I am currently engrossed in Cormac McCarthy’s The Road.
As Sharon Bakar has pointed out, the author has missed out the apostrophes for certain words like: didnt, wont, dont.
I haven’t done a thorough search but perhaps Mr McCarthy has deliberately done this whenever there is a contraction of the word “Not”.
But, as a reader, what I found quite jarring to begin with were the many missing verbs.
On page 5:
“Along the shore a burden of dead reeds.”
A good editor would rewrite the sentence as:
“Along the shore STOOD a burden of dead reeds.”
Here’s another taken at random: “At evening a dull sulphur light from the fires.” To be grammatically correct this would become: “At evening there SHONE a dull sulphur light from the fires.”
His sentence “On the hillsides old crops dead and flattened” would be edited into “On the hillsides old crops LAID dead and flattened”
As we know for a sentence to be a sentence it needs both a subject and a verb.
But Cormac McCarthy is a master. He has gone beyond the grammatical sentence. He misses verbs deliberately when it suits the writing. The verb is implied. He is not the first author to do this. When the verb is implied, the reader can slot it any verb the reader likes!
I suggest beginner authors not try this . . . until they become great authors like Cormac McCarthy. But that advise strikes me as being a little bit too safe, like a lawyer covering himself from a legal suit. Why not give it a go? Just to experiment?
Do you dare deliberately miss out verbs?
Write Lah! 
June 22, 2007 at 6:33 am
I wouldn’t call the “implied missing verb” ungrammatical. I think it’s more a question of style and whether you think it has a place in your sentence and story or not.
Still… I’m not sure I’d be brave enough to do it myself, until I’ve have at least a few lit awards on my belt! What about you, TH? Would you skip a verb for style?
Would anyone skip a subject instead? 😀
June 22, 2007 at 2:22 pm
I’m with Ted on asking wouldn’t it be a style? I’m also wondering, isn’t that often used in poetry?
June 22, 2007 at 6:38 pm
I am so afraid to write a sentence now. Am I being scrutinised? 🙂
This is an interesting subject, TH. I did not know a writer is allowed to deliberately miss out verbs. I am new in this world of writing. I desire to learn more. I will return to follow up on the tips and comments.
June 22, 2007 at 11:06 pm
Ted – Yes, it’s definitely “style”. But if you sent your story to an editor, you’ll find it’ll likely be corrected! I always try to write grammatically altho’ I’m no expert on grammar. There are instances when I don’t and quite deliberately so. It’s never for style but more for the effect within the story. The story always comes first.
Zona – unlike a narrative which usually adheres to grammatical conformity, we can let loose with poetry. No rules apply because to conform to grammatical rules would be too restrictive for this form of expression.
JT – in writing you’re allowed to do anything! There are no rules, even in a narrative. But if you’re looking at getting your work published then, yes, you do need to pay attention to grammar. So don’t worry, in your blog you can write as you feel. No rules!
June 23, 2007 at 9:36 am
Tunku, i think it is a question of style too and when you read it loud in your head somehow the sentences sound right.
and errrrr…I have been reading A Concise Chinese – English Dictionary for Lovers – what do you say to that? After meeting the author, and reading the book – i now know that its a style that she had employed quite effectively and cleverly too.
June 23, 2007 at 11:03 am
“On the hillsides old crops LAY dead and flattened.” There’s the danger of a reader filling in the blanks with the wrong verb. OK, just kidding, TH! (couldn’t resist it) ^_^ (“lie, lay, lain” but “lay, laid, laid”)
I agree leaving out verbs can be done for style or effect, and with taste. But sparingly, please. It doesn’t pay to cheese off one’s reader, ya?
