Re: Grammar in HS (Was: Re: Argument Structures)

On Fri, 25 Aug 2000, H. S. Teoh wrote:

> I wouldn't use the KJV to argue for the use of "and" at the beginning of a
> sentence... IIRC, those "and"'s are from the original language (Hebrew,
> perhaps the Greek as well?), and they don't *quite* means the same thing
> as "and" and English. In particular, I remember reading something about
> the use of the conjunction "and" to introduce a *different* or new train
> of thought in a passage. Something like that... sorry, it's been a while
> since I read that, so this may not be completely accurate. My point,
> though, is that translated documents often aren't exactly the best guides
> for style, because they necessarily have to reflect the structure of the
> original language if the translator wants to preserve the original meaning
> as much as possible.
Well, I've seen "and" startings in poetry and an awful lot of fiction.
Along with fragments (like this sentence) and run-ons.  While maybe the
KJB isn't your style guide, writers break the rules to get a desired
effect.  I remember seeing an excerpt from some mainstream writer (don't
recall the name, alas; I rarely read mainstream) who wrote almost
entirely in run-ons.  But oh, the prose--the prose was luminous and
flowed like a river of moonlight.  There is much that I will forgive a
skilled stylist.

YHL