What's Your Function?

I have had several conversations (which, as I’m sure you will guess, I initiated) about the issue of whether or not to begin a sentence with a conjunction — specifically, a coordinating conjunction. There are seven of these: For, and, nor, but, or, yet & so.

Traditional thought is that it is bad form to begin a sentence with any of these. I say go for it. And I’m not the only one who thinks this is okay. Just don’t do the following:

1. Don’t begin a sentence with a coordinating conjunction if the sentence itself is not really a sentence at all. Example: I like ice cream. And not yogurt. (“And not yogurt” is not a sentence.) Consider: “I like ice cream. And I do not like yogurt.”
2. If you will begin a sentence with a conjunction, don’t bother adding a comma after the conjunction. When I say, “Don’t bother,” I don’t mean to say, “Save yourself the hassle.” I mean to say, “Save the rest of us the hassle. It is unnecessary and incorrect.” Yep.