Because, because, because, because.

First of all, I was getting all kinds of sad, thinking that no one read the fabulous new grammar blog since I'd never gotten a comment from it.

Sad. So very, very sad.

And just now, while playing with some of the settings, I realized that I'd never set it up to email the comments to me - and shock of all shocks - you like me! You really like me! And when I've been struggling to come up with grammar faux pas to include, there's actually been requests waiting for me!

Joy!

I plan on accommodating all of your requests in the next couple of days.

Before that, though, I need to address a fallacy of many misguided English teachers.

Every year, I have innumerable students protest one of my example sentences: "Ms. B! You can't start a sentence with 'because'."

"Um, no," I reply. "That's actually a lie."

Perhaps it is laziness, or perhaps it is a misunderstanding, but English teachers across the nation teach their students that sentences cannot begin with the word "because." Students only remember about five percent of what they are taught - it only figures that they'd remember one of the few blatantly incorrect statements.

First, in technical terms: "because" is a coordinating conjunction, used to start a subordinate adverb clause. It's a little redundant to use "subordinate" AND "adverb", since adverb clauses are by their nature subordinate.

To make this more understandable, think about "because" statements. You're trying to say that because something happen, something else was caused to happen. For instance, "Because I did not pay my bill, my electricity was cut off."

If I started my sentence with "because" and only included the subordinate clause, this is what I'd end up with: "Because I did not pay my bill." Unless that's the answer to the question "Why don't you have any electricity," your reader is going to want more information.

The issue isn't that sentences can't begin with "because"; it's that the first clause needs to be followed with more information.

Let me explain subordinate clauses a bit more while I'm on the subject. We have two major types of clauses in the English language: independent and subordinate. All clauses contain a subject and a verb. In the previous sentence, my subject is clauses and my verb is contain. I tell my students that independent clauses are grown-ups - they can go out by themselves, and they don't have a curfew. These are all independent clauses from The Awakening:

"The letter was right there at hand in the drawer of the little table."
"She placed it in Edna's hands."
"Mademoiselle played a soft interlude."

Subordinate clauses are like teenagers - they can't stay out by themselves. They work as a particular part of speech: noun, adjective, or adverb. They begin with one or two words that keep them from being independent clauses, such as "because", "which", or "who," so they always need to be attached to an independent clause. Clauses always have subjects and verbs, although the subject can sometimes be hard to find.

Adjective clause: The boy who failed the test needs to go to tutoring.

In that sentence, my independent/grown-up clause is "the boy needs to go to tutoring." My subject is boy; my verb is needs.

Notice, though, that I have another verb in there: failed. This is usually a good indication that there is another clause present.

The words "who failed the test" tells me about a noun - "the boy." See how it's working like an adjective by telling me about a noun? The subject of that adjective clause is "who."

Still following me?

Adverb clause: Although I wanted sushi, Anthony and I got pizza instead.

My independent clause is "Anthony and I got pizza instead."

Notice that "although I wanted sushi" does have a subject (I) and a verb (wanted), the word "although" keeps it from being a complete sentence.

Noun clauses are probably the hardest to identify because they require a bit more understanding into how the language works, since they often work as subjects or direct objects in a sentence. Here's an example:

Whoever wants to go fishing should board the bus now.

Notice that the whole phrase could easily be replaced with a pronoun (they) that is more clearly distinguishable as the subject of the sentence.

Whew. That's intense for one day. The adverb clause is the one that we'll come back to more often as the central issue for other common grammar errors. Any questions?