Eric Forbes might cringe to see the following in a manuscript:
“On the page so many careless lazy errors; punctuations unused neglected in the gutter; faith in language in ruins; tears for grammar’s death.” (sounds like a bad elegy for language) 😀
June 23, 2007 at 11:31 am
Kak Teh – Yes, it is style. Why we writers trying to be so stylo huh? I had to get used to the implied verbs before I could enjoy the book. I think my wife read that “Chinese dictionary” book. She thought it was ok. Clever ideas and good fun but not too memorable. I haven’t read it myself so can’t comment. 🙂
Argus – see, didn’t I tell you that my grammar isn’t much good! Actually I’m still trying to work out the difference! 🙂 I should have just stuck to “On the hillsides old crops WERE dead and flattened”. This is how I write. If I think there’s problems with grammar, just take another route! Where was that quote from by the way?
June 23, 2007 at 11:06 pm
According to veteran author David Morrell (he has been writing bestsellers for over 30 years), a writer should always endeavor to remain invisible to his reader. This is what is known as the ‘invisible narrator’ rule. If you tamper with it, you prevent fluid reading.
Personally, I find omitted verbs to be gimmicky at best, egoistic at worst. It draws attention to the author instead of the story at hand. It is almost as if the writer is saying, “Look at me, I’m so smart and literary, I expect you to decipher what I really mean.”
Definitely a deathtrap for novice writers.
June 24, 2007 at 12:19 am
But then again, McCarthy is the exception. But only because he is doing it with absolute mastery of purpose.
June 24, 2007 at 9:48 am
John – once again you have shown your good understanding of the craft of writing!
As soon as you go “Hey, mum look what a good writer I am” then you lose the reader. He or she drops out of the story, suddenly realising that this is only reading.
The great authors can be flexible with grammar yet keep you deep in the story. They can sometimes even show off, yet the reader is not aware of it.
June 24, 2007 at 10:40 am
Tooonkoooo! That wasn’t a quote. I made it up. ;D
Here’s a quick tutorial (I’m no expert but this is what an old teacher taught me):
(intransitive verb – to lie)
I lie in bed.
I lay in bed all day yesterday.
I have lain in bed for two hours resulting in a back ache.
(transitive verb – to lay)
The hen lays an egg.
She laid an egg just a minute ago.
She has laid an egg and, boy, is it big!
(Now you owe kopi when next in KL. Ahem.)
June 24, 2007 at 11:36 am
a grammatical sentence needs a subject and verb, but authors can take whatever liberties they like … but have to be careful not to piss off the reader.
i think mccarthy overuses this stylistic twitch – the prose in places is horribly choppy. that coupled with all his other little quirks i found most annoying and kept bringing me back to the author when i should have been lost in the book. that’s exactly what john warned against, above.
June 24, 2007 at 4:02 pm
this is certainly a very unique way of writing. i guess he was trying to create an identity?
June 24, 2007 at 11:48 pm
ARRGGGGG…us – Aiyoyo, you very good lah, it was so excellent I thought it must have come from some great writer! That tutorial is great too, I’m sure you got top marks in his class. Thank you from all of us. I definitely owe you more than kopi next time you’re in KL!
Sharon – I agree with you 135.6%. I’m not sure what he was trying to achieve. Perhaps that the world he had depicted is so messed up, the order of things so terribly demolished that these “rules” of grammar become redundant. But yes his style did pull me out of the story several times.
Zewt – It may be that he was trying to create an identity, but the thing is he already has one. This man is one of several great contemporary American writers.
June 25, 2007 at 2:02 am
By his own admission, McCarthy says he hangs out more with scientists than writers. That may have impacted his style to a large degree.
June 25, 2007 at 1:26 pm
Hi Tunku Halim,
Yayyy should I miss any verb by a real mistake as I usually do, I shall call it style like Cormac McCarthy’s The Road…he he. Liberating that (did I miss the point here?). I am with JT, am afraid to write now! (Have not read the book thus the ramble.) Interesting though *smile*
June 25, 2007 at 11:13 pm
John – I have to confess I hang out more with real estate agents than writers. Hence the lack of style!
