Syntax: Properly Placing “However”

Should you ever begin a sentence with however? Or should you only use however in a mid-sentence construction?

General Use of However:

• However is a conjunctive adverb that typically signals an upcoming contrast or contradiction: “Defendant disagreed with the prosecutor’s framing of his actions. The evidence, however, speaks for itself.”

Use as a Sentence Starter:

• If you want to slow down the pace and emphasize a point, “however” can be used to grab the reader’s attention. Otherwise, “but” or “yet” convey the same meaning and provide a lighter touch. But be careful opening a sentence with however: the contrast being drawn may be unclear if however is placed too far from the specific elements being contrasted.

Mid-Sentence Use:

• Rule of Thumb: Place however as close to the elements being contrasted as possible. The example below shows why: moving however within a sentence can change the contrast being emphasized.
• Example: The plaintiff didn’t, however, have enough money to pay his fee.
  • Meaning: Here, the emphasis is on the unexpectedness of plaintiff’s lack of funds.
• Example 2: He didn’t have enough money, however, to pay his fee.
  • Meaning: This sentence emphasizes the consequence of plaintiff’s lack of funds—an inability to pay.

Rule: However should be placed directly before—or as close as possible to—the subject of the contrast it is highlighting.

• Punctuation Rule of Thumb: If what comes before however couldn’t stand as a sentence on its own, then you need a comma both before and after the word, NOT a semicolon before.

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