March 19th, 2010:

It’s time to tackle Myth #3: “Do not begin sentences with because.” Did you learn this myth—perhaps from a teacher? When? Elementary school? Middle school? High school? (Please, dear reader, don’t tell me you learned this in high school.) Well, no matter when you learned this myth, it’s time to bust it.

Contrary to what many of us learned in grade-school English class, proficient writers often begin sentences with because. In fact, I expect that many writers could not imagine life without this writing practice. It’s especially nice for those times when the writer wants to emphasize the cause by placing it at the beginning of the sentence, which then allows the sentence to culminate with the effect. And, if you think about it, this cause-then-effect approach is more natural in the sense that it represents a chronological order. In reality, causes precede their effects; sentences that begin with because mimic this natural sequence of events.

So, why do teachers perpetuate this myth? Read on.

Reason 1: Children Do Not Know How to Represent Pauses in Sentences

Let’s return to little Billy and his third-grade English teacher, Mrs. Humperdinkle, both of whom we visited in the previous article on coordinating conjunctions. Mrs. Humperdinkle is teaching Billy how to use the word because in his writing. She notices that Billy begins sentences with because in the following way:

I went to Disney World. I liked it a lot. Because of all the rides.

In the example sentence above, Billy shows not only that he does not know how to begin sentences with because, but also that he does not yet understand how to form pauses using commas. He has heard because spoken before, with a slight pause before it, and he represents that pause with the only punctuation he knows: a period.

What Billy really intends, then, is not a sentence-starter because, but a mid-sentence one. Here is the sentence that Billy would write, if he understood comma use:

I went to Disney World. I liked it a lot, because of all the rides.

Unfortunately, Billy hasn’t gotten there yet, but he is working on it. (I hear, by the way, that Mrs. Humperdinkle’s next lesson will cover commas.)

Reason 2: Children Do Not Know How to Use Conversational Fragments in Writing

There’s a second reason Mrs. Humperdinkle does not want Billy beginning sentences with because: he is still learning to differentiate between the conventions of spoken, conversational English and written English. Consider the following spoken conversation between Billy and his mother.

Little Billy has just returned home from school. His mother greets him:

Mom: Hello, Billy. How was school today?

Billy: It was okay. It coulda been better.

Mom: Why? What’s wrong.

Billy: Mrs. Humperdinkle gave me a D.

Mom: Why did you get a D?

Billy: Because I can’t write!

The example above is what I call a “dialogic fragment,” but I’m sure the Grammar Gods have other names for it. The word, dialogic, has to do with things pertaining to dialogue, or spoken conversation. As its name implies, a dialogic fragment is a sentence part (a fragment) that is posed as a full utterance in spoken conversation. It often completes an idea raised by another speaker in a preceding question. (By the way, dear reader, if the word, dialogic, sounds a bit stodgy to you, you might try “conversational fragment” instead.)

But in writing, there is only one person communicating. While good writers do project an imaginary reader, that reader does not exist at the time of the writing. Yes, there are times that writers use dialogic fragments in their writing, but oftentimes such fragments complete a preceding question that the writer has raised on behalf of the reader. Why would writers knowingly commit this grammar no-no? Because they want their readers to hear a conversational tone, of course.

Still, I suggest making this writing gambit sparingly, and only when you feel confident that you can get in your reader’s mind as you write—a practice that I think represents the highest level of writing proficiency. This level of proficiency requires not only skill in writing, but also life experience. It requires a sense of other people, and what they are thinking as they read your words. You can’t just learn this in a college writing course. You have to converse with people. You have to observe how they respond to things you say. You have to eavesdrop on other people’s conversations, and note the exchange of ideas, arguments, and dreams. To be complete as a writer, you have to get out there and live.

Needless to say, our friend little Billy is not at that point. He is just starting to understand other people, and to consider them as feeling, thinking beings. Empathy is a very new skill for him, and so too is writing.

