ABSTRACT
We can use the lines from 'To Autumn' to show how different grammatical arrangements create different assumptions in the listener or reader as regards the communicative purpose of an utterance. Keats's own lines-
Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun; [ ... ] -
are partly an address to Autumn and partly an exclamation about it: the very structure of the utterance leads the listener/reader to expect an expression of wonderment and enthusiasm (as does the title, of course). A different grammatical arrangement, however, would most likely announce a different communicative purpose. For instance:
Autumn is a season of mists and mellow fruitfulness. It is a close bosom-friend of the maturing sun.
