II. SDs based on the completeness of the structure

The second, somewhat smaller, group of syntactical SDs deals not so much with specificities of the arrangement as with the completeness of sentence – structure. The most prominent place here belongs to ellipsis, a deliberate omission of at least one member of the sentence.

In contemporary prose ellipsis is mainly used in dialogue where it is consciously employed by the another to reflect the natural omissions characterizing oral colloquial speech. Often ellipsis is met close to dialogue, in author’s introductory remarks commenting the speech of the characters. Elliptical remark in prose resemble stage directions in drama.

e.g. A solemn silence: Mr. Picwick humorous, the old lady serious, the fat gentleman cautious and Mr. Miller timorous (Dickens).

Ellipses save only the most vital information letting out those bits of it which can be easily reassembled from the situation. It is the situational nature of our everyday speech which heavily relies on both speakers awareness of the conditions and details of the communication act that promotes normative colloquial omissions.

Cf. I’m a horse doctor, animal man.

Do some farming, too Near Tulip, Texas (T.C)

Imitation of these oral colloquial norms is created by the author through ellipsis with the main function of achieving the authenticity and plausibility of fictitious dialogue.

Ellipsis is the basis of the so-called telegraphic style, in which connectives and redundant words are left out. In the early twenties British railways had an inscription over luggage racks in the carriages: “The use of this rack for heavy and bulky packages involves risk of injury to passengers and is prohibited.” Forty years later it was reduced to the elliptical: “For light articles only.” The same progress from full complete messages to clipped phrases was made in drivers’ directions: “Please drive slowly,” → “Drive slowly” → “Slow.”

The biggest contributors to the telegraphic style are one – member sentences, i.e. sentences consisting only of a nominal group, which is semantically and communicatively self – sufficient. In creative prose one – member sentences are mostly used in descriptions (of nature, interior, appearance, etc.), where they produce the effect of a detailed but laconic picture foregrounding its main components.

e.g. 1) Malay Camp. A row of streets crossing another row of streets. Mostly narrow streets. Mostly dirty streets. Mostly dark streets (P. Abrahams).

2) His fore head was narrow, his face wide, his head large, and his nose all on one side. (Dickens)

in apokoinu constructions the omission of the pronominal (adverbial) connective creates a blend of the main and the subordinate clauses so that the predicative or the object of the first one is simultaneous used as the subject of the second one

Cf.: “There was a door led into the Kithen” (R.P. Warren) “He was the man killed that deer.”

The double syntactical function played by one word produces the general impression of clumsiness of speech and is used as a means of speech characteristics in dialogue, in reported speech and the type of narrative known as “entrusted” in which the anther entrusts the telling of the story to an imaginary narrator who is either an observer or participant of the described events.

The last SD which promotes the incompleteness of sentence structure is break (aposiopesis [æ p o u s a I o u ‘ p I; s I s]). Break is also used mainly in the dialogue or in other forms of narrative imitating spontaneous oral speech. It reflects the emotional or / and the psychological state of the speaker: a sentence may be broken because the speaker’s emotions prevent him from finishing it. Another cause of the break is the desire to cut short the information with which the sentence began. In such cases there are usually special remarks by the author, indicating the intentional adruptness of the end.

e.g. “People liked to be with her. And – She paused again.” – and she was crazy about toy” (R.W.)

in many cases break is the result of the speaker’s uncertainty as to what exactly he is to promise (to threaten, to beg)

e.g. “He was shouting out that he’d come back, that his mother had better have the money ready for him. Or else! That is what he said: ‘Or else!’ It was a threat” (A. Charistie)

To mark the break, dashes and dots are used. It is only in cast – iron structures that full stops may also appear, as in the well – known phrases “Good intentions, but.” or “It depends.”

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