although he is a child

[quietdandelion]

John is brave although he is only a child.


Some grammar books say that it's improper for although to appear in the middle of a sentence; therefore it should be rewritten as follow:

Although John is only a child, he is brave.


What do you think? Thanks.

 

[Siberia]

'Although' is a subordinating conjunction. This kind of conjunction makes it clear that one item is subordinate to the other. Cleary, in your example, the conjunction is introducing a clause so I can't see why it really matters if it's at the beginning or the middle. However, as far as style is concerned I would use the second example.

 

[The Flaneur]

Hi quietdandelion. I would say the second example is much better. If you say "John is brave although he is only a child" it suggests that he might be more brave if he were grown up. The second suggests that he is brave, especially as he is only a child.

 

[panjandrum]

I've not come across this idea about although.
To my mind, both sentences are perfectly OK, with a small nuance of meaning between them.

John is brave, although he is only a child.
Focus on John's bravery.

Although he is only a child, John is brave.
Focus on John's childhood.

 

[The Flaneur]

I would say that "John is brave, although he is only a child" is more akin to saying "John is brave, but he is only a child" than it is to "John is brave, even though he is only a child".