Breaking Grammar Rules

By: Sean Savoie  

In just the past week, I have experienced three events that have challenged the way I view the use of grammar. Now, for those of you who are reading my column in this newspaper for the first, second, or third time, it may be difficult, if not impossible, to imagine a person who perceives his world grammatically. And yes it is true, I may need to take a vacation from grammar, but read on if you dare. 

OK. So, of the three events that challenged my time-honored view of grammar, the first was the reading of a novel by José Saramago entitled Blindness. A physically shocking novel, Blindness, which is translated into English from Spanish, breaks many punctuation rules. Notice in the following excerpt how Mr. Saramago uses commas instead of periods to keep the rhythm of his prose moving: 

"They are dead, they can't do any harm, someone remarked, the intention was to reassure himself and others, but his words made matters worse, it was true that these blind internees were dead, that they could not move, see, could neither stir nor breathed, but who can say that this white blindness is not some spiritual malaise, and if we assume this to be the case, then the spirits of those blind casualties have never been as free as they are now, released from their bodies, and therefore free to do whatever they like, above all, to do evil, which, as everyone knows, has always been the easiest thing to do." 

At first, I was a bit shocked to see how much liberty was taken with punctuation. But after a while, I realized that the lack of periods functioned to keep me reading, and in this way pulled me into the story. Ernest Hemingway has employed a similar technique, using extended run-on sentences with a beautifully profound affect. And who am I to argue with the work of Ernest Hemingway? 

The second event was the reading of an article in the June 23, 2007 issue of Newsweek by author Robert J. Samuelson, entitled "The Sad Fate of the Comma." In this article, Mr. Samuelson explains that the disappearance of the use of commas reflects the fast-paced nature of American society. He writes: 

"If all of this involved only grammar, I might let it lie. But the comma’s sad fate is, I think, a metaphor for something larger: how we deal with the frantic, can't-wait-a-minute nature of modern life. The comma is, after all, a small sign that flashes PAUSE. It tells the reader to slow down, think a bit, and then move on. We don't have time for that. No pauses allowed. In this sense, the comma’s fading popularity is also social commentary." 

Mr. Samuelson then continues to provide figures that illustrate how the work hours in the United States have not shortened as a result of the computer, as has happened in all other industrialized nations, where the work week is getting remarkably shorter, even in Japan. He points out that Americans, especially children, are constantly multitasking and have little time to take pause in their lives. I must agree. This is most probably at the root of what doctors are calling ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). Again, it is a sign of the times. 

The third event that occurred this week was a realization about the first and second event while teaching a writing class in which students are beginning to consider ways of revising essays. As a whole class, we focused on the essay of one student and began to discuss the art of revision in terms of how a paragraph functions in an essay. In this one particular essay, a junior high school girl describes a barbecue. The main idea of the essay involves the feeling of "pride". In the first paragraph, there are many sentences that are grammatically incorrect, being expressed as fragments. And I, looking to instigate a disagreement among the students in order to push them into thinking more deeply about function and form, ask whether or not these grammatically incorrect sentences should be changed. 

As expected, the reaction among the students is mixed. The most talented student writer in the class tentatively clings to the idea that grammar should be correct. And I fundamentally have to agree with her, except for the fact that the first paragraph the student had written works so well to introduce the setting where the action of the essay takes place. It is there and then that I realize, possibly due to the fact that I had just read José Saramago and the article by Robert J. Samuelson, that grammar is only a tool. Grammar should not control the writer, but rather the writer should control grammar; or rather, the writer should use grammar very precisely to control the way that the reader is affected by the writing. 

This concept is not new to me, but I was surprised at how strongly I felt about this concept during and just after the class. Languages do change and evolve. The way that people express themselves also changes sometimes quite rapidly. In the end, a writing student must balance the importance of using correct grammar and the importance of remaining free to take the liberty necessary to express ideas in a controlled way to impact the reader. Nevertheless, as a general rule, it is best to learn and master the rules before taking the liberty of breaking them. So for now, regarding the student paper in our writing class, the jury is still out.