The article talks on the order of words and how they effect meaning. There are basic rules and sentences that most people educated with some grammar wouldn’t make, such as:
“Johnny and Bill has his own bike.”
In our system of English, the words he, she, or they that have prepositions in front of them show their relationship by switching to the object form (him, her, or them). The author goes on to explain that one problem we have in grammar is when somebody says something like:
“You and me should go get some coffee.”
A lot of sticklers for grammar might be quick to correct the person who says this and demand they say:
“You and I should go get some coffee.”
J. D. Salinger had his character Holden Caulfield talk in a strange sort of manner that addresses this issue – Caulfield often saying things like: “I think I probably woke he and his wife up…”
Most editors find the following problems in writing: confusing word order, lack of clear signal by pronouns, and verbs that don’t signal the nouns they belong to.
An example of a word order signal choice given is: “When green, I love the woods most of all.” The problem with this sentence is that because of the word order, it isn’t clear on the meaning of the sentence. Does it mean that when I’m feeling sick I love the woods more than anything, or does it mean I really love the woods when they look green? The word order must be changed and thought upon to construct meaning here, as you can make two different meaning sentences with this – either:
“I love the woods when green most of all.”
Or
“I love the green woods most of all.”
The goal of a writer is to master their writing, which is usually done by having a hold of the rules of grammar to near perfection. However, like Salinger used his character Holden Caulfield to great success through his careful and deliberate choice of words, so can other writers. English writer William Hazlitt began a paragraph on an essay on Sir James Mackintosh with: “To consider him in the last point of view first. As a political partisan, he is rather the lecturer than the advocate.” True, the first sentence doesn’t really show who’s doing the considering, and it’s questionable as to how much of a sentence it really is, but it works.
The author gives another example from Hazlitt in how word order can be used to create more impactful sentences that defy traditional structure. He shows that Hazlitt wrote of Sir Walter Scott: “The old world is to him a crowded map; the new one a dull, hateful blank.” If this were rewritten in a traditional order, he would have made the less impactful “The old world is a crowded map to him; the new one a dull, hateful blank.” The way Hazlitt had it written, the “essential” words were put at the end of the sentence where they gathered power and achieved parallelism. Moving words out of the normal position, when used effectively, can surprise the reader in a good way.
The article sums up that writers need to gain an ear for regular and correct word order, because if they continue to scramble it, it’ll confuse the readers instead of surprise them, which is sometimes the writer’s goal that just doesn’t come out right. The author then recommends this strategy: repeat and vary – vary the normal pattern but only on occasion.
(by: Zach Solomon)
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In the article "The Other Words" by Ken Marcrorie, I somewhat agree. As writers we must analyze our sentences and read many of them to ourselves more than once and sometimes even out loud. Though, sentences may seem clear to us, we must take in to consideration on how others may read our writing. However, I do believe writers such as Salinger write rather poetic. Their sentences can make you think about the deeper meaning rather than just getting to the point. If one is not as poetic with their words and is just writing a formal paper, then sticking to the grammar rules is probably best.
ReplyDeleteI agree that as writers we need to analyze our sentences to ourselves and out loud. I have often found mistakes when reading the sentences outloud. If it doesn't sound right out loud, then it almost always is. I also think about who my audience is and that changes my wording as well. One must stick to the grammar rules when writing a professional piece.
ReplyDeleteWriters must be aware of their sentence structure and ensure that it makes sense to their readers. They should certainly read their work at least twice--preferrably after some time has passed, so their minds are fresh in order to catch mistakes.
ReplyDeleteIn the case of Hazlitt and Salinger, breaking the rules in their case really works for them. We consider Salinger a master of his craft, and he couldn't accomplish the voice of Holden without breaking the rules. Hazlitt likewise loses the impact of his statement if he were to arrange his words in a conventional manner. Sometimes the most impactful part of the sentence should be placed at the end in order to let it fully resonate without other words getting in the way. With both of these writers, and indeed with any writers who successfully bend the rules, they must first fully understand the rules before they CAN successfully break them.
I agree that the sentence structure is important in writing. However I love that fact the article pointed out that breaking structure can give great importance to certain parts of the writing. There have been great writers that did not follow this blueprint to make their readers think and emphasize meaning on particular parts of sentences.
ReplyDeleteAll writers need to understand what they are doing and why they are doing it. It is one thing to change the structure of a sentence to emphasize meaning; it is something completely different to blindly write statements that do not always make sense. Precision in writing separates good writers from great writers.
Understanding the rules of grammar is essential if one wants to successfully break those rules.
ReplyDeletePut another way...
If one wants to successfully break the rules of grammar, understanding those rules is essential.
