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>However, the old rule of thumb says not to start a sentence with "because."
Uh, pardon my ignorance, but what rule of thumb do you mean? I've never heard
of such a restriction. The only restriction I know is that clauses beginning
with "because" are dependent and must be connected to independent clauses.
EXAMPLE: Because the man bit the dog, the dog was forced to get a
rabies shot.
I generally use "because" as a subordinating conjunction (unless I'm making
some temporal or circumstantial reference) because it can't be confused with
a preposition as "since" can. (Of course, I have a little trouble calling to
mind a situation in which this could create a problem. Hmmmmm.)
Bill Burns *
Assm. Technical Writer/Editor * LIBERTY, n. One of imagination's most
Micron Technology, Inc. * precious possessions.
Boise, ID *
WBURNS -at- VAX -dot- MICRON -dot- COM * Ambrose Bierce
