1 & 2 word sentences...

[Captain Morgan]

I have been reading a best-seller novel, and kept seen numerous 1 and 2 word sentence sprinkled about. I find this a little strange, as I've always been told a sentence MUST STAND ALONE. A sentence must have a subject and predicate.

That said, I understand why it is POSSIBLE to have a single word sentence:

Go!

But... When describing things in a novel, and using one or two word sentences sprinkled about, isn't this breaking the rules of accepted writing?

I ask this because even in my rough drafts I am always worried of not having something grammatically proper. Now I wonder if I have been looking TOO MUCH INTO IT. I've seen such bad structures in non-dialogue writing in current novels, I am suspecting that using formal writing is being rather too prudent.

[reenkam]

I've always though that you can get away with more in fiction concerning sentences. Sometimes things just aren't sentences because...well, it works that way. It wouldn't work in a business letter or an academic paper (usually) but I think they're okay in most fiction. Especially when it's making a point.

But that's just my opinion.

[JoNightshade]

I ask this because even in my rough drafts I am always worried of not having something grammatically proper. Now I wonder if I have been looking TOO MUCH INTO IT. I've seen such bad structures in non-dialogue writing in current novels, I am suspecting that using formal writing is being rather too prudent.

You're right, you're being too prudent. I mean you can't disregard grammar, but you can bend the rules. I do this all the time for emphasis:

Timothy went to the sink. Damn. The dishes were gone.

I always say you gotta know the rules to break them. You have to know that "Going to the store" is not a grammatically complete sentence, and probably would not be acceptable anywhere. But people use one- and two-word sentences all the time in conversation, and if your writing style is conversational and informal, then it's appropriate to use even when it's not dialogue.

[BlueTexas]

Sometimes one or two word sentences really speed the pace along, or punctuate a thought that you really want to hit home.

Fragments can be good sometimes.

[swvaughn]

I use one- or two-word sentences. All. The. Time.

They rock.

Seriously.

[aadams73]

Totally!

[janetbellinger]

It's funny, but I went through a phase using one and two word sentences when I first started writing sixteen years ago, using two word sentences such as "verdant hills." I quit when I figured that style of writing had passed although I do see it occasionally. I think it depends on the words. If it is words we would normally use alone, like 'go figiure," or something, or an exclamation I think it's still okay. It doesn't matter what I think though because obviously some editors and readers don't mind one and two word sentences one bit.

[maestrowork]

I have been reading a best-seller novel, and kept seen numerous 1 and 2 word sentence sprinkled about. I find this a little strange, as I've always been told a sentence MUST STAND ALONE. A sentence must have a subject and predicate.


Sentence fragments are fine, as long as you don't overdo it. They're even more acceptable in dialogue -- people don't always talk in complete sentences.

[MidnightMuse]

No.

Yes.

Well, maybe.

[Soccer Mom]

I love short sentences. Totally. But not always. Just sometimes.

[Jamesaritchie]

I have been reading a best-seller novel, and kept seen numerous 1 and 2 word sentence sprinkled about. I find this a little strange, as I've always been told a sentence MUST STAND ALONE. A sentence must have a subject and predicate.

That said, I understand why it is POSSIBLE to have a single word sentence:

Go!

But... When describing things in a novel, and using one or two word sentences sprinkled about, isn't this breaking the rules of accepted writing?

I ask this because even in my rough drafts I am always worried of not having something grammatically proper. Now I wonder if I have been looking TOO MUCH INTO IT. I've seen such bad structures in non-dialogue writing in current novels, I am suspecting that using formal writing is being rather too prudent.

A one word sentence can stand alone as well as a fifty word sentence. The subject/predicate rule is more a rule of thumb than a hard and fast, no exception rule. Does a one word sentence in a novel break the rules? No.

[BenPanced]

Oh. Me, too.

[swvaughn]

Timothy went to the sink. Damn. The dishes were gone.

And this would be a bad thing because...? :D

[Harper K]

It bugs me when there are too many short sentences in a novel (when I was a teenager, I read R.L. Stine's Fear Street series, which was oh so very guilty of this), but reading a novel with long sentence after long sentence can be exhausting. Short sentences can be a great way to speed up the pacing or just improve the "sound" of your paragraphs. A couple months ago, I was in a workshop with bestselling author Terry Kay, and he talked a bit of sentence length. He had all of us put a piece of tracing paper over a page of our WIP and then draw a line to represent each sentence, making breaks only when we hit a period. His point was that there's a level between lots of breaks and just a few breaks that serves to make the reading experience more comfortable and more enjoyable for the reader.

