Conjunctions

"We shouldn't begin sentences with 'and' or 'but' but I see sentences like this in the newspaper every day. And it makes me angry!"

Some so-called 'grammar rules' are actually guidelines we use in helping children to write in formal English. In fact, skilled writers often ignore these guidelines in order to create specific effects.

For example, we sometimes use 'and' or but' to introduce a new sentence. And this emphasises the significance of the link.

Prepositions

"Are there ever occasions when it is correct to end a sentence in a preposition?"

Some so-called 'grammar rules' are based on Latin grammar and don't really apply to English. A century ago or more, some grammarians invented these rules in order to try to make English more like Latin.

In very formal written English we usually try to avoid ending sentences in prepositions. However, we often use prepositions to end questions such as 'Where are you going to?' or 'Where do you come from?' We also use them in relative clauses such as ' …. the music, I like listening to.'

Hanging participles

If they think about it, most people find sentences such as the following illogical: 'Flying through the air in great loops, I watched the bird with great fascination.' This is because the subject of the sentence is 'I', but the participle 'flying' refers to what the bird does; not to what I do. We call this illogical use of 'flying' a hanging participle.

People would generally prefer a sentence such as: 'Flying through the air in great loops, the bird completely fascinated me.' Here 'the bird' is doing both the fascinating and the flying.