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Enallage is the substitution of one grammatical element for another, such as pronouns, gender, case or tense. It can be intentional or unintentional and used to emphasize a point. Enallage can involve switching between active and passive voice, and even improper grammar has been used in literature and public statements. Deliberate enallage is a figure of speech with specific forms of English grammar abuse.
Translated as the Greek word for interchange in English, enallage is generally when one particular grammatical element is replaced by another. It may reflect a change in person, such as a substitution of the pronouns you, I, he, or she, or changes in gender, case, or tense. Sometimes the enallage is grammatically correct, but often the substitution breaks the basic rules of English. Wording changes can be made by someone unfamiliar with the language, or they can be intentional.
The use of enallage is also sometimes to emphasize a point of the speaker or author. A common grammatical substitution in English grammar is to switch pronouns. Someone may refer to the other person as you, for example, but the pronouns he or she may be used instead of her; this can distract a conversation from being intimate by pushing the other person away. Substitution can also be done in reverse, directing the focus of a conversation towards the other person to make the topic more personal.
Enallage can also involve a switch between active and passive voice. One can directly admit responsibility, but if the pronouns and words are changed, then the speaker’s meaning may be totally different. The tense of verbs is often interchanged with enallage, but this may be deliberate to make a point or have an effect; such examples include passages between the words was and were, or is and are.
Improper grammar has even been used by popular authors and in commonly recognized books throughout history. Words that are not generally pluralized to mean more than one may be, or the change may be grammatically wrong. Authors sometimes write in such a way as to create a certain effect, emphasize a point in a quotation, or reflect the dialect of a particular character in the story. Grammatical substitution is often accepted in the speech of well-known characters in the history of literature. Similar types of enallage have also often been used in public statements by sports professionals and politicians.
A deliberate enallage is often called a figure of speech. One may recognize common forms of it, but in uncommon variations, or if one makes a mistake in speech, others may perceive the saying as grammatically wrong. There are also more specific forms of English grammar abuse, involving ignoring it, more specific substitutions of genre or mood, or substituting one particular type of speech for another.
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