Ruby – Yes we can always point out to Cormac McCarthy when we leave out the verbs. I’ve always believed we should write without rules. This is to allow the writing to flow. Then we edit. If you’re looking to get it published in hard print then, yeah, you need to fix the grammar 🙂
June 26, 2007 at 5:48 am
TH,
do check out my cousin’s blog at http://bennycheok.blogspot.com. He has somehow or rather promote 44 Cemetery Road there.. ;o)
June 27, 2007 at 12:42 am
Spiffy – that was nice of him. I’ve visited him at http://bennycheok.blogspot.com/ and left a comment!
June 27, 2007 at 6:33 am
Heheh..yeah..he sure like ur book a lot..and he said he’s proud of u as a Malaysian. wahh..! =D
June 27, 2007 at 11:25 pm
Spiffy – Malaysia boleh! Please spread the word… 🙂
July 9, 2007 at 8:33 am
I’m a reader, not a writer, and frankly, it annoys me to death when i see wrongly constructed sentences. Take, for example, A Concise Chinese-English Dictionary for Lovers. I started off appreciating the humour in bad english and applauding the writer for the genius employed in getting away with bad english (!), but as I read on, I became progressively more and more annoyed. I have since chucked the book and picked up something else to read! Maybe my expectations are too simple? I’m not sure that I can stomach Cormac McCarthy’s book! 😛
July 10, 2007 at 2:01 am
Lyrical Serai – ungrammatical sentences don’t work for if they pull me out of the story. This means if I’m aware of such sentences then it doesn’t work. Yet, if I’m still in the tale, quite unaware of its ungrammatical nature then it’s fine. I haven’t read the book you mentioned (my wife has) but I can see that after awhile it becomes irritating, The Road is a wonderful book but it forces the reader to read differently.
July 10, 2007 at 2:40 am
What about missing pronouns? LOL.
You’ve made a fair statement. I shouldn’t judge a book by its missing verbs.
July 10, 2007 at 3:36 am
Lyrical Serai – Ha ha, nice one! A book means different things different people – with or without the missing bits! 🙂
July 14, 2007 at 2:58 am
TEFL teacher perspective – Ironic this subject for me. Last two days correcting student on his frequently absent verbs.
Aspiring Writer perspective – Sentence with truant verb as poetic, a choice of style. At same time, missed opportunity, setting not clarified.
UH! …forcing myself to suppress those verbs we’ve been taught are absolutely necessary. Of course I know otherwise nowadays.
There’s a time and a place for verbs, and what a wonderful challenge it is to hide them.
July 17, 2007 at 1:46 am
KT – You’re so right here. First put verbs in. Then realise can sometimes leave out. Here’s the next phase. Then editor put verb back in. Then you agree. Remembering first lesson. Next phase. Veteran writer like Mr McCarthy. Leave out. Readers then criticise. Cormac says “So what?”
August 1, 2007 at 1:37 pm
I suggest disgruntled readers rewrite any McCarthy book and add in the missing verbs (be creative!), as well as the missing apostrophes in negative contractions (e.g., “didn’t”) and the quote marks around dialogue (“Are you saying,” you ask, “what I think you’re saying?”), as well as any other missing punctuation (e.g., McC often leaves out commas before and/or after an address to someone or in cases of a city, state). The book will then run at least 100 pages longer. So, McCarthy is saving paper, ink, and–probably–time.
P.S. What is the semantic difference between the following bits of prose:
“A cat is on the mat.”
“There is a cat on the mat.”
‘A cat on the mat.”
“Cat on mat.”
August 2, 2007 at 4:18 am
Spumage – Yes, we need to be more environmentally friendly. Just imagine, the publisher could also have charged 50% more! Semantic differences? None. Just presented in a different way, that’s all. Cheers!
February 26, 2012 at 5:34 am
for the record, it isn’t “laid dead” — it’s “lay dead.”
they’re lying, not laying.
February 29, 2012 at 12:04 am
You’re absolutely correct. Thanks!