Learn English – Can we start a sentence with “Like this,”

sentencesentence-starts

Is the following sentence well constructed? Like this, doing things that you do not like help you learn important skills. It looks wrong to me, but I have yet to find a rule or guide that could give a reason for this.

Thank you for any and all help!

Best Answer

I'm not sure there is a rule, other than the rule of statistics, since I don't recall seeing that before.

There is a ready alternative:

In this way, doing things that you do not like helps you learn important skills.

The underlying problem, though, seems to have to do with the fact that some phrases seem inappropriate at the beginning of a sentence. Consider 'as well':

We are moving out. We are selling the furniture as well.

Compare:

We are moving out. As well, we are selling the furniture.

This is odd/unacceptable in most varieties of English. However, it is common and accepted in Canadian English. I remember using it in essays all the time, until, during grad school in the US, I read about it and realized that no one there did the same.

http://www.englishforums.com/English/CanadianUsage/ndcdj/post.htm

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