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What are the differences between Jensen Grammar and Analytical Grammar?


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I think I have it (one of those impulse purchases at a convention), but I haven't looked at it in ages, sorry. Clearly I'm too lazy even to go downstairs and find it. It must have resonated with me, because I bought it. However it's a thin book (compared to AG, haha) and pretty brusk, as all his stuff is. I'm not sure why you'd want it when you have AG...

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THis is not what you asked, but I had to pipe in about AG. LOVED IT! It really worked and ds liked learning sequentially and not re-hashing concepts as other programs do. It's a little intense at certain points, but you can always slow down that lesson if dc isn't getting it. DS also loves having the student book turned reference book. He rarely uses it, but tells me it's great to be able to look things up in the same book he learned the material.

 

I hope you find info about Jensen's.

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Ok, I dug it out. What do you want to know? Remember I don't have AG in front of me, though I have looked at it a few times. My first observation is that it's very familiar in feel after years of Shurley. In fact, he says in the opening he's trying to be to grammar what Saxon is to math.

 

You have two-page spreads with instruction on the left, exercises on the right. He intends for the student to write out the answers on separate paper; there is no separate student workbook. There are 75 lessons with 15 chapter tests. What I'm struck with most is trying to figure out the target age-grade. I know from some of the stuff we tried before from him, the materials are deceptively simple. It's definitely a step up from the Shurley 7 we're doing. Most of the early lessons will be stuff you're familiar with and have already done. The sentences won't be as sophisticated as AG. In lesson 40 he introduces clauses and conjunctions and starts building from there. He is very application-oriented, so he's going to spend the next 35 lessons explaining how the things occur in sentences (gerunds, participles, sub. clauses, modals, etc. etc.) and having them identify them, write sentences from the labels, etc. His added twist to label writing is to have them turn the sentences they form into a little story. There are 5 of those label-writing sentences every single lesson, in addition to about 15 other sentences to label, punctuate, etc. So it's definitely not for the younger student on this board.

 

I know, lol, someone is going to feel compelled to say their 4 yo genius 5th grader could do it. I wouldn't. With that type of child you have better options anyway, things that are more engaging, interesting, etc. It's definitely a step up from Shurley 7. It doesn't have the charm or humor of AG, but it does have a lower pricepoint and efficiency in its favor. Because he consistently integrates punctuation, I'm wondering if it would become roughly equivalent to the whole three years of AG. Again, if AG is 3 years of 6 weeks, that's 30 lessons times 3, 90 lessons, right? This is 75 lessons, no humor, no little squeeky mice. I wouldn't recommend doing it over several years with a young child the way you can with AG. With AG you could start in 6th (or even 5th), do the first third, then review the rest of the year. You wouldn't have any review sentences to do that with, and the way they do things in the Jensen's is enough different (non-standard labels for a couple things, a small yuck) that I don't know how well they'd go back and forth. Also, the review exercises of AG wouldn't line up neatly with it, because the punctuation of AG is tucked in that 3rd module.

 

AG makes a big deal of "jobs" of the words, and Jensen's does some with that, though not as much. Warning, there is NO diagramming in Jensen's. Zilcho, nada, zip.

 

Here, for your pleasure, I'll toss out some of the sentences. I don't know if your dc are like my dd, but in our house the interest-level of the sentences makes a HUGE difference. The number beside them is the lesson number I'm pulling from, all random.

 

33-The ancient yet hardy woodcutter was washing his face in the basin in the next room.

 

44-The grass was thick and high nevertheless the man moved quickly. [label and punctuate]

 

48-Given the following 4 sentences, do the task:

A. The knight thrust at the dragon.

B. The dragon breathed fire and smoke.

C. The fire was aimed at Sir Alfric.

D. Sir Alfric's armour was scorched.

--Rp of B; place in A. [Rp=relative pattern, relative clause]

 

52-Some of the exercises in this lesson repeat the type of above, but increase in complexity:

--Subordinate D; place behind E.

--Passive of A; Rp of A; place in D.

 

52-Sub S Rp V O S V Pp [write from the labels]

 

58-Inf-Mod S V O Rp [write from the labels]

 

58-We all thought about the fish we hoped to catch and were eager to get going as soon as possible. [identify the infinitives and bracket their phrases, label as Mod, S, O, SC]

 

65-The polished look of Armstrongs performance was quite the opposite of the apparent haphazard clowning of the four actors now in the ring. [add punctuate, identify verbals, bracket their phrases, identify type and function]

 

71-More writing from labels

--S V O Pp sub S V O Rp.

--S Part V O c/c V O.

 

Well that starts to give you a sense of the exercises. There are 20 of those, usually a mixture of 4-5 of each type, for a given lesson. If you think your dc would squirm when thrown that many, that level, or those unfamiliar labels, then you're reading it correctly. It's really not a 5th or 6th grade grammar, kwim? I'm not sure what he's aiming at and didn't find it written on the materials. My GUESS is it's meant to be kind of a final hurrah for grammar for the late junior high, early high school (or even older) student. He definitely has an eye to the application to writing, as you can tell. Every exercise has them writing from labels. You cover the grammar concept, and then you start writing with it. At $26.50 (RR price) for a one-year, spiraling survey of grammar for the older, grammar-phobe student, it seems like a good deal. Would AG be better for some kids? Absolutely. The slower pace alone, spreading the grammar out over three years in AG, is going to help some kids. For us, the format of Jensen's is very familiar, coming from Shurley. My *guess* is a student who has completed Jensen's could go into the review materials for AG just fine. There would be some stuff that wasn't done as well or thoroughly as AG, but the reverse would probably be true too. But you've got to know this book is NOT meant for a young child. It's just too brusk. And if you want to add diagramming, well it doesn't have it at all. I think, in general, I'd say 8th grade and up. And I'm not sure it's better than AG for the average user. If you've tried AG and want something totally different, this would be totally different.

Edited by OhElizabeth
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Thanks so much Elizabeth! I was offline a while due to some things going on, but i wanted to get back to this and you were soooo helpful!! Thanks for digging that out and looking it up! Basically, I am looking to use one of these with a 7th and 8th grader, both of which have had Junior Analytical Grammar before. We liked it ok, but it seemed kind of monotonous to us. Just wondering if something like Jensen's would be a better fit, but give us in depth grammar that is also pratical and useful. (Not just alot of knowledge for knowledge sake) kwim?

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Sounds like a plan! The other thing that has caught my eye is Stewart. I don't know much about it, but it might be another one to ponder. Winston is supposed to be good, but I don't know how far it goes. Stewart I think has grade levels. Abbeyej had mentioned it (if I'm remembering correctly), and it was one of those things where I looked and was really fascinated but hadn't pursued more than that. But if you like the Jensen's, you sure can't beat the price. Just remember, there's no diagramming.

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