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I would like to start a sentence with "But nothing compares to..." and it seems like I should place a comma between "but" and "nothing."

But when I say it aloud, there's no pause there at all, and it all seems to be one phrase. In fact, adding the comma seems to change the meaning.

"But nothing compares to your beauty." - I've seen some beautiful things, but you're the most beautiful.

"But, nothing compares to your beauty." - You've got some faults, but at least you're beautiful.

Should there be a comma there, or not?

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  • You are correct that no comma is needed in your example.
    – Mark Hubbard
    Commented Jul 30, 2016 at 15:10
  • @Mark Why not? I've always been told that if if I have an independent clause such as "nothing compares to your beauty" preceded by a coordinating conjunction such as "but," a comma should separate the two. What makes this a special case?
    – Pro Q
    Commented Jul 30, 2016 at 15:14
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    If you were using "however" instead of "but," I would agree. Starting a sentence with a short conjunction is in itself a stylistic choice, not a rule-based decision, and your argument for not using a comma is a good one.
    – Mark Hubbard
    Commented Jul 30, 2016 at 15:25
  • @MarkHubbard if I could just upvote your comment, I would. Thank you!
    – Pro Q
    Commented Jul 30, 2016 at 15:30
  • Thank you, @Pro Q, and welcome to EL&U. I hope to see more questions (and answers) from you in the future.
    – Mark Hubbard
    Commented Jul 30, 2016 at 15:39

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