called a preposition or not.

There is no doubt that, after 600 years of use, conjunctive like is firmly
established. It has been used by many prestigious literary figures of the past, though perhaps not in their
most elevated works; in modern use, it may be found in literature, journalism, and scholarly writing. While
the present objection to it is perhaps more heated than rational, someone writing in a formal prose style
may well prefer to use as, as if, such as, or an entirely different construction instead.
All the above is quoted from Merriam Websters Collegiate Dictionary.
That
When that is used as a subordinating conjunction it has direct relation to the verb in the main clause. In
fact, the omission of that in such sentences does not impair the sentence in any way.
Lavanya knew [that] she was about to be fired.
She definitely felt [that] her fellow employees hadnt supported her.
Remember, [that] we didnt have these problems before she started working here.
(Notice the comma in the last sentence. If you use that, the comma will disappear)
As a general rule, if the sentence feels just as good without the that, if no ambiguity results from its
omission, if the sentence is more efficient or elegant without it, then we can safely omit the that.
Theodore Bernstein, however, lists three conditions in which we should maintain the conjunction that:
When a time element intervenes between the verb and the clause:
The boss said yesterday that production in this department was down fifty per cent. (Notice the
position of yesterday.)
When the verb of the clause is long delayed:
Our annual report revealed that some losses sustained by this department in the third quarter of last
year were worse than previously thought. (Notice the distance between the subject losses and its
verb, were.)
When a second that can clear up who said or did what:
The CEO said that Isabels department was slacking off and that production dropped precipitously in
the fourth quarter. (Did the CEO say that production dropped or was the drop a result of what he said
about Isabels department? The second that makes the sentence clear.)
(Dos, Donts & Maybes of English Usage by Theodore Bernstein.
Gramercy Books.)
Beginning a Sentence with because
There is absolutely nothing wrong with beginning a sentence with because.
Because the service sector has grown tremendously, the government would very much like to see it
taxed in some manner.
Conjunctive Adverbs
Words like however, moreover, nevertheless, consequently, are conjunctive adverbs. They show specific
relationships between ideas. These words also make transition from one idea to another smooth.

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