I remember the first time I read part of my current WIP out loud to a group of other writers. I kept having take deep breaths in the middle of sentences because so many of them were just too darn long. Since beginning the rewrite, I've been mindful of lessening the number of sentences that -- literally -- take one's breath away.

[Dawnstorm]

A: Hey, where are my keys?
B: On the table.

Does B say a sentence? A sentence fragment? To B it doesn't matter what the grammarian calls it. To say it's not acceptable is silly (but some people do).

As it is, grammarians theorise that it is an ellipses. What B is really saying is "(Your keys are) on the table." (And above I've typed "(Does B say) a sentence fragment?") Still, the orthographic conventions are to capitalize the first word in the whatever-you-call-it sequence of words, and to put a punctuation mark at the end. In other words, it's treated just like a sentence.

The idea that every sentence must have a subject and predicate, if I'm not mistaken, comes from from philosophy via rhetorics. It has nothing to do with how people really express themselves.

Is "Ouch!" a sentence? The "o" is capitalized and it's got an exclamation mark. It looks like one. A sentence consisting of a single interjection? No subject, no verb. And not an ellipsis, either. (At least I wouldn't know what the full sentence looks like.)

Nouns and verbs are perfectly expendable:

"Away with you all!" (Movement implied by a preposition rather than a verb.)

Or: "Up, up and away!" (not even the pronoun left!)

Traditional grammarians are often a lazy bunch. If something isn't easy to describe, or if it doesn't fit in their schemes, they'll just outlaw it. People in the real world shouldn't pay attention.

One or two word sentences don't really violate any rules. They're either not classified as sentences (which is pretty much irrelevant to writers), or they're just outlawed by grammarians who don't want to admit that their way of thinking about language has flaws.

A: Joe?
B: Coming!

Take that, grammarian!

[javili]

Jesus wept!

[jordijoy]

Jesus wept!
A perfect answer.

[JoNightshade]

And this would be a bad thing because...? :D

He was going to use the plates as lethal Frisbees to fend off attacking ninjas. Now... well, now he's just screwed.

[blacbird]

I have been reading a best-seller novel, and kept seen numerous 1 and 2 word sentence sprinkled about. I find this a little strange, as I've always been told a sentence MUST STAND ALONE. A sentence must have a subject and predicate.

That said, I understand why it is POSSIBLE to have a single word sentence:

Go!

But... When describing things in a novel, and using one or two word sentences sprinkled about, isn't this breaking the rules of accepted writing?

I ask this because even in my rough drafts I am always worried of not having something grammatically proper. Now I wonder if I have been looking TOO MUCH INTO IT. I've seen such bad structures in non-dialogue writing in current novels, I am suspecting that using formal writing is being rather too prudent.

Nonsense. Often done. By many. No problem.

caw

[swvaughn]

He was going to use the plates as lethal Frisbees to fend off attacking ninjas. Now... well, now he's just screwed.

:roll:

Poor doomed Timothy. The ninjas probably stole the dishes...

[JoNightshade]

:roll:

Poor doomed Timothy. The ninjas probably stole the dishes...

Actually, the butler did it. He's a total neat freak. Figures.

[ORION]

yeah. My book is full of fragments - an earlier poster was right - that's how people talk. Fragments are your friend.
Now awkward sentences...
those can bite you in the butt...

[Bartholomew]

But... When describing things in a novel, and using one or two word sentences sprinkled about, isn't this breaking the rules of accepted writing?



One and Two word sentences are excellent ways to both offer relief to the eye after a very long paragraph, to punctuate a thought, and to frame a scene.

They do not break any rules.

[gp101]

Too much of anything gets boring when I read it. Too many long sentences make it extremely slow. Too many short sentences become annoying; it's as if the writer has the hiccups while he writes.

But a nice combo of long, short, and really, really short makes the reading more pleasant to get through. It creates a rhythm that sounds more like conversation where a bunch of long, perfect sentences make it sound like you're being explained something. Some of my favorite writers use a series of short and medium-length sentences to help create tension, where tension is the goal, of course. And a single-word sentence can bring emphasis to an idea.

[Penguin Queen]

<...> the writer <...> while he writes. <...>

... or she...

[Pamster]

I agree with everyone else about it being fine, not against the rules and can actually help distinguish certain key themes if you do it right. ;)

[Jamesaritchie]

A: Hey, where are my keys?
B: On the table.

