Diagramming sentences beginning with conjunctions?

[Martha]

Help, I need a grammar guru! I've seen some interesting discussions about why it is permissible to begin a sentence with a conjunction, but I haven't been able to find an example of diagramming a sentence that begins with "and", or "but". We've been coming across lots of sentences beginning with "and" in the KJV models in CW Homer, so I've wimped out and diagrammed them as isolates. I sense a faint whiff of adverbial properties, but neither one (and/but) seems to fit in with the adverbial conjunctions. If these conjunctions function as transitions indicating a close relationship between two separate sentences is there a way of showing this in a diagram? Advice, anyone?

[Lene Mahler Jaqua]

Martha,

Some questions on this board, leave me feeling totally "out to lunch". This is one of them. Take what follows below as a complete guess.

Conjunctions, by their very nature, "co-join" elements. Therefore if there is a conjunction, it must be joining something.

Nowadays the general rule taught in college is NOT to start a sentence with a coordinating conjunction (AND, BUT, FOR, SO... etc). Our modern conventions tell us that it's "dangling".

Older English frequently starts a sentence with a conjunction. Shakespeare and the KJV Bible would not pass freshman English in college... LOL!!

MY sense of the conjunction at the beginning of the sentence is that in a very real way, it connects itself to the previous sentence or to the previous paragraph.

Here is an example Isaiah 17:3-4

vs 3 The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus and the remnant of SYria: thye shall be as the glory of the children of Israel saith the Lord of hosts.

vs 4. And in that day it shall come to pass, that the glory of Jacob shall be made thin, and the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean.

(This was a random passage. I just flipped my KJV open).

The "And" that begins vs. 4 is connecting to vs, 3, saying when that fortress shall cease and the kingdom be taken away *IN THAT DAY* the glory of Jacob shall be made thin. Point being that the conjunction makes it implicit that this sentence and its events relate to what went on before.

I would diagram it as dashed lines which go vertically up where the previous sentence would have been in the diagram if you diagrammed the previous sentence along with this one.

JMHO;

Lene

[Martha]

Thank you Lene,

Your suggestion makes perfect sense. I'll think of these sentences as variants of the compound sentence. I remember being taught that never, under any circumstance, should one begin a sentence with a conjunction. My guess is that people who write diagramming books were taught this too. Diagramming such a monstrosity must be unthinkable. LOL

I'm off now to see how many ways I can foul up baking a pumpkin pie. ;D Happy Thanksgiving.

Martha
(Who, if the truth be told, has no opinion whatever of punctuation rules.)

[Lene in CO]

My question would be this: When was it established that conjunctions can only join words, phrases, or clauses. Can't conjunctions join paragraphs, or link from one paragraph to the other.

We talk about transitioning from one sentence to the next and from one paragraph to the next. If what makes sense to both of us is true, then a conjunction, used in the King James-Shakespearean sense, is part of making that transition.

In fact, I rebelled against the "never start a sentence with a conjunction"-rule long ago. If you look at my posts on this board, you will see many sentences beginning with "And..." and "But...".

Lene, off to make turkey stuffing, bake 3 pies, and get a cranberry relish to set. -- I traditionally burn the rolls on Thanksgiving. Most everything else is made the day beofre, therefore leaving more room for error to be corrected as needed