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The "Stranger" Test

The "stranger in the middle of the night" test is a method of my own devising. The premise is this: imagine yourself walking under the el tracks in the middle of the night when a stranger approaches you, makes one statement, then disappears into the fog. If that statement is lucid, you've just heard an independent clause; if the statement is gibberish, then you've just had an unsavory encounter...

1. I stubbed my toe at the tender age of fourteen.

[Although a non-sequitor, the statement itself is clear.]

2. By stubbing my toe.

["By stubbing your toe what?" We'd have to ask.You see, it's completely unclear what the stranger is talking about.]

3. Because the world is round.

[Again, this is simply a misshapen puzzle piece. The stranger disappears into the night and we are left bewildered.]