Does B say a sentence? A sentence fragment? To B it doesn't matter what the grammarian calls it. To say it's not acceptable is silly (but some people do).

As it is, grammarians theorise that it is an ellipses. What B is really saying is "(Your keys are) on the table." (And above I've typed "(Does B say) a sentence fragment?") Still, the orthographic conventions are to capitalize the first word in the whatever-you-call-it sequence of words, and to put a punctuation mark at the end. In other words, it's treated just like a sentence.

The idea that every sentence must have a subject and predicate, if I'm not mistaken, comes from from philosophy via rhetorics. It has nothing to do with how people really express themselves.

Is "Ouch!" a sentence? The "o" is capitalized and it's got an exclamation mark. It looks like one. A sentence consisting of a single interjection? No subject, no verb. And not an ellipsis, either. (At least I wouldn't know what the full sentence looks like.)

Nouns and verbs are perfectly expendable:

"Away with you all!" (Movement implied by a preposition rather than a verb.)

Or: "Up, up and away!" (not even the pronoun left!)

Traditional grammarians are often a lazy bunch. If something isn't easy to describe, or if it doesn't fit in their schemes, they'll just outlaw it. People in the real world shouldn't pay attention.

One or two word sentences don't really violate any rules. They're either not classified as sentences (which is pretty much irrelevant to writers), or they're just outlawed by grammarians who don't want to admit that their way of thinking about language has flaws.

A: Joe?
B: Coming!

Take that, grammarian!

Actually, grammarians generally call this an 'understood" sentence. It isn't really a fragment at all. It's made whole by the preceding sentence.

True fragments aren't sentences, generally read poorly, and usually shouldn't be used. But there's a difference between a sentence fragment and an understood sentence. The first generally isn't acceptable, and almost always reads poorly. It's usually written because the writer doesn't know any better. The second is allowed, is a sentence, and is acceptable.

[IThinkICan29]

You'd have a hissy reading E. Jerome Dickey if you have issues with one or two word sentences. The first time I came across what I thought was a fragment I nearly hopped out of my chair. I reread the sentence, continued reading, then had to do my version of a reading rewind in real time and read the sentence again. Every nerve in my body was on end. I felt as if I'd stumbled upon a wonderful secret. One that was quite freeing. As a poster mentioned, these sentences really serve to speed up the pace a bit.

[DarkLight]

Does using one or two word sentences break the rules? Technically, yes. My second grade teacher would have killed me for using a sentence without a noun or a verb or either. It is grammatically incorrect to do so. Here is the thing:writers are traditionally rule breakers, and in more ways than one. Although the goals of writers vary from informitative to entertainment to thematic we all seek to force the reader into feeling or thinking the way we want them to! If that means swearing in a novel during a time where such a thing is traditionally taboo, just for the shock factor, so be it. If that means insulting the monarchy in order to prove a point, so be it! Writers are dangerous things because we break rules to reveal the truth rules often hide. Okay, I lost my point in there somewhere. I can get a little, tiny bit dramatic when I haven't written all day. Where was I...

Oh, yeah. Grammer. So, anyway, writers have to break rules to get across what they want to get across. It is sometimes impossible to create certain feelings in a reader without sentence fragments. Lets admit it. "He said, 'Damn'" is a little less effective than just "damn" in first person POV. Different styles create different atmospheres and a style with short sentences may be just what the doctor ordered for expressing certain themes or feelings, especially since most people do not talk in a gramatically correct fashion. Forget the rules! Do whatever feels right for the novel. I usually only occassionally use sentence fragments, but my current novel is 1st person POV and I write most of the material using the stream of conciousness of my MC, that means many short sentences. When you look at a wreckage you don't think to yourself, in your head, "There are bits and pieces of bone, metal, and burnt flesh all over place. Its horrible." You know you don't. Its more like "Bone. Metal. Blood. Everywhere. How can you watch it all and still be able to walk away?" Oooh, I like that last line. I need to add it in today. Yeahhhh!

[The Grift]

For Sale: Baby shoes. Never worn.*

Sentence fragments are for amateurs... I'm all about story fragments.





*not mine

[JoniBGoode]

I have what I call the "Picasso Rule" which is, you are allowed to violate the rules (in any art form) as long as

a) You understand the rules and have demonstrated mastery of them
and
b) There is a valid artistic, stylistic or thematic reason for violating the rules
and
c) It's done selectively and knowingly

In his later years, Picasso often did drawings of women with 3 eyes, or other weird features. But, it wasn't because he couldn't draw. If you look at some of his early line drawings, he excelled at realistic drawing. He could produce amazingly realistic images with just a stroke or two.

