I agree that removing the non-restrictive relative makes a
difference, but it does so because the result is a different sentence, with
different expectations. Meaning tends to vary with form so that it’s a truism
that there is no such thing as exact paraphrase. Dwight Bolinger made the
strong claim that there are no syntactic differences without semantic
differences. I might not go quite that far, although if you include pragmatic
and semantic differences the case gets stronger. However, even without the NRRC,
the choice of main clause structures remains fairly open and is determined by
pragmatics. Since English orthography doesn’t mark stress or intonation, these
differences aren’t made explicit in writing, but if the written sentence
represents a spoken sentence with tonic accent on “Joanne’s,” the contrast
would be between Joanne’s fear and Heather’s fear. Perhaps the reason these
written, out-of-context test sentences so often cause problems is that a single
written English sentence represents a variety of different stress and
intonation patterns and therefore distinct sentences with distinct contextual
requirements.
Herb
From: Assembly for the
Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Susan
van Druten
Sent: 2009-05-30 10:44
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Class size and SAT parallel structure questions
I agree that some test maker sometimes ask questions based
on obscure rules, but this one seems fair to me. Comparing
"Heather" to "Joanne's fear" causes the reader one second
of adjustment. Try reading the sentence without the interrupting clause. Unlike
her sister Heather, Joanne’s fear kept her from going anywhere near the
creatures. Parallel structures
(such as "unlike x") set up expectations in readers. When the
writer doesn't deliver, it is as unsatisfying as the musician who withholds the
final note.
On May 29, 2009, at 11:55 PM, STAHLKE, HERBERT F wrote:
Susan,
You wrote:
FYI, I
realize I never revealed the correct answer to the SAT grammar question.
It is D. Joanne (as a noun) must be parallel to Heather (as a noun).
Unlike
her sister Heather, who would always put spiders safely outside if she found
them in the house, Joanne’s fear kept her from going anywhere near the creatures.
A. Joanne’s fear kept her from going
anywhere near the creatures
B. Joanne’s fear is what kept her
from going anywhere near the creatures
C. fear is why Joanne had not gone
anywhere near them
D. Joanne was too afraid to go
anywhere near the creatures
E. they scared Joanne too much to go
anywhere near them
I find D possible. I find BCE awkward, but I see nothing
wrong with the sentence as it is. Context would certainly help me to
choose between A and D, but I don’t understand why Heather and Joanne must be
parallel because they are both nouns, regardless of context, which seems to be
what the test question and identifying only D as correct imply. If
the topic of the paragraph is “fear,” then A works better—or at least as
well. Perhaps the passage will be about distinct phobias the sisters
have, or about fear as the reason for Joanne’s behavior rather than, perhaps,
her mother’s insistence. I’m sure we could come up with other contexts as
well, but the point is that A and D have different structures because they have
different meanings. This test question strikes me as an instance of the
sort of rigid rule, like the PAP we discussed earlier in connection with this
example, that should not be taught. Even if we teach the rule and also
teach that other structures work in different contexts, we are still implying,
and inviting our students to infer, that there is a default correct structure.
I do understand that this is a standardized test question and
not a point you were trying to make, which leads to the broader question we’ve
frequently dealt with on this list, the poor level of grammatical knowledge
that leads teachers, editors, employers, and test developers to insist on rules
that aren’t.
Herb
To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web
interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html
and select "Join or leave the list"
Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/
To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's
web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select
"Join or leave the list"
Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/
Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/