It is important for a writer to vary sentence structure and playing with word order can sometimes produce a memorable phrase. The writer cannot go overboard, jumbling word order in a random fashion. But if one knows the rules, a uniquely turned phrase can be a powerful thing.
Macrorie also stresses revision, which cannot be minimized when one seeks precision in a written piece. It is always good to have another set of eyes check copy for the simple errors he mentions at the beginning of the article, but the writer himself is ultimately responsible for those revisions necessary to make writing sing. Most writers have had that experience of making a revision on the third draft that states exactly what one means. It could involve combining sentences, identifying a more appropriate adjective or rearranging the words.
Sentence structure is certainly important in writing. However, I think breaking the rules to create more powerful sentences is great. Knowing how to do that successfully though is equally as important. Actually reading outloud what you write is very helpful in proofreading. Since you are the writer, wrong words or sentences often sound correct unless they are read aloud. I agree that one's audience dictates sentence structure.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that creating proper sentence structures are important when writing. I find myself making sure I read over everything I write, and making adjustments so everything flows. At times though when free writing or writing poetry I do use poor word choice order, but for some reason I feel the fact that the sentence can mean so many different things can be exciting, and can change the whole meaning of a intended piece of writing based off who the reader usually is.
ReplyDeleteI think anyone can make these sorts of errors from time to time. It's important to understand word order, because if a writer is good at it, things flow and work alot better. I think it's with some mastery of this that one can get a better grip of when it's OK to break the rules for a gain rather than at the cost of looking sloppy. I do value to creative freedom writers can come up with in making their sentences, which leads to some very memorable work.
ReplyDeleteSentence structure is extremely important to the concept of writing, along with the idea of proofreading outloud. Every time that I turn a paper in, I have to read it outloud to myself in order to make sure that everything makes sense. While correct word order is vital, I feel that the example about the green woods was a little over the top. Although I do agree that the sentence could have been rewritten and structured differently, I think that most readers would assume or catch on to what the writer was trying to say. I never would have guessed or read far enough into the sentence to think that the author liked the woods best when he was "green" or "sick." Sometimes, it is even best or the writer's intention to have a reader interpret a sentence in their own way. Finally, I never realized how much word order could impact a sentence. I see now after reading the example about Sir Walter Scott that a sentence becomes more exciting, memorable, and sticks with the reader when the important words are put near the end.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this article, sentence structure is very important with writing as a whole. Especially when it comes to the people who the writer is trying to reach. After reading this article I realized that how a sentence is structured could win or lose the audience or viewers. But, I feel that even though the sentence is supposed to be structured correctly, the reader always has their own assumption on what they are getting from the writer. Even though I am saying that, I definately feel that sentence structure helps the reader with understanding where the writer is coming from.
ReplyDeleteSentence structure is possibly the most important aspect of writing. The author needs to write as clearly as possible so the reader knows what he or she is saying, but still mix it up a little bit to surprise the reader and keep the reader interested in the content. The order of words in a sentence can have a huge impact on the way the reader interprets the writing. The author should always be careful about that order so the reader interprets the writing how the author wishes.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this article in the fact that the author should make the reader think about what they are trying to say. I understand that you need to be clear when writing to other people but sometimes when you just say your statement it takes away from the overall writing and bore the reader. The more the write makes you think the more intrigued the reader will be.
ReplyDeleteSentence structure makes or breaks a thought. Like Mike said, to break the rules of grammar one must truely understand the rules. A few of the examples were extreme but this was probably to over emphasize his point. Traditional grammar structure allows a reader to comprehend what is written without having to REALLY look further into the sentence. Using the "suprise" sentence variations occationally allows the reader NOT to become bored. The reader in return remembers what is written and more than likely, a lot more interested.
ReplyDeleteI agree that we should writing analyze our sentences when writing because mistakes seem more clear when read out loud. Sentence structure is important when writing. Word order is important in making your writing flow and make sense.
ReplyDeleteI agree that writers should check how they write their sentences. If you don't then you might not get the right point across. I feel as though if you read out loud then you know that you what sounds wrong than more than likely it is . the reader in return will understand your thoughts and you can be happier to receive positive feedback. I feel as writers we have to just do double check that's all
ReplyDeleteSentence structure, word choice, and word order are very important. Not just for college classrooms and papers, but also in "real" life. On job applications, resumes, and interviews, you need to be able to speak and write correctly. I think employers do care if your grammatically correct. Perhaps not perfectly correct, but accurate and eloquent to show your intelligence.
ReplyDeleteSentence structure is really important in writing and I have to admit that I sometimes get things confused when I am writing because it always seems so hard to write when I'm trying thinking or trying to say. So sometimes what I write doesn't sound right to other people but it makes perfect sense to me; and that is where it becomes a problem when proper sentence funtion is not there.
ReplyDelete