Picasso simply chose not to follow the conventions later in his career as a way of expressing a greater truth. We can do the same.

OP, from your reaction, I think that the author you are reading overuses the technique, so that it's become a distraction, rather than an artistic statement.

[san_remo_ave]

Not now.

Why not?

Too tired.

Oh. Later?

We'll see.

OK. Bye.

See ya.

:D

Good advice from everyone above, so don't mind my silliness.

[windyrdg]

Like anything in writing short, or one word, sentences have a place. That said, they get old really, really quick. I just finished a thriller that went crazy with one word sentences and one word paragraphs. I hated it. Here's an example:

He was the kind of guy who could cause them a lot of trouble. Big. Strong.

And mean.

I think the author did it to build drama, but the process got away from him. A little bit goes a long way as far as I'm concerned.

[Dawnstorm]

Actually, grammarians generally call this an 'understood" sentence. It isn't really a fragment at all. It's made whole by the preceding sentence.

True fragments aren't sentences, generally read poorly, and usually shouldn't be used. But there's a difference between a sentence fragment and an understood sentence. The first generally isn't acceptable, and almost always reads poorly. It's usually written because the writer doesn't know any better. The second is allowed, is a sentence, and is acceptable.

What's the difference between an "understood sentence" and a "true fragment"? That seems to be a rather loose difference with no clear demarkation line to me. Perhaps, I don't understand enough.

As I'm not sure what you call a "true fragment", I'm not sure whether I agree or disagree with you.

[ChunkyC]

Short sentences can be the stunted sibling of purple prose if not used to good effect. Like anything, too much is bad. Windyrdg's example shows a writer trying to use the wrong thing to create an effect.

If you want to use short sentences, think about why you want to use them. Are you trying to pick up the pace? Is it in dialogue and appropriate for the speaking pattern of the one talking?

Once you know why, you can decide if it is the best tool to achieve your goal. You never know, there might be a better way of doing it. If not, go for it!

[Esopha]

Like sprinkles on ice cream, one-word sentences should only be used in the extreme cases of vanilla-flavored boring. Even in those cases, they should be rainbow, not chocolate, so to add variety and fun.

[Sage]

If you want to use short sentences, think about why you want to use them. Are you trying to pick up the pace? Is it in dialogue and appropriate for the speaking pattern of the one talking?
Yes, voice & pace are definitely important. A first-person voice might be more likely to use short sentences for emphasis than a third-person omni voice. You have to keep in mind the reasons to use them & whether they work for the narrative voice or the dialogue. And even if they fit, too much is still too much.

[Toxic_Waste]

I think it would be incredibly boring and stuffy to try and make a novel, short story or anything else strictly adhere to some moth-eaten grammar textbook, especially when it comes to the use of dialogue. If I had to go around correcting everyone's everyday speech (including my own), and making it "correct," it would come out sounding phoney.

The main thing to do is tell a story, to entertain, to hold the reader's interest. If readers were all that passionate about grammar rules, they'd be perusing grammar books instead of novels. Personally, I like well-placed one- or two-word sentences. They break the monotony and grab your attention.

[allenparker]

Jesus wept!

is my favorite sentence in all of the books of the bible. It is powerful. It offers a look at Jesus' character. It shows a soft side. It displays emotion with a conservation of words.

One of two word sentences are useful in controlling pace and timing. They also show emotions and actions that are stilted and disjointed. Used sparingly and cautiously, they can be a powerful tool.

[Inky]

It adds punch. Or emphasis. Even more so if you hit return, and have it stand on a new line, alone. Hit return again, start your next sentence.

Sample: (both starting on a new line, and worked within the body of a speaker) I've placed in bold what I'm talking about. This style of writing isn't everyone's cup of tea, but it gives you a visual.

Insect chatter silenced.
Bed of parched pine crackled.
Found!
Kit squeezed her eyes shut.
“Wolves, Trent. I know what I just heard! We need to get back! Who knows what kinds of pets that crazy Kit keeps.”
“Smell that?”
Mathew scrunched up his nose, sniffing loudly, but the Sudafed popping youngest brother could barely breathe let alone smell. “What?”
“Fear. She’s close. Everything’s too still. Don’t move. Just look. She’s here. Probably watching us.”