"The Artistic Side of Grammar," by Darryl Bishop
Mr. Bishop originally posted his introduction to "The Artistic Side of Grammar" on our Grammar & Composition Forum. So that all visitors to our site will have an opportunity to read the article, we're reprinting it here.
To share your thoughts on the subject, you may contact Mr. Bishop directly at darryl52@comcast.net.
by Darryl Bishop
I am a writer with an extensive background in grammar.
My gripe is that grammar books and web sites do not discuss the artistic benefits of the grammatical structures that they define.
For example, instead of explaining that prepositional phrases have an adverbial relationship with verbs or an adjectival relationship with nouns, we can show that these expressions set the scene or context of a story, which relates the surrounding objects, circumstances and conditions of the thought. The context simply answers any questions about the thought--who, what, where, when, why, how, whose and which.
In the table at the end of this article you will find an example, partially taken from the Parker Brothers’ game of Clue, which sets the scene of a crime.
The phrases set the scene of the crime for the thought "Mr. Boddy was murdered." Without them, the reader cannot see the big picture of the crime committed. Shouldn’t it be told that these phrases represent the context of a thought, not just modifiers of nouns and verbs?
We can also explain the relevance of these phrases, for detectives know that they need to uncover evidence and clues that will reveal the answers to the eight context questions for every crime they investigate.
Also, news reporters know that they need to report the facts for these eight questions for every story they cover. And movie producers and playwrights know that they need to address these questions for every scene or set that they produce. By demonstrating the usefulness of English expressions through practical everyday examples, we can realize the importance and relevance of these phrases.
It is nice to know how prepositional phrases function in a sentence, but isn’t it more important to know what their artistic purpose and usefulness are in the art of expression? It is good to be able to identify these phrases in a sentence, but isn’t it just as important to know the relevance of these phrases in everyday life? And shouldn’t we study the power, beauty and versatility of these phrases not only in games such as Clue, but also in songs, poetry, jokes and such?
We have this wonderfully expressive language that we can explore in many artistic ways. Shouldn’t we make the connection between grammar and art?
To share your thoughts on the subject, you may contact Mr. Bishop directly at darryl52@comcast.net.
The Artistic Side of Grammar
by Darryl Bishop
I am a writer with an extensive background in grammar.
My gripe is that grammar books and web sites do not discuss the artistic benefits of the grammatical structures that they define.
For example, instead of explaining that prepositional phrases have an adverbial relationship with verbs or an adjectival relationship with nouns, we can show that these expressions set the scene or context of a story, which relates the surrounding objects, circumstances and conditions of the thought. The context simply answers any questions about the thought--who, what, where, when, why, how, whose and which.
In the table at the end of this article you will find an example, partially taken from the Parker Brothers’ game of Clue, which sets the scene of a crime.
The phrases set the scene of the crime for the thought "Mr. Boddy was murdered." Without them, the reader cannot see the big picture of the crime committed. Shouldn’t it be told that these phrases represent the context of a thought, not just modifiers of nouns and verbs?
We can also explain the relevance of these phrases, for detectives know that they need to uncover evidence and clues that will reveal the answers to the eight context questions for every crime they investigate.
Also, news reporters know that they need to report the facts for these eight questions for every story they cover. And movie producers and playwrights know that they need to address these questions for every scene or set that they produce. By demonstrating the usefulness of English expressions through practical everyday examples, we can realize the importance and relevance of these phrases.
It is nice to know how prepositional phrases function in a sentence, but isn’t it more important to know what their artistic purpose and usefulness are in the art of expression? It is good to be able to identify these phrases in a sentence, but isn’t it just as important to know the relevance of these phrases in everyday life? And shouldn’t we study the power, beauty and versatility of these phrases not only in games such as Clue, but also in songs, poetry, jokes and such?
We have this wonderfully expressive language that we can explore in many artistic ways. Shouldn’t we make the connection between grammar and art?
| Mr. Boddy was murdered | by Professor Plum | by strangulation |
| Thought | Who? | How? |
| with a rope | after dinner | for fun |
| What weapon? | When? | Why? |
| in the library | next to the bedroom | of Mrs. Peacock. |
| Where? | Which library? | Whose bedroom? |
Source...