An excerpt from Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing, chapter 3:
The comma is important because however is a conjunctive adverb that can be used in two different ways: it can be a conjunction that joins main clauses, or it can be an adverb that modifies a clause.
Definition of an Adverb
“What is an adverb?” you ask. Most commonly, it is a word that modifies a verb. That’s easy to remember because adverb has the word verb in it. Adverbs often end in -ly. Quickly is an adverb in this sentence: Squiggly ran quickly. Quickly describes how Squiggly ran.
Adverbs can also modify adjectives, other adverbs, clauses, and whole sentences. A conjunctive adverb is a transitional word that joins two clauses that could be independent sentences, and it provides meaning about the relationship between the two sentences. Examples include however, therefore, and nevertheless.
Starting a Sentence with However
If you start a sentence with however and don’t follow it with a comma, however means “in whatever manner” or “to whatever extent.”
However Squiggly tried, he couldn’t get his mind off chocolate.
However loud the maracas, they couldn’t drown out the sound of the gathering peeves.
In both of those sentences, however isn’t acting like a conjunction. It’s not joining anything to anything else. I don’t believe anyone has ever disputed starting a sentence with however when it’s used this way.
Strunk and White Elements of Style
On the other hand, the esteemed grammarians Strunk and White did say in their book, The Elements of Style, that you shouldn’t start a sentence with however when you mean “nevertheless” or “on the other hand.”
Most of the time people stick with Strunk and White, but everyone who’s anyone in modern grammatical society (don’t you wish you could come to our parties?) has decided that the classic advice is unreasonable.
Here’s why: when you put a comma after however at the beginning of a sentence, everyone knows it means “nevertheless.” There’s no reason to outlaw a perfectly reasonable use of the word when you can solve the problem with a comma!
Squiggly couldn’t forget about chocolate. However, he wasn’t trying very hard.
Squiggly was Aardvark’s best friend. However, sometimes Aardvark found him exasperating.
Take that Strunk. Take that White. If you have an unhealthy reverence for Mr. Strunk or Mr. White and want to avoid starting a sentence with however, it’s not hard to do—the quick and dirty tip is to grab a semicolon and use it to connect your 2 main clauses instead of separating them with a period.
Squiggly was Aardvark’s best friend. However, sometimes Aardvark found him exasperating.
Squiggly was Aardvark’s best friend; however, sometimes Aardvark found him exasperating.
Indeed or However in the Middle of a Sentence
Treat the other conjunctive adverbs the same way. For example, if indeed is used in the middle of 2 independent clauses as a connector, treat it as you would however—put a semicolon before it and a comma after.
Squiggly was Aardvark’s best friend; indeed, sometimes Aardvark thought Squiggly was his only friend.
You can also bury a however that means “nevertheless,” “on the other hand,” etc., in the middle of a sentence. You might do this to avoid using it at the beginning when you suspect your audience contains rabid Strunk and White fans, or you might do it because it makes sense with the rhythm of your sentence. When you put however in the middle of a sentence like this, it should be surrounded by commas.
Friendship, however, is a complicated dance.
A gift of chocolate, however, has the power to salve minor missteps.
Again, put a comma before and after however when you use it in the middle of a sentence that way. People often get confused about this point because in long sentences sometimes you need a comma and sometimes you need a semicolon with your however.
Just remember that you only use the semicolon when you are joining two main clauses and the however just happens to be in the way, shouting “nevertheless.”
Just think of a semicolon as a sentence splicer—it splices together two main clauses. So don’t let anyone tell you it’s wrong to start a sentence with however.
On the other hand, it may be a good idea to avoid the practice if you’re applying for a job since a lot of people mistakenly believe it’s wrong. Mind your commas and semicolons, and don’t use any punctuation after however when you use it to mean “in whatever manner” or “to whatever extent.”
Check out Writing and Publishing Editor Julie Burtinshaw's interview with Mignon Fogarty on the art of writing, podcasting, and crafting the perfect sentence.
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