Ands and Buts, also British spelling.

[MartinReed]

My article 'Justin Bieber - Rock Star Behaviour' has been reviewed and rejected. I'm not incredibly cut-up about this because I accept that the article, which I wrote in a bit of a hurry, needs editing.

BUT, just so I don't waste my, or the editor's time, I'd like to ask a few questions about points which were raised.

First, a question about what is considered correct grammar. I have to say I use conjunctions at the beginning of sentences quite a lot. I view this as a stylistic device, which at times, I must admit, I might use excessively.
So, is a conjunction at the beginning of a sentence always to be considered incorrect?

Similarly, is a preposition at the end of a sentence, always to be considered wrong. in particular, is it wrong to use a preposition in this way, when it is part of a well-known phrase, such as, for instance, 'look up to'?

It was stated that there are spelling errors and typos in the article. There may well be. But is a British spelling automatically considered incorrect? My spell-check dictionary allows both American and British spellings through; I am a native British-English speaker.

I use the neologism 'diva-ish' (which I prefer to 'diva-like'), but are neologisms allowed?

[Isabelnewth]

Hallo I just noticed this post, late in the day, and am replying because I too am bothered by the And and But thing.

I had a rejection for using them at the start of sentences, although, like you, I think that is a legitimate stylistic device, particularly in an informal piece. I think that there may be a bit of 'luck of the draw' in it, as some edits or editors seem to be noticeably harsher, but I am afraid that I always play safe now. Which is annoying, as I think that 'But' at the start of a sentence reads better than 'however or 'nevertheless' which I now tend to substitute. To me, those are awful, turgid words.

So if you get an And or a But past the editors let me know!

I usually try to re-word things to avoid any unconventional grammar if possible, as I find that rules, specially about commas, are applied more rigidly here than I am used to. The same applies to neologisms particularly if they are slightly facetious. This site has almost cured me of facetiousness!

They don't normally reject for UK spelling, as long as it's consistent throughout the article. Though unless it's a UK subject I normally translate to US spelling on the assumption that it will tend to sell better.

[SJHillman]

I use "however" fairly often (but never "nevertheless"). "But" is a good alternative in many contexts that can save you two syllables, so I think it's best to choose whichever one suits the flow of your article better. Unfortunately, English teachers the world around have taught that you should never start a sentence with a conjunction. Of course, if you talk to any published author you'll find that English teachers and English disagree more often than not.

[Isabelnewth]

We were taught that too; but I found that when I used And and But to start sentences at school and it read well, it wasn't corrected by English teachers, whereas here it is.

[SalmanRvF]

We were taught that too; but I found that when I used And and But to start sentences at school and it read well, it wasn't corrected by English teachers, whereas here it is.

You used 'but' after the semi-colon in that sentence. One of my article was rejected due to that mistake.

[Isabelnewth]

I do not believe there is any such hard and fast rule. But if I am submitting an article I try to be extremely cautious, and in the above case I would have porobably put a full stop followed by the dreaded However...

[evaku]

So if you get an And or a But past the editors let me know!

I don't use them often, but every time I do it hasn't been an issue! hmmmm

[mnicol22]

I've used pretty much everything at the beginning of a sentence: and, but, however, nevertheless... you name it. I never gave it a second thought, and I never had a single rejection for that reason. I think these words have a much stronger effect when they are used at the beginning, although I try to use them sparingly. Nevertheless, I still find a rejection for this reason unjustifiable. Personal taste in language is one thing, but it shouldn't supersede correct grammar usage.

[SalmanRvF]

I've used pretty much everything at the beginning of a sentence: and, but, however, nevertheless... you name it. I never gave it a second thought, and I never had a single rejection for that reason. I think these words have a much stronger effect when they are used at the beginning, although I try to use them sparingly. Nevertheless, I still find a rejection for this reason unjustifiable. Personal taste in language is one thing, but it shouldn't supersede correct grammar usage.

Perhaps you were just lucky. My account is suspended due to improper grammar in my article; and it was the first review of that particular article.

[Tster]

Nevertheless, I still

Hahahaha...

[mnicol22]

Nevertheless, I still

Hahahaha...

Yup, that was on purpose!