MathGroup Archive 2011

[Date Index] [Thread Index] [Author Index]

Search the Archive

Re: And now for something completely different

  • To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
  • Subject: [mg120507] Re: And now for something completely different
  • From: Murray Eisenberg <murray at math.umass.edu>
  • Date: Tue, 26 Jul 2011 07:08:29 -0400 (EDT)
  • Delivered-to: l-mathgroup@mail-archive0.wolfram.com
  • References: <201107251129.HAA25514@smc.vnet.net>
  • Reply-to: murray at math.umass.edu

Disallowing conjunctions such as "and" and "but" to introduce sentences 
is one of those prissy prohibitions promulgated by grammar police, 
especially in school.

But it's quite common and acceptable today to violate that, at least in 
informal writing. And certainly in speaking. Yet the usage is long 
established in English: check the OED.

And indeed Stephen Wolfram often does begin sentences with "and". Which 
you find annoying. But you seem to find so much that Stephen Wolfram 
does annoying, so why should this be any different?

On 7/25/11 7:29 AM, Richard Fateman wrote:
> Can you start a paragraph with "And"?
>
> http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid090413160418AAyfRO2
>
> says, 'No.'
>
>
> Stephen Wolfram often does so, and I find it annoying.
> example
> http://www.wolframscience.com/nksonline/page-42?firstview=1
>
> This construction seems to have been removed from the online documentation.
>
>
> --RJF
>

-- 
Murray Eisenberg                     murray at math.umass.edu
Mathematics & Statistics Dept.
Lederle Graduate Research Tower      phone 413 549-1020 (H)
University of Massachusetts                413 545-2859 (W)
710 North Pleasant Street            fax   413 545-1801
Amherst, MA 01003-9305




  • Prev by Date: Re: Grid Divider Style With Background Colors
  • Next by Date: Re: TransformedDistribution -- odd problem
  • Previous by thread: Re: And now for something completely different
  • Next by thread: Re: And now for something completely different