What part of speech is "also" and can you begin a sentence with it?

Question

What part of speech is "also" and can you begin a sentence with it?

Answer 1

It's an adverb. It is tacked onto a verb (generally before it). The sentence would still be grammatically correct if you removed it. It basically just adds more emphasis to the verb.

eg.

"She also mentioned that...."

You can use it at the start of a sentence, with a comma after it. This is unusual however, as it can sound a bit disjointed. eg.

"Tomorrow we are having a barbeque. Also, we plan to have a cocktail party."

In the above example, it is used as a conjunction (like the word "and", not an adverb. It would only be placed at the beginning of the sentence for special emphasis - eg. you really want to draw attention to something additional.

Answer 2

It's a conjunction and usually you don't start a sentence with a conjunction. However so is however and I think also and however are two conjunctions that are ok to start sentences with providing they're used appropriately and  make sense.

Answer 3

generally speaking, "also" is not a word used in the beginning of a sentence when writing in a formal tone.

i just checked out on dictionary.com and it can be used as an adverb and as a conjuction. it all depends on how you use it in a sentence.  

Answer 4

I consider " Also" to be a conjunction. It can be used at the beginning of a sentence, provided it makes sense and sounds okay. Usually grammar mistakes can be avoided by reading the sentence each word out loud and asking does this sound proper.

Answer 5

After lots of searching, I found that it's either a conjunction meaning "and" or an adverb meaning "in addition to".

No, you shouldn't begin a sentence with it. It doesn't sound right, see?

Also, get eggs from the grocery store.

No, doesn't sound correct.

Answer 6

Agree with the others; to refine it a bit, if you are writing text to be spoken, e.g. a speech or script, starting with a conjunction helps the flow and also provides a place to breathe.

Otherwise it's best to avoid the practice.

Remember Professor Irwin Corey, 'The World's Greatest Authority'? He always started his monologue with "Furthermore...."