Not if what you read or write contains a non sequitur, that most common and inexcusable error that I'm out to teach you about today.
I'm convinced nearly all who read this post will learn something valuable about good writing. For the rare few who don't learn anything new, it's still a good reminder about a topic that is rarely understood, even by the best of writers.
For a helpful hint, think of this song:
"Follow You, Follow Me" ... the first big pop hit by the British
rock group Genesis.If I can't follow you, then you likely can't follow me, either. And that's a breakdown in communication. All forms of writing are an attempt at communicating a message, so the fewer breakdowns the better!
A non sequitur is a blatant breakdown indeed and must be avoided.
First of all, exactly what are we talking about? What does the dictionary say about the term, which is actually Latin for (play that Genesis song again) "does not follow"? Let's consult one:
non se·qui·tur
noun \ˈnän-ˈse-kwə-tər also -ˌtu̇r\Definition of NON SEQUITUR
1: an inference that does not follow from the premises; specifically :
a fallacy resulting from a simple conversion of a universal affirmative
proposition or from the transposition of a condition and its consequent
2: a statement (as a response) that does not follow logically from or is not clearly related to anything previously said
See Examples of NON SEQUITUR
- We were talking about the new restaurant when she threw in some non sequitur about her dog.
Origin of NON SEQUITUR
Latin, it does not follow
Very good. Understood?
I didn't think so. The key here is understanding dependent clauses and the need to clarify those clauses immediately afterward so they have meaning and context.
First Known Use: 1540
Very good. Understood?
I didn't think so. The key here is understanding dependent clauses and the need to clarify those clauses immediately afterward so they have meaning and context.
Perhaps some examples would make it easier:
After working for 20 years at the company, Jane's salary rose to $325,000 a year.
In a dependent clause like "After working for 20 years at the company," you see that there is no subject. Read it aloud and tell me the subject. There is none! That's why it's a "dependent" clause: It depends on the independent clause that immediately follows for the original clause to have any meaning or context.
Therefore, to know who is doing the "working" described in the original clause, you must get that information from the independent clause that immediately follows. And the first noun that follows after the dependent clause is designated to be the subject of the original dependent clause.
Stay with me and I promise a happy ending of "Follow You, Follow Me."
Getting back to the example, the writer obviously intends for "Jane" to be the subject. But that's not how it's written. Instead, the subject after the dependent clause is NOT "Jane" but "salary" (as in Jane's salary). Which means we are actually saying "the salary" worked for 20 years.
Close enough, right? Wrong! Good writers and editors deal with rules and exactness, not "we get the general idea." It's not being anal or obsessive. It's being correct, as all writers and editors should make their priority! If you disagree, don't walk but run -- no, sprint -- out of the writing/editing profession!!!
Back to the example: The subject immediately after the clause must be the one that is doing the action in the original clause. So the correct way to phrase it is this:
After working for 20 years at the company, Jane now makes $325,000 a year.
You may not realize it, but you use dependent clauses all the time in your everyday speech.
First, let's define dependent and independent clauses just to be sure you understand:
dependent clause
n.
A clause that cannot stand alone as a full sentence and functions as a
noun, adjective or adverb within a sentence. Also called subordinate clause.
The
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
independent clause
a clause that can stand alone as a sentence, containing a subject and a predicate with a finite verb, as I was there in the sentence I was there when he arrived. Also called main clause.
Let's make clear that not all dependent clauses are missing a noun/subject. But it's the ones that are missing it (or need clarification as to just who or what the subject is if it's a pronoun) that result in most examples of non sequiturs. And the key either way, if you refer back to the definition, is that the dependent clause cannot stand on its own and needs additional words to make sense.
PARROT'S DISEASE
REMINDER: Be skeptical and look things up to be sure! Do not trust myths and rumors or repeat things you have seen or
heard, no matter how common. This is how such atrocious writing as the
examples cited becomes so common. Be uncommon and be sure something you write is correct. Don't just parrot what you read and hear!Another (and often superior) way of writing it is to not make the clause dependent in the first place. Put the subject in there. Some examples:
Bad: Staring out at him from behind the wheel, the dog convulsed and slowly died. (The dog
wasn't behind the wheel!)Good: As the DRIVER stared out at him from behind the wheel, the dog convulsed and slowly died.
Bad: Though he doubted it, Bill's lies really got to Jim in the end. (wrong! Jim is the one doubting here, not Bill!)
Good: Though Jim doubted it, Bill's lies really got to him in the end.
Bad: Since early childhood, she found her son to be autistic. (No! we are saying since the mom was a child ...)
Good: Since her son's early childhood, she found him to be autistic. Or Since early childhood, her son had shown autistic tendencies, his mother found.
Bad: Even though they’re traveling farther, the average traveler
Good: Even though he's traveling farther, the average traveler expects ...
There are many other examples worth pointing out, but it's time to wrap it up.
My next post will be a bit of a departure: a dire warning about anyone thinking of pursuing a career in journalism! Stay tuned ...
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