Making sense through grammar

Grammar is a system and we make sense using a known system to discover the meanings in written and spoken words. This system may develop over time or it may be created but it is one that is acknowledged by those using that particular language.

So, as in any other language, evolved or created, English too has its system of grammatical rules, conventions of usage and mechanics.

Now,  we are going to see how simple grammatical rules, mechanics and English Language usage were ignored when e.e. cummings wrote his poem, anyone lived in a pretty how town. Let's consider the first stanza of the poem.

	Unusual Use of Grammar and Mechanics
1)   anyone lived in a pretty how town	No capitalisation at the beginning; odd insertion of `how' that is usually used when asking a question
2)   (with up so floating many bells down)	The parenthesis indicates that this is an explanation, not quite a part of the main sentence. So, what would the implications of that be? Notice that the syntax, the way in which parts of the sentence are constructed.
3)   spring summer autumn winter	There are no commas to separate the seasons and no linking words to indicate a link with the beginning of the main sentence (1).
4)   he sang his didn't he danced his did	Again, linking words are not used to connect (4) with (3) and there is no punctuation to separate the ideas. Use of the possessive pronoun `his' with no explicit mention of what or who belongs to the `he'.

How would Cummings' unusual use of grammatical rules and neglect of the common usage and mechanics of the language provide us with clues that will help us to make sense of the poem?

To get at the clues, we need to have a knowledge of the grammar, mechanics and usage as is commonly followed in the English Language.

Try to work out the solutions on your own before you check the possible answers when you go into: Making Sense through Knowing Grammar, Remember, language is subjective and there could be other possible responses.

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