Can You Start a Sentence with 'Because'?
2021-09-11
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1This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Achmad in Suriname. He asks:
2Can you start a sentence with "because" or "and"? -Achmad, Suriname
3Hello Achmad,
4Earlier this year on Ask a Teacher, we answered a reader who asked if sentences can begin with "and."
5The answer is yes.
6You can find the full answer on that program, which ran on January 8.
7Today, let's talk about "because."
8The word "because" is a conjunction that means "for the reason that."
9A conjunction is a word that joins other words or groups of words in a sentence.
10To answer your question: Yes, you can start a sentence with "because."
11However, to be a complete sentence, it must express a complete thought.
12Here are some examples of complete sentences beginning with "because":
13Because I was happy, I smiled.
14Because of the severe storm, my internet went down.
15Notice the punctuation marks.
16There are commas in the middle of the sentences and periods at the end.
17When we start complete sentences with "because," this is how we punctuate them.
18By themselves, "because I was happy" and "because of the severe storm" are not complete sentences.
19But that does not mean they are not acceptable.
20In English, we begin many answers to questions in speaking and informal writing with the word "because."
21For example, suppose you are answering a friend's text message.
22Listen to this question and the answer:
23Why did you smile?
24Because I was happy
25Or, imagine your coworker is asking about your internet:
26Why did your internet go down?
27Because of the storm
28Notice that I did not put a period after the responses that began with "because."
29They are not full sentences.
30But in informal writing, such as texts or informal emails, some English speakers do put periods after incomplete sentences.
31And that's Ask a Teacher for This Week.
32To learn more about starting sentences with "because," look for stories on adverb clauses in the series Everyday Grammar.
33I'm Alice Bryant.
1This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Achmad in Suriname. He asks: 2Question: 3Can you start a sentence with "because" or "and"? -Achmad, Suriname 4Answer: 5Hello Achmad, 6Earlier this year on Ask a Teacher, we answered a reader who asked if sentences can begin with "and." The answer is yes. You can find the full answer on that program, which ran on January 8. 7Today, let's talk about "because." 8The word "because" is a conjunction that means "for the reason that." A conjunction is a word that joins other words or groups of words in a sentence. 9To answer your question: Yes, you can start a sentence with "because." However, to be a complete sentence, it must express a complete thought. 10Here are some examples of complete sentences beginning with "because": 11Because I was happy, I smiled. 12Because of the severe storm, my internet went down. 13Notice the punctuation marks. There are commas in the middle of the sentences and periods at the end. When we start complete sentences with "because," this is how we punctuate them. 14By themselves, "because I was happy" and "because of the severe storm" are not complete sentences. But that does not mean they are not acceptable. In English, we begin many answers to questions in speaking and informal writing with the word "because." 15For example, suppose you are answering a friend's text message. Listen to this question and the answer: 16Why did you smile? 17Because I was happy 18Or, imagine your coworker is asking about your internet: 19Why did your internet go down? 20Because of the storm 21Notice that I did not put a period after the responses that began with "because." They are not full sentences. But in informal writing, such as texts or informal emails, some English speakers do put periods after incomplete sentences. 22And that's Ask a Teacher for This Week. To learn more about starting sentences with "because," look for stories on adverb clauses in the series Everyday Grammar. 23I'm Alice Bryant. 24Alice Bryant wrote this lesson for Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 25_______________________________________________ 26Words in This Story 27punctuation -n. the marks (such as periods and commas) in a piece of writing that make its meaning clear 28text -n. data handled by a computer, cell phone, etc., that is mostly in the form of words 29adverb -n. a word that describes another word and that often shows time, or something related to action 30clause -n. a part of a sentence that has a subject and verb 31We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.