Macmillan Holdings, LLC. Grammar Girl, Grammar Girl's, QDnow, and Quick and Dirty Tips are all trademarks of Macmillan Holdings, LLC. Beware of one danger. Amy grammar There are plenty of real, grammatical sentences that start with "which." They are questions. Example: Which of you is the new manager? http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/start-sentence-with-which.aspx?commentid=20815#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/start-sentence-with-which.aspx?commentid=20815#Comments Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:39:44 GMT Philip grammar What a disappointing episode. As Frank and NJW point out, sentence fragments may be useful stylistically in certain contexts, but it is at best misleading to say they are grammatically correct. Instead, incorrect grammar is sometimes used for dramatic effect. It really has little to do with the particular word "which". The clause starting this paragraph (beginning with the word "what") is the same type of construct. One can achieve a similar effect in formal writing simply by using correct punctuation. As explained in other episodes, a comma indicates a short pause while an em-dash indicates a longer pause. Separating a sentence fragment such as a which clause from the main sentence with an em-dash would be grammatically correct in formal writing, and would indicate the longer pause the writer intends. That kind of information would have been more useful here then simply providing carte blanch for sentence fragments. http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/start-sentence-with-which.aspx?commentid=18548#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/start-sentence-with-which.aspx?commentid=18548#Comments Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:13:30 GMT SsAaa grammar THANKS http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/start-sentence-with-which.aspx?commentid=18214#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/start-sentence-with-which.aspx?commentid=18214#Comments Mon, 03 Aug 2009 16:47:52 GMT QD Tips Admin grammar SummerDaze, we are looking into changing that! Thanks for the tip! http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/start-sentence-with-which.aspx?commentid=18062#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/start-sentence-with-which.aspx?commentid=18062#Comments Mon, 27 Jul 2009 04:00:00 GMT Amber grammar Exactly what I was thinking, PC2. On a slightly related note, I commonly hear the phrase "speaking of which," but to me, the "which" sounds unnecessary and obsolete. Wouldn't "speaking of" be just as clear as "speaking of which"? And on an almost completely unrelated note, what's up with the phrase "going to the effort"? I've always thought "going through the effort" makes much more sense, but I've conformed to say "going to the effort" because just about everyone says it that way. Care to clear this up for me? http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/start-sentence-with-which.aspx?commentid=18003#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/start-sentence-with-which.aspx?commentid=18003#Comments Thu, 23 Jul 2009 17:24:26 GMT Rufus T. Firefly grammar I appreciate the service but I cannot stand to listen to the voice. It sounds too snooty and condescending to me. Sorry! http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/start-sentence-with-which.aspx?commentid=17998#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/start-sentence-with-which.aspx?commentid=17998#Comments Thu, 23 Jul 2009 15:16:15 GMT SummerDaze grammar Privacy/security issue: Do you realise that commenters' email addresses are displayed when you subscribe to the comments RSS feed? Not good. http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/start-sentence-with-which.aspx?commentid=17956#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/start-sentence-with-which.aspx?commentid=17956#Comments Tue, 21 Jul 2009 04:13:00 GMT njw grammar Sentence fragments such as those described above may be fine for dramatic purposes in creative writing or blog posts, but it would be a mistake to use them in formal writing such as academic papers or formal letters. I strongly advise especially against doing so in job applications and cover letters--most people in a position to read this will assume you don't know how to construct a proper sentenc and will toss your application out! http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/start-sentence-with-which.aspx?commentid=17953#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/start-sentence-with-which.aspx?commentid=17953#Comments Tue, 21 Jul 2009 02:34:15 GMT Frank grammar I think the distinction between grammar and style should be drawn. The 'which' fragment examples above--one of which is,“Which was why I had such a stomachache....” are aptly called fragments. They are, grammatically, fragments. A writer may choose, on stylistic grounds, to use fragments from time to time, but a grammarian would almost have to--by definition--cite such clauses as 'grammatically incorrect. http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/start-sentence-with-which.aspx?commentid=17945#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/start-sentence-with-which.aspx?commentid=17945#Comments Mon, 20 Jul 2009 18:17:05 GMT Cassie Tuttle grammar On the topic of using "which" -- Have you noticed the annoying use of "which" as a conjunction, especially in conversation? Here are some examples I found in deposition transcripts: "This policy continues to provide that sexual harassment may be reported to supervisors, which the May, 2002 policy imposed a heavier burden for reporting racial harassment." "They made her my supervisor, which she had no managerial experience at all." "Then what happened next is, to my knowledge, there was an investigation opened and whatever the security department does, which I don't know how they conduct their investigations, but they did their investigation and the result was letting this employee go." Grrrr ..... http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/start-sentence-with-which.aspx?commentid=17929#Comments http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/start-sentence-with-which.aspx?commentid=17929#Comments Sun, 19 Jul 2009 06:46:38 GMT Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:39:44 GMT http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/start-sentence-with-which.aspx feedback@quickanddirtytips.com (Managing Editor) feedback@quickanddirtytips.com (Webmaster) en-us