In other words: Billy is not ready to begin sentences with because.

Reason 3: Children Lack the Attention Spans to Control Sentences Beginning with Because

Believe it or not, there is yet a third reason that little Billy should avoid beginning sentences with because: he has not developed an attention span that allows him to handle long, complex sentences, especially ones that begin with dependent clauses.

Does all this talk of dependent clauses and complex sentences sound like mumbo-jumbo? I’ll explain:

After speaking with his mother, little Billy goes up to his room to do his homework. He wants to do his English first. (That’s my kinda kid!) Billy sits down to revise his essay on his summer vacation at Disney World. He begins:

I really liked Disney World. It was fun. There were rides everywhere I went. I got to meet Mickey Mouse. It was really just a guy dressed up like Mickey Mouse, but it was still fun. Because Disney World is so big—

Ding. The doorbell interrupts Billy’s writing, and—more importantly—his train of thought. He stops at the sound. A moment later, his mother calls up to him,

“Billy, Jason is here. He is wondering if you want to play ball.”

Of course, Billy would much rather play ball than write. (He’s a kid; who can blame him?) Leaving all thoughts of Disney World upstairs in his room, Billy rushes to the front yard, where he will have a great time shooting hoops with Jason. When Billy returns from playing ball, his mother sends him to the shower. After he is clean, Billy eats dinner. By the time he gets back to writing, it is nearly 8 PM.

Now, where was he? Billy looks at the paper. He sees what looks like a full paragraph, and he sees something that looks like a sentence at the end of it:

Because Disney World is so big.

Billy thinks about it for only a moment, and then he pops in a period and moves on, leaving the would-be sentence as it is. After all, it looks long enough to be a sentence. And, he writes lots of sentences with because—sentences that look just like that one.

Do you see the problem? Even if he had thought to begin a sentence with because, Billy lacks the concentration and experience to control his sentences. He will get there in time, but right now, beginning sentences with because is one-hundred-percent out of bounds.

Now, Mrs. Humperdinkle, in her great wisdom, knows that if Billy is forced to begin with the independent clause and end with the dependent clause, the scenario described above will not occur. Sounds like mumbo-jumbo again? (Sigh—demanding readers!) I will explain.

Here is the full idea that Billy wanted to express in that sentence:

Because Disney World is so big, I did not see all of it.

Here it is inverted, with a few adjustments to nouns and pronouns:

I did not see all of Disney World because it is so big.

Imagine that Billy had tried writing this idea the second way. If he had been interrupted—or if his attention span was simply running on fumes—he would still have the following complete idea:

I did not see all of Disney World.

Sure, I suggest that Billy expand on this idea, by giving both the outcome and the cause, but at least this half of the sentence expresses a complete idea. Writing this way, for Billy, is safe. Billy’s teacher knows this.

But we are not Billy. Adult writers should have strong enough attention spans and mastery over basic punctuation to be able to begin sentences with because, and then to complete the sentence with an independent clause. Just because Mrs. Humperdinkle does not want Billy beginning sentences with because does not mean that adults should do the same. She also doesn’t want Billy driving a car. Does that mean you should turn in your keys and start scanning Blue Book values?

The same is true for writing.

Next up: Other Words Like Because

The myth that we should not begin sentences with because extends to other words, like since, when, and although. So, before moving on to Myth #4, this is a good point to share some thoughts on words like because. Also, if you are wondering what I mean when I talk about things like independent clauses or dependent clauses, rest assured that I will address these points—and others—in the upcoming article.

Here is the link to that article:

• A Bit More on Myth 3: “Because” and Other Words Like It

Christopher Altman, a community-college composition specialist, is passionate about bringing the art of effective writing to average, everyday Americans. He has published work in the field of medieval literature, and has authored a book on advertising language entitled, Telling the Truth to Deceive: How Advertisers Manipulate the English Language. Mr. Altman is an assistant professor of English at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, New York.