Starting a sentence with the word Or

Question

The two sentences, I would like to have considered are these;

"Barry also describes feminism as being just the opposite of essentialism. Or as Culler points out .... "

Is the second sentence of correct construction.

Thank you in advance

Duncan

Marius Hancu · Accepted Answer

Yes, you can, but you need a comma after Or.

Search at Yahoo with say:
"or as he points out"
(quotations are important)
and you'll get several examples such as:

-----
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=11592

Worse was to come. After getting to the show late, our mole met some
friends wearing phoney name badges. Or, as he points, out "not really
phoney, just someone else's".
----
The comma after points is wrong in the article. Should've been after out.

Clive · Answer

Hi Belushi,

Welcome to the Forum.

The two sentences, I would like to have considered are these;

"Barry also describes feminism as being just the opposite of essentialism. Or as Culler points out .... "

Is the second sentence of correct construction?

Starting with 'or' is is very commonly done, in writing. I wouldn't say it's wrong. However, I see it as a stylistic device that should be used sparingly. If someone does not have a good sense of style, I would suggest this should be avoided.

However, in your specific example, what are the two alternatives that are being presented? I don't think 'or' is a suitable word here. 'Or' requires similar grammar for each of the two alternatives, and that is not the case here. The alternatives should be 'A does this ....or B does that ...', not 'A does this ....or as B does that ... '

I think this flaw becomes more apparent if you try to rewrite it all as one sentence.

"Barry also describes feminism as being just the opposite of essentialism or, as Culler points out, .... "

I don't think this sentence, if you continue it, will reflect the intended meaning. What will be the subject of the second part?

I think the second sentence would be better written as

However, Culler points out .... or perhaps In contrast, Culler points out ....

Best wishes, Clive

Belushi · Answer

Hey, thanks for the speedy reply.

The full paragraph that she has written is this ...

According to Barry, Feminist Criticism could be described as the examination of representations of women in literature by men and women. Barry also describes feminism as being just the opposite of essentialism. Or as Culler points out, “Feminist theory stresses the impact of socially constructed gender roles on making the subject what he or she is” (Culler:111)

I leant toward the comma after the "Or" but it just didnt sound right. The authoress is a natural German speaker, writing a small piece for her Master's Degree.

BarbaraPA · Answer

The authoress is a natural German speaker.

Perhaps this is another Americanism, but I've never seen the word "authoress" before. Author has no gender that I'm aware of.

Pieanne · Answer

BelushiThe two sentences, I would like to have considered are these;

"Barry also describes feminism as being just the opposite of essentialism. Or, as Culler points out, .... "

Is the second sentence of correct construction.

Thank you in advance

Duncan

I agree with Marcus.

Clive · Answer

Hi guys,

According to Barry, Feminist Criticism could be described as the examination of representations of women in literature by men and women. Barry also describes feminism as being just the opposite of essentialism. Or as Culler points out, “Feminist theory stresses the impact of socially constructed gender roles on making the subject what he or she is” (Culler:111)

I don't seem to have gotten anyone's interest by questioning the lack of parallel grammar and ideas in the sentences as originally posted. Now that we have the full paragraph, I still don't like the 'or'.

Let me try another approach. Starting a sentence with 'or' often encourages imprecise thinking. This paragraph is an example. What is the 'scope' of the 'or'? In other words, does the 'or' refer only to the sentence that precedes it, or does it refer to the two sentences that precede it? The writer leaves the reader to figure that out as best he/she can.

Best wishes, Clive

Pieanne · Answer

Marius HancuYes, you can, but you need a comma after Or.

Search at Yahoo with say:
"or as he points out"
(quotations are important)
and you'll get several examples such as:

-----
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=11592

Worse was to come. After getting to the show late, our mole met some
friends wearing phoney name badges. Or, as he points, out "not really
phoney, just someone else's".
----
The comma after points is wrong in the article. Should've been after out.

Yet, the comma should come after "out".

Belushi · Answer

Grammar Geek
The authoress is a natural German speaker.

Perhaps this is another Americanism, but I've never seen the word "authoress" before. Author has no gender that I'm aware of.

Noun

1.

authoress - a woman author

author, writer - writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)

It has been a word in my vocabulary for years. I didnt even realise it could be americanised.

Belushi · Answer

I am happy with your explanation and it fits with my unease about the whole construction of the sentence.

Parallel grammar in this case makes sense to me.

Thank you very much for your assistance.

I have a couple more questions for the boys and girls, but they warrant a new thread

Duncan

Anonymous · Answer

Regardless, it still represents a trite nuance. After a few centuries we've finally given up 'actress.' I think Zissner,

Belushi
Grammar Geek wrote:

The authoress is a natural German speaker.

Perhaps this is another Americanism, but I've never seen the word "authoress" before. Author has no gender that I'm aware of.

Noun 1. authoress - a woman author
author, writer - writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)

It has been a word in my vocabulary for years. I didnt even realise it could be americanised.

or anyone else interested in an uncluttered vocabulary, would find delight in the death of 'authoress' as well.

Starting a sentence with the word Or

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