Grammar in the Generative Sentence: Parts of Mature Prose

"Grammar in the Generative Sentence: Parts of Mature Prose shows how grammar and rhetoric complement each other in generative sentences, with their multiple statements in hierarchical patterns. Some books have collected stunning sample sentences; others are grammar handbooks. This book reveals the grammatical constituents of fine writing, culminating with a statistical summary of proportions and placement of statements within sentences.

This book was written in response to the question, “How does the language work in print?” Grammar gets a fresh look through parts of speech, verbs, forms and functions, sentence patterns, and discourse units―with emphasis on those used nonrestrictively. Samples for analysis are drawn from superb writers in varied fields.

The bond between grammar and rhetoric is indissoluble, though the typical grammar text ignores the bond. Grammar in the Generative Sentence reveals the grammatical assembly of clauses and phrases, showing how they combine into rhetorically stunning prose. Sentences containing multiple statements arranged in logical hierarchy―generative sentences―are far more widespread and significant than grammar guides ordinarily confess. By custom, grammar instruction stops short of describing English prose as it actually shows up on the page.

Grammar in the Generative Sentence is intended for undergraduate students in a one-semester course, allowing that some need to start at the very beginning but all need to understand generative writing. It consists of text with exercises, at a level suited to those preparing for professional work in writing, editing, or teaching.

Vaun Waddell teaches grammar at Brigham Young University–Idaho, where he has taught advanced composition, editing, Shakespeare, drama as literature, and Russian literature. He has also written for and served as chief editor of Perspective: Expressing Mind and Spirit, the university’s faculty journal. He has studied Greek, Latin, Anglo-Saxon, French, and Russian. Professor Waddell taught two years in Russia, conducted study-abroad and private tours in Europe for two decades, and directed two campus reading centers."