Member-only story
So, I Began This Article With a Conjunction
And I’m not sorry
I can’t ask my kids a question without them beginning their answer with “So, ….”
“How was your day?”
“So, I was at the gym in the morning…”
“What film did you go see?”
“So, Susan wanted to see a romantic comedy and I wanted to see the latest Mission Impossible film, so we compromised and watched the romantic comedy.”
“What would you do if you tore your trousers?” — “So,…” — “I’ll stop you there, that’s correct.”
They weren’t aware they were doing it.
Was it an affectation? A bad habit? Imitation of what they heard on the TV or from their peers? They all did it, and it became one of my bugbears. It niggled me as much as those people who flick their cigarette butts out of their car windows,¹ but not as bad as those people who ditch their McDonalds packaging at the side of the road.
As a publication editor, I see people submitting articles littered with sentences and paragraphs that begin with a conjunction.
When things like that bother me, I ask myself why. I like to examine where it comes from and why it niggles me. Do I need to feel that way?
