Punctuating So at the Beginning of a Sentence

Punctuating So at the Beginning of a Sentence Punctuating â€Å"So† at the Beginning of a Sentence Punctuating â€Å"So† at the Beginning of a Sentence By Maeve Maddox A reader remarked on my punctuation of so at the beginning of several sentences in a recent post: No commas after â€Å"so† as you have used here in your examples! Here are two of the offending sentences: So, how was the interview? So, what should we do now? These examples appear in a discussion of a use of so that is common in spoken English. The written form I gave them represents a style of casual speech. It’s questionable if so can even be called a conjunction in contexts in which it is difficult or impossible to discern what thoughts are being joined. Formal written English treats the punctuation of so at the beginning of a sentence differently. Some speakers feel strongly that the conjunction so shouldn’t begin a sentence at all: I almost fainted when I read the email about the acceptability of beginning sentences with [a conjunction]. I’m firmly in the camp that believes starting a sentence with a conjunction is an error. Although such feelings persist, authorities like The Chicago Manual of Style do not share them: There is a widespread belief- one with no historical or grammatical foundation- that it is an error to begin a sentence with a conjunction such as and, but, or so. In fact, a substantial percentage (often as many as 10 percent) of the sentences in first-rate writing begin with conjunctions. It has been so for centuries, and even the most conservative grammarians have followed this practice.- CMS, 5.206. In formal writing, in contrast to a casual style, a so that begins a sentence is not followed by a comma. Lucius Caesar died at Massilia in 2 CE.; two years later, Gaius Caesar succumbed to a wound he received fighting against Armenian nationalists. So Augustus adopted Tiberius as his son in 4 CE and got him tribunician power and consular imperium for ten years. Note: If a beginning so is followed by a parenthetical expression, a set of commas is needed: So, misinterpreting Ragland’s order, Nolan told Lucan to send the Light Brigade on a frontal attack against the Russian guns. Related posts: Beginning a Sentence with And or But Can And or But Begin a Sentence? Can You Start Sentences with â€Å"And† or â€Å"But†? Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Types of RhymePrecedent vs. PrecedenceTitled versus Entitled