Why not Only Garlic-Hangers Should be Interested in Grammar

Having read “The Ongoing Struggles of Garlic-Hangers” by Bryan A. Garner, a student might or might not have been convinced of the necessity to consider the major stages of verbal change before using a certain term in the future. A Garlic-Hanger, a “conservative[s] in matters of language” (Garner 2009, p.28) who tries to keep away the evil spirits of illiteracy, certainly will endorse Garner's argumentation that “anyone who aspires to true proficiency with the language should cultivate the habit of assessing words.” (Garner 2009, p.24). To other readers this argumentation could sound rather abstractedly.

A more practical approach is pursued by Dennis Sjolie, a professor in the English department at the University of South Dakota. In the essay “Phrase and Clause Grammar Tactics for the ESL/ELL Writing Classroom” he suggests that knowing about different phrase types, how they are constructed and function within a sentence will serve for a student's writing skills and enhance the quality of her or his written work. The strategy of joining short sentences into longer, more complex ones, can improve the style of a text which will thus be more interesting and professional sounding, Sjolie states (see Sjolie 2006, p.37).

There are three different phrase types considered, i.e. the appositive, participial, and absolute phrase.

Appositive phrase:

• Appositive phrases are used to add information to a sentence by defining the noun which they follow. Several phrases of this type can be linked together.
• A nonessential/ non- restricitve appositive phrase is always separated from the rest of the sentence with comma(s). (An essential/ restrictive appositive phrase specifies the noun closely.)

William, who happens to be a prescriptivist, is writing an essay.

The essay a literary disquisition on garlic-hanging and evil spirits was finished on March 17,2016.

Participial phrase:

• A participial phrase is an adjective phrase that starts with a participle (present or past) which is used to describe simultaneous actions or conditions.
• Participial phrases must be followed by commas when they begin the sentence, but are not preceded by commas when they end the sentence. No commas should be used when the participial phrase contains essential information to understand the subject.
• The phrase can appear at the beginning of a sentence, at the end of a sentence, or between the subject and the verb → Beware: The position of the modified word (subject) is important! It is closest to the participial phrase!

Removing his glasses, William took a break from writing.

William took a break from writing removing his glasses.

The book damaged by water needs to be rewritten.

Frightened of stupidity, prescriptivists like garlic-hanging, a rumour among descriptivists circulates.

WRONG: Disappointed to the point of tears, the paper was examined by William's Professor.

→ The participial phrase modifies the closest noun! Not the paper was disappointed! → “William's Professor” should move right behind the comma!

Absolute phrase:

• An absolute phrase is a modifier (often a present or past participle), modifying entire sentences. Absolute phrases are used when referring to related simultaneous actions or conditions. They describe a manner in which the action of the main clause is performed or explain reasons for it.
• Since absolute phrases are optional in the sentence, they are always set off from the sentence with commas. The phrase can appear at the beginning of a sentence, at the end of a sentence, or between the subject and the verb.

The essay still unwritten, William immediately sat down at his desk after University.

→ (Do not use “being” in formal English in the phrase!)

William started to type and felt a deep relief, closing the weekend with his dearest hobby.

Her glasses cleaned and the pencil ready, the Professor waited for the essay to be delivered.

A writer has to decide whether the use of different phrases might work especially well in a certain context. There is the danger of overusing these structures which would have a negative effect on a text's legibility. Still, the given examples show that sentence combining can lead to a smoother appearance and more clarity in written work.

Knowledge about the phrase types' grammar thus does serve the very practical role of a style refinement tool. By that it could be regarded as one garlic clove Garner might wish for, fearing the evil spirits of illiteracy.

Ironically enough, it has to be said that the desired refinement of expression can only be achieved by writing itself, with mistakes being an inevitable part of the learning process.

Pursuing this approach, the learners of English grammar don't have to be afraid of faults. As Sjolie puts it: “Safe writing allows no room for growth.” (Sjolie 2006, p.39).

Literature:

Garner, Bryan A. “The Ongoing Struggle of Garlic-Hangers.”, ALSC, no. 3, 2009, pp. 20-32.

Purdue University. “Participles.”, www.owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/627/02/

Sjolie, Dennis. “Phrase and Clause Grammar Tactics for the ESL/ELL Writing Classroom”, The English Journal, vol. 95, no. 5, 2006, pp. 35-40.

University of Calgary. “Appositive and Absolute Phrases.” 1998, www.ucalgary.ca/uofc/eduweb/grammar/course/sentence/2_4e.htm#appositive.

University of Illinois. “Style Strategies.” 2008, www.uis.edu/ctl/wp-content/uploads/sites/76/2013/03/StyleStrategies_000.pdf.