What is beautiful about the English language is that it is a living language, with the largest total vocabulary. In addition, new words are being added every year.
As Ernest Hemingway said: “Every day above earth is a good day”. Therefore, every day is a good day to contemplate the beauty of the English language by lifting up the value of writing.
If you would like, walk with me through the following words, sentences, concepts, and thoughts; and yes, it is alright to smile when you read and write.
Maybe today is the day that you will hear a new word.
Maybe today is the day that you will have a new conversation with someone.
Maybe today is the day that you will create a new word of your own to share.
And yes, I remember my Bawlf High School English 30 teacher, Mr. Zarski, saying, “It is alright to occasionally start a sentence with And“.
The English language and sentence structure are important, but one should not stifle creative expression of words, thoughts, and feelings; however, one should be aware of the difference between a casual tone and a professional tone.
There is another question: should one use a comma before the penultimate item in a list?
Let us look at the previous example. To quote myself, “one should not stifle creative expression of words, thoughts, and feelings”. And there, you see, a sentence that includes a comma before the penultimate item in the list.
Thank you Mr. Zarski, I tip my virtual hat, virtual pen and virtual paper.
Why not separate the last two items with a comma? I would say it is because the pen is distinct from the paper. The figurative pen, this keyboard, is distinct in its existence but reliant upon the figurative paper, the computer screen.
In theory, one can still use the screen and the mouse without having to use the keyboard.
Thus, the reasoning for the sentence as it appeared: three items separated by a single comma, creating a connection rather than a distinction between the last two items.
When it comes to your personal writing, one can appreciate the value of sentence structure and use it to gently influence your audience.
After all, that is the essence of marketing copy, to inspire your audience to act.
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In explanation, Professor Vesna Dragalov, my Multimedia Theory instructor at the University of Advancing Technology would say: “One needs to be mindful of the connotative meaning of a sentence or idea, and the denotative meaning of a sentence or idea”.
So what is the difference between the connotative meaning and the denotative meaning?
That is a good question.
Let’s consider the connotative meaning of an idea or sentence. After all, aren’t sentences merely structured written thoughts?
If so, one must be mindful of how sentences are structured and thoughts formatted.
The connotative meaning of something is its implied meaning.
The denotative meaning of something is its direct meaning.
Thank you to Alfred the Great, Anglo-Saxon king, who in 872 AD laid the foundations of a future unified English state.
He established a common law, written in the English, the language of the commoners. This became the foundation of the original great United Kingdom and eventually the greater Commonwealth nations. He created the structure of a healthy, prosperous society.
For it was Alfred the Great who said, “Do not do unto others as you would not have them do unto you”.
I invite you to cast aside the lesser words of the Norman usurper William the Conqueror, who in 1066 said, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”.
Those two statements are rich with connotative and denotative meanings that stand in opposition to one another.
May the lesser words of William the Norman bow a knee to the greater words of Alfred the Great.
May we all rise to be greater Englishmen and Englishwomen through adhering to the codex “Do not do unto others as you would not have them do unto you”. In my opinion, a stronger statement regarding what it truly means to keep the peace.
In the present, I am thankful for the freedom to live and write in Wetaskiwin, Alberta. As a result, the Commonwealth of Canada has brought forth the essay, The Beauty of the English Language.
In conclusion, I am thankful for “The Beauty of the English Language”; that sentence structure is what it is, a medium within a medium.
Let’s remember what the renowned Canadian theoretical communicationist Marshall McLuhan said: “The medium is the message”.
And yes, I made up a new word “communicationist” as inspired by theoretical physicist Michio Kaku, another one of my heroes.
On that note, perhaps the solution to starting sentences with ‘and’ is to use a semicolon to connect related ideas that share the same subject.
Thank you to my University English Professor, Dr. Samantha Rukman, who said on the first day of English 101, after reading my essay: “Hey Chad, you don’t belong here, I’m moving you to 102. You actually use semicolons in your writing.”
I agree, and I hope to leave others pondering the value of the mighty semicolon in sentence structure; or, if one prefers, use an em dash — for pauses and parenthetical thoughts.
This conclusion does three things: it summarise the article, connects the introductions to the conclusion, and inspires the reader to return for more written fruits of knowledge that hopefully lead to fruits of lifelong writing habits.
If you are wondering, yes I dropped metaphors in the previous sentence.
Those metaphors lift the veil on the beauty of the English language.
And yes, that was another metaphor, the English language as a beautiful bride, the writer as her husband, who through humble leadership and written strength, keeps this living language alive.