grammarians have accused the best writers ofviolating rules like these, and for 250 years the best writers haveignored them.” 250年以来，优秀的作者们是不把这类规则当回事的。这里就提到了but是否可以用在句首的问题：

牛津出版的Oxford Guide to Plain English中把“but不能放在句首使用”列为了6大写作误区（writing myths)之一，作者说：This is neither a rule of grammar nor even a widely observed convention.

我们在阅读和写作的时候要注意观察，然后知道什么样的规则是必须遵守的，什么样的规则是没那么重要的。在一个教雅思的网站上有人也讨论了but是否可以放在句首的问题：

Can we begin a sentence with and or but?

This is a frequently asked question. Although some grammarians might argue that it is improper to begin a sentence with and or but, this practice has been in use since Anglo-Saxon times. In fact, starting a sentence with these conjunctions might create a powerful or dramatic effect.

However, you should consider avoiding an initial and or but in cases where the sentence will do just fine without the conjunction at the beginning. In some cases, the sentence beginning with and or but and the one that comes before it can be connected into a single compound sentence.

• He soon got addicted to gambling. And that didn’t surprise anyone.
• They abused him. They threw stones at him. But he didn’t protest.

Beginning a sentence with a conjunction is essentially a matter of convenience. It doesn’t make your sentences ungrammatical, but avoid this style if you are writing for an audience who might object to it.

Can we begin a sentence with and or but?

This is a frequently asked question. Although some grammarians might argue that it is improper to begin a sentence with and or but, this practice has been in use since Anglo-Saxon times. In fact, starting a sentence with these conjunctions might create a powerful or dramatic effect.

However, you should consider avoiding an initial and or but in cases where the sentence will do just fine without the conjunction at the beginning. In some cases, the sentence beginning with and or but and the one that comes before it can be connected into a single compound sentence.

• He soon got addicted to gambling. And that didn’t surprise anyone.
• They abused him. They threw stones at him. But he didn’t protest.

Beginning a sentence with a conjunction is essentially a matter of convenience. It doesn’t make your sentences ungrammatical, but avoid this style if you are writing for an audience who might object to it.

这里说but放在句首是可以的，但是要注意是为了强调的目的才这么用的，不要滥用。Fowler's Modern English Usage中说“...unless contextual dislocation isbeing deliberately sought as a rhetorical device, it is not desirable to litter the pages with constuctions like He is tired. But he is happy.”

作为一名老师，我们也需要了解这些语法现象，别说出“but永远都不能放在句首”这样不负责任的话。作为语言学习者，我们手头应该多备一些具有权威性的工具书，有所怀疑就去好好查查。对于“我老师说” “某某说”的言论我们要注意听理由，如果他没有证据的话，别听他的。

▲ 为了解释but这个问题，我主要参考了这四本书

最后Style的作者提醒我们，对于“correctness”我们大多时候都是无能为力的，但是我们可以在“clarity and grace”上下功夫。语法是帮助我们更容易读懂他人、表达自己的思想的，写正确是第一步，更重要的是写得清楚、优美。如Neil Gaiman说：

Don’t obsess over grammar. If you have to obsess, obsess over clarity. Write as clearly as you can. When it works, there’s a magic in writing: you can get an idea out of your head and into someone else’s. That’s your goal.

Don’t obsess over grammar. If you have to obsess, obsess over clarity. Write as clearly as you can. When it works, there’s a magic in writing: you can get an idea out of your head and into someone else’s. That’s your goal.

参考资料

《英语常见问题解答大词典》

Longman Student Grammar of Spoken and Written English

Oxford Guide to Plain English

Fowler's Modern English Usage

http://www.ielts-practice.org/beginning-a-sentence-with-and-or-but/

《英语常见问题解答大词典》

Longman Student Grammar of Spoken and Written English

Oxford Guide to Plain English

Fowler's Modern English Usage

http://www.ielts-practice.org/beginning-a-sentence-with-and-or-but/ 返回搜狐，查看更多