soclbut和and能不能⽤在句⾸？
mylove西域男孩
有朋友问了这样⼀个问题：
⼀位外籍ESOL⽼师曾说But永远不能放在句⾸，因此我每次写邮件⽤到but都⼗分谨慎，但我在报纸杂志和书上都见过有But作为句⾸出现不⽌⼀次，请问Eric如何看待这个问题？
先说我的答案：
阿富汗大选爆炸
but和and是完全可以放在句⾸的。
在《英语常见问题解答⼤词典》中有类似的问题，作者是这样回答的：“有些语⾔学家早已指出，这个禁⽌在语法上或逻辑上都是没有充⾜理由的”。
pil朗⽂出版的语法书Longman Student Grammar of Spoken and Written English也作出了解释：
bmo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。buddhist
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 accud the best writers ofviolating rules like the, 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 obrved 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 ntence with and or but?
This is a frequently asked question. Although some grammarians might argue that it is improper to begin a ntence
This is a frequently asked question. Although some grammarians might argue that it is improper to begin a ntence with and or but, this practice has been in u since Anglo-Saxon times. In fact, starting a ntence with the conjunctions might create a powerful or dramatic effect.
However, you should consider avoiding an initial and or but in cas where the ntence will do just fine without the conjunction at the beginning. In some cas, the ntence beginning with and or but and the one that comes before it can be connected into a single compound ntence.
•He soon got addicted to gambling. And that didn’t surpri anyone.
•They abud him. They threw stones at him. But he didn’t protest.
Beginning a ntence with a conjunction is esntially a matter of convenience. It doesn’t make your ntences 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
唯寻国际教育
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 obss over grammar. If you have to obss, obss 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 el’s. That’s your goal.
参考资料
proposal《英语常见问题解答⼤词典》
经典英语个性签名Longman Student Grammar of Spoken and Written English
Oxford Guide to Plain English
Fowler's Modern English Usage
提出索赔 英文
