Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Checking for Sentences Beginning with Conjunctions.

Checking for Sentences Beginning with Conjunctions

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated August 21, 2019)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


The grammar checker included with Word is quite powerful when it comes to checking matters of style in your writing. One of the things you can have Word check for is whether any of your sentences begin with certain conjunctions, such as "and," "but," or "hopefully." If you want Word to flag sentences that begin this way, follow these steps:

  1. Choose Options from the Tools menu. Word displays the Options dialog box.
  2. Make sure the Spelling & Grammar tab is selected. (See Figure 1.)
  3. Figure 1. The Spelling & Grammar tab of the Options dialog box.

  4. Click on the Settings button. Word displays the Grammar Settings dialog box.
  5. Scroll through the Grammar and Style Options list until you find the Sentences Beginning with And, But, and Hopefully option. Make sure it is checked.
  6. Click on OK to close the Grammar Settings dialog box.
  7. Click on OK to close the Options dialog box.

If you enable this grammar-checking option, Word will also flag sentences that use the word "plus" as a conjunction between independent clauses in a sentence.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1467) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Checking for Sentences Beginning with Conjunctions.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Opening a Word Document when Starting the Computer

Some people use their computers for little else, other than to work on Word documents. If that is the case with you, then ...

Discover More

Printing Just the Envelope

When you add an envelope to a document, Word adds it to the beginning of the document. Printing just the envelope can be ...

Discover More

Controlling Data Entry in a Cell

Sometimes you want whatever is displayed in one cell to control what is displayed in a different cell. This tip looks at ...

Discover More

Comprehensive VBA Guide Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) is the language used for writing macros in all Office programs. This complete guide shows both professionals and novices how to master VBA in order to customize the entire Office suite for their needs. Check out Mastering VBA for Office 2010 today!

More WordTips (menu)

DLL Problem with Spell Check

Word 2002 has an issue with the SpellCheck feature returning a dll error.

Discover More

Replacing Two Tabs with a Space in Limited Situations

The Find and Replace feature of Word is very powerful, allowing you to finely target exactly what you want to search. ...

Discover More

Pulling Out Spelling Errors

Unless you are creating a very short document, chances are good that your prose will contain spelling errors. If you want ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is six minus 4?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.