Anne/Ankara Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 I'm looking for a complete, rigorous high school English grammar textbook-- does anyone have any recommendations? We really liked the Hake: Grammar and Writing, and now are looking for something for next year. I found the Jensen Grammar, and Analytical Grammar to be too superficial... any suggestions? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle in MO Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 It is a Mennonite publication, so it has a religious background. It is very rigorous, however. When I read the first edition of The Well-Trained Mind, Abeka was recommended, so that's what we ended up using as a family (actually, I had already been using Abeka's grammar, so I knew that I liked it). The second edition of The Well-Trained Mind recommends R&S, as you probably already know, and I would say it is probably even more rigorous than Abeka. The 8th-10th grade books for R&S would carry most children through high school. For secular English, I've also read that Voyages in English is a good series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne/Ankara Posted February 29, 2008 Author Share Posted February 29, 2008 Thanks, Michelle-- we used Voyages in English when the kids were little, and I had a look at the Rod & Staff, but did want a secular text... Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiddenJewel Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 What did you find superficial about Analytical Grammar? ETA: Am I correct in my thinking that high school is for putting into practice the grammar they've learned in elementary and junior high? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrscopterdoc Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 We have used Rod and Staff English for years and love it. Well....I do because I think it is very 'hard' and demanding. My daughter could probably live without it, but does admit she had learned a lot. We just kind of gloss over the Mennonite portions of it. I don't think it would bother you too much if you want a secular text. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne/Ankara Posted February 29, 2008 Author Share Posted February 29, 2008 What did you find superficial about Analytical Grammar? ETA: Am I correct in my thinking that high school is for putting into practice the grammar they've learned in elementary and junior high? Well, maybe that's my problem! We only did Season One from Analytical Grammar, but it didn't really cover anything new. I paged through Season Two and Three, and thought it looked very repetitive (linking verbs, adverbial phrases, correlative conjunction, etc). Maybe that is all there is to English Grammar! Oh well, still I want something more... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiddenJewel Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 Well, maybe that's my problem! We only did Season One from Analytical Grammar, but it didn't really cover anything new. I paged through Season Two and Three, and thought it looked very repetitive (linking verbs, adverbial phrases, correlative conjunction, etc). Maybe that is all there is to English Grammar! Oh well, still I want something more... Can you pinpoint what the "more" is that you want? My understanding was that AG covered was a comprehensive course in grammar. Then you went on to putting it into practice. But I could have been misinformed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle in MO Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 series are going to be repetitive, to a certain degree. We use Abeka, and it goes over the same material over and over, only to a greater depth each year. I think the reason why many grammar books do that is because grammar is rather demanding and nit-picky, to a certain degree. For some kids, that constant repetition of learning the parts of speech, diagraming, understanding adverbial clauses, dependent and independent clauses, etc., takes many years of practice. Grammar, to a certain degree, is kind of like math---relentless. I'm not familiar with AG. I've heard of Warriner's---you might do a Google search on that and check that one out. I think that one is secular. I hope you find what you're looking for! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carol Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 Analytical grammar is just that-grammar! It covers grammar and punctuation! Once one is finished with this book that is ALL the Grammar so to speak to LEARN. High school should focus on composition- literature-and vocabulary. Vocabulary is a HUGE part of the ACT and SAT testinig. I have not found what I like so I'm pulling mine from different sources and haven't finalized as of yet. Carol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiddenJewel Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 I'm not familiar with AG. I've heard of Warriner's---you might do a Google search on that and check that one out. I think that one is secular. I hope you find what you're looking for! Warriner's is one that was recommended to me. No frills and straight forward. I found a copy on Paperbackswap but have not received it yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 I like Warriner's and would highly recommend it. It's very easy to pick up on half.com or amazon used. The series is also known as "Elements of Language". Barb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiddenJewel Posted February 29, 2008 Share Posted February 29, 2008 I like Warriner's and would highly recommend it. It's very easy to pick up on half.com or amazon used. The series is also known as "Elements of Language". Barb There's one on Paperbackswap right now: http://www.paperbackswap.com/book/details/9780030526633-Elements+of+Language+First+Course Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan P. Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 The Stewart English books are very good. They are not superficial at all!! They look easy at first, but once working on the exercises they can be a bit difficult. Also literature from your dc's readings are used with the assignments. If the student is working on gerunds, then he has to find gerunds used in literature that he has on hand. The only drawback to that type of studying is that some authors don't use many gerunds or whatever you are trying to look up. Authors have their own styles, so you might spend too much time trying to look things up. FWIW, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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