Newspapers often omit words to make their headlines more
eye-catching. Look at the following:
Murdered by her son
MP found guilty of fraud
Pile-up on the motorway
Miracle birthAll of these headlines make sense although words are
missing from the ‘sentences’. We also frequently ignore
grammatical rules when we talk. We also often use ‘non-
sentences’ when writing notices.
Speech
A pound of apples please.
No smoking
Got a pencil?
What a nuisance!
Notices
No smoking
Keep off the grass
Cycling prohibited
All of these make sense although they are not proper
sentences. They would not be used in formal writing.
Using ‘and’ and ‘but’
In his amusing book,The King’s English, Kingsley Amis
describes the idea that you may not start a sentence with
‘and’ or ‘but’ as an ‘empty superstition’. Itispermissible to
start a sentence or even a paragraph with either of the two
VARYING YOUR SENTENCES / 61