However, unlike a coordinating conjunction, it needs a semicolon preceding it to adjoin two proper sentences. Not adhering to even one of those rules could render a sentence grammatically wrong. For example:. In the passage above, if the first sentence is taken out, the reader will not understand why the subject is talking about buying a new smartphone.
The original sentence offers some much-needed context. Such usage, however, is usually relegated to casual or friendly correspondences. It's not joining anything to anything else. I don't think anyone has ever disputed starting a sentence with "however" when it is used that way. However, if crew morale is better served by my roaming the halls weeping, I will gladly defer to your medical expertise. I know many of you revere Strunk and White, but this is one instance in which nearly all modern style guides have decided that the classic advice is unreasonable.
Some writers have even gone so far as to say it is preferable to start sentences with "however" instead of burying the word in the middle of a sentence, because putting it at the beginning makes the connection between sentences more clear and therefore makes the text easier to scan. As an Amazon Associate and a Bookshop.
But if crew morale is better served by my roaming the halls weeping, I will gladly defer to your medical expertise. How to use semicolons with 'however' If you want to avoid starting a sentence with "however," it's not hard to do—just grab a semicolon and use it to connect your two main clauses.
What I mean is that instead of putting a period at the end of the sentence before the "however," put a semicolon there instead. However, it should in no way be associated with that great body of factual information relating to orthodox Zen Buddhist practice. With the semicolon, you no longer have a "however" at the beginning of a sentence.
Conjunctive adverbs and semicolons You put a semicolon before other conjunctive adverbs when they connect main clauses too. It rained; consequently, the party was canceled. You have to come to the party. I bought balloons; moreover, I bought cake. You might do this to avoid using it at the beginning when you are insecure about your audience, or you might do it because it makes sense with the rhythm of your sentence.
Garner and Chicago both say using "however" is a good way to add emphasis to the part that comes next. For example, Dickens buried the "however" in this sentence from "Nicholas Nickleby": Love, however, is very materially assisted by a warm and active imagination. When you put "however" in the middle of a sentence like this, it should be surrounded by commas. Here's another example: in "Breakfast of Champions," Kurt Vonnegut wrote, The chief weapon of sea pirates, however, was their capacity to astonish.
Nobody else could believe, until it was too late, how heartless and greedy they were. Again, put a comma before and after "however" when you use it in the middle of a sentence this way. This is one area where people get confused because sometimes you need a semicolon before "however" in the middle of a long sentence and sometimes you need a comma before "however" in the middle of a long sentence.
So remember, don't let anyone tell you that it's wrong to start a sentence with "however," and it's often more effective to use the simpler word "but. Fourth Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, Aaron, J. We typically think of adverbs as modifiers, but conjunctive adverbs are a special breed. Their function is not to modify but to connect. Thus, a conjunctive adverb is an adverb that connects two clauses.
Conjunctive adverbs show cause and effect, sequence, contrast, comparison, or another type of relationship. Conjunctive adverbs are often used as introductory terms ; in this case, these words should be followed by a comma for clarity: Therefore, all of the test animals were re-examined. This situation also applies to instances in which the conjunctive adverb is the introductory word of a second independent clause : Joe had forgotten his running shoes , and therefore, he could not participate in the race.
In this sentence, the first comma is used to separate the first independent clause from the second independent clause, and the second comma is needed after the introductory word therefore. You do not need a third comma between and and therefore. Note that this example can also be written as follows: Joe had forgotten his running shoes ; therefore, he could not participate in the race. The use of the semicolon to separate the two independent clauses is often preferred when the second clause begins with introductory adverbs such as thus , therefore , however , and indeed.
Be careful to avoid a comma splice when joining two independent clauses with a conjunctive adverb:. When conjunctive adverbs are not used as introductory words, the placement of commas depends on whether the word is restrictive , or essential to the meaning; that is, is the word required to convey the correct meaning, or would the sentence remain intact if the word were removed? If the word is restrictive, commas should not be used; if the word is nonrestrictive , commas are required.
Here is an example in which therefore is essential to the meaning of the sentence: The students cheated and were therefore disqualified. In this sentence, the disqualification is a direct consequence of the cheating.
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