Can You Start A Sentence With “Otherwise”? Learn It Here! (With Examples)

There are no rules in English that teach us that certain words cannot start sentences. There are plenty of myths surrounding these questions, but none of them hold when challenged. This article will look into starting a sentence with otherwise and how you can make the most of it.

Can You Start A Sentence With “Otherwise”?

You can start a sentence with “otherwise” when it is used to show a different situation from the previous sentence. However, it is not common practice, and it’s not formal either, so you’re better off not doing so. “Otherwise” works best to start a subordinate clause.

You might be wondering what instances there are that allow us to use “otherwise” at the start of a sentence. Generally, these cases come around based on your style of writing. For example:

• He had to do something quickly to help the situation. Otherwise, who knows how things might have gone.

As you can see, the above sentence needs to be split into two. “Otherwise” has to start the second sentence because the overall sentence would be too wordy and difficult to read for many people.

There is nothing grammatically incorrect with the above example, but it’s not a common thing that many formal writers will use.

What Does “Otherwise” Mean At The Beginning Of A Sentence?

So, how can we use “otherwise” at the beginning of a sentence? It all comes back to what it means and how it refers to the previous sentence.

“Otherwise” means “or else” or “failing that” at the beginning of a sentence. We always use it to link back to the previous statement, and we’re showing what might happen if the previous sentence is not fulfilled or completed.

Typically, “otherwise” introduces a negative clause. It gives us some kind of negative effect that would be challenging for somebody to overcome.

Examples Of How To Use “Otherwise” At The Beginning Of A Sentence

It might help you to see a few more examples of how “otherwise” works to start a sentence. Once you’ve seen some of these, you should be able to use it correctly yourself.

1. He shouldn’t have said anything to them about it. Otherwise, no one would have a clue what was going on.
2. You will need to buy all of these items yourself. Otherwise, you’re not going to have much fun while we’re on vacation.
3. You have to do these things before the end of the day. Otherwise, you’ll end up grounded by your parents.
4. I have to complete my homework before tomorrow! Otherwise, Mrs. Smith is going to kill me!
5. I thought you might quite like to go to the cinema with me. Otherwise, I suppose we could just go to a restaurant.
6. We will need to find the tickets before we board the train. Otherwise, they’re not going to let us on!
7. She has to be there. Otherwise, who will be in the audience to support me with this?

“Otherwise” can start a sentence when used as a conjunctive or transitional word. That means we need a sentence to come before “otherwise” to allow us to link back correctly to the meaning from before.

Where Should I Place The Comma When Using “Otherwise” At The Beginning Of A Sentence?

The punctuation rules that come with “otherwise” aren’t too dissimilar to what you might expect. Still, it would be helpful to know how to punctuate the word before writing it yourself.

You should place a comma after “otherwise” whenever it starts a sentence. It’s a conjunctive phrase, and we need the comma after it to show that it’s additional to the sentence, but it isn’t directly necessary to change the meaning.

Here’s how the comma rules work with “otherwise:”

• Correct: I need you to be there with me. Otherwise, I don’t know what I’m going to do.
• Incorrect: I need help with this essay. Otherwise my teacher is going to give me the worst mark!

You might also like: “Otherwise” – Comma Rules Explained (Helpful Examples)

Is It Informal To Start A Sentence With “Otherwise”?

We’ve mentioned a few times in this article that starting a sentence with “otherwise” isn’t strictly formal. We typically use it informally (it’s mostly used at the start of a spoken sentence).

“Otherwise” is informal because we typically use it to start a subordinate clause with formal writing. We want to place two contradicting clauses together when using “otherwise” in most formal cases.

Of course, most of that depends on your tone and style. Some formal writers are happy to place “Otherwise” at the start of a sentence. However, the general consensus is that it should be avoided.

Alternatives To Starting A Sentence With “Otherwise”

It might help you to understand some synonyms for the word. That way, you might have better luck with something that’s considered slightly more appropriate with formal writing.

• Or else
• Or
• If not
• Failing that
• Without that
• Apart from that
• In other ways

Can You End A Sentence With “Otherwise”?

“Otherwise” isn’t only for the beginning of a sentence. We can also find it in other places.

You can end a sentence with “Otherwise” when using it as an adjective or an adverb. These are both common formats for “otherwise,” and we can use them to describe something as “different” or “alternative” from an expected scenario.

Here’s how it might look:

• He booked the tickets to suit the times of the people who would not come otherwise.
• I wish that things were otherwise.
• We needn’t talk about it otherwise.

Can You Use “Otherwise” In The Middle Of A Sentence?

You could even get “otherwise” in the middle of a sentence.

“Otherwise” can work in the middle of a sentence when it’s an adverb or when it connects two clauses. It’s most common in the middle of a sentence, especially with formal writing.

Here’s how you might be able to use “otherwise” in the middle of a sentence:

• Hurry up, please, otherwise we’re not going to make it.
• The otherwise completely helpless woman managed to save herself from harm.
• We need to go, otherwise someone is going to tell us off!