Most of us learnt in school that you should not begin a sentence with “And”. But many copywriters seem to have a preference for starting a sentence with exactly that word.

Who is right, the English teacher or the copywriter?

Let’s just begin by saying that this is not a new phenomenon. You no doubt know the phrase, “And God said let there be light and there was light,” from the Book of Genesis. In fact, nearly every other sentence in the verse begins with “And”.

Sir Ernest Gowers, President of the English Association and champion of Plain English until his death in 1966, had this to say on the matter: That such a rule against using “And” exists “is a faintly lingering superstition. The Oxford English Dictionary gives examples ranging from the 10th to the 19th Century.” However he did go on to warn against overuse.

So the copywriter is right, but he or she should still think twice when composing texts. Some readers still think that it is wrong to start with “And”. Which is why it is wise to start a sentence with “And” only when necessary for the flow of the text. The whole idea of a text is to get the reader with you – not against you.

And that’s that.