With the establishment during the last century and the flourishing during the present of a modern tradition in American literature, the authority of English opinion and usage has diminished.
--A. Baugh et al: A History of the English Language
显然，在这个句子中，非连续成分的运用与句子结构平衡有否无关，during the last century和during the present的运用主要是为了增加信息量，使信息更有效地传递。它们的运用并不给人冗赘的感觉，而是行文清晰精炼，结构严谨，语义表达确切严密。
不过，使用英语非连续成分切忌弄巧成拙，以免引起不必要的误解。例如：
The only person beside the teacher who knew the matter was the monitor.
在这个句子中，beside the teacher的位置会导致句子的意思产生歧义，因为who knew the matter可理解为修饰person，也可理解为修饰teacher，实际上beside the teacher是状语，应置句首：Beside the teacher the only person who knew the matter was the monitor.再如：
Who is the man reading a newspaper next to the woman?
该句中，next to the woman可理解为man的后置修饰语，也可理解为newspaper的后置修饰语，句子是歧义句，意思含糊不清。应该换一种含非连续成分的句子来表达：Who is the man next to the woman reading a newspaper? 这个句子没有歧义，非连续成分的运用使句子语义表达清楚，这才是非连续成分运用的目的之一。
