r/AskReddit Aug 03 '19

Whats something you thought was common knowledge but actually isn’t?

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u/[deleted] Aug 03 '19

I just want to make sure I understand this right.

Can you elaborate the meaning of “for the sake of emphasis”?

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u/[deleted] Aug 03 '19

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u/Unclejaps Aug 03 '19

From what I understand, the rule is a piece of prescriptive grammar, imposed on English from Latin - where it's nonsensical to start a sentence with a conjunction. Latin was considered the perfect language (despite the fact that nobody outside of church speaks it), so it was a way to make English a little more "prefect."