What's the error? I'd hyphenate "poorly-composed" (most wouldn't these days, but they can go to hell) and I think it's a bit too wordy for what it's communicating, but I don't see what I'd call an actual error.

I would personally avoid writing that "poorly composed sentences" have an "affect"—rather than the writer having or presenting an affect, or the sentences' tone being affected—as I find an implied anthropomorphizing of "sentences" in that usage, which anthropomorphizing isn't serving enough useful purpose, to my eye, that I'd want it in my writing, but I'm not sure I'd call that an error either.

What did you mean?

> Commas and parentheses can do it all, and an excess of either is a sign of poorly edited prose.

This attitude, however, is a disease of modern English literacy.

> What's the error?

a) prose doesn't have intentions ... it should be "prose intended to"

b) "effect of", not "affect of"

> I don't see what I'd call an actual error.

That's a serious problem. It's downright weird that you thought he was actually talking about affect (the noun).

This is an old conversation ... I won't revisit it.

I read it as the word aff-ect, not uh-ffect (American pronunciation; both are spelled “affect”). Noun sense of “affect”, not verb.

But it’s possible I was reading too generously and this was a botched attempt to employ “effect”, which would also fit (and better, I think).

It was meant to be "affect," but I'm curious what you think the possible "effect" of poorly written sentences I could have meant?

>b) "effect of", not "affect of"

Oh no, oh lord lmao

I meant "affect" and not "effect." You need to learn what affect means. I'm not asking you to learn about affect theory, but ffs no part of my sentence implied it meant "effect" and not "affect." Ugh. It doesn't even make sense. What would the "effect" of "poorly composed sentences" be? Only affect makes sense there.

You know that affect means to have an effect on something right?

affect

noun

    Psychology.,  feeling or emotion.

    Psychiatry.,  an expressed or observed emotional response.

    Restricted, flat, or blunted affect may be a symptom of mental illness, especially schizophrenia.

    Obsolete.,  affection; passion; sensation; inclination; inward disposition or feeling.

Now let's replace that in my original phrase:

> prose intending to imitate the affect of poorly composed sentences

becomes

> prose intending to imitate the feeling or emotion of poorly composed sentences

My point was that the author is trying to convey a specific feeling by way of poorly composed sentences. Perhaps they want a colloquial feel or a ranting feel or a rambling one. An obvious example would be the massive run-on sentence in Ulysses.

Poorly constructed sentences cannot have an affect.

Written text can absolutely signify an affect, and poorly constructed sentences regularly do.

The noun sense does not.