pooh bear Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 My son is almost 9 and we have as yet done no formal grammar instruction. I am thinking about getting FLL 3 and see that it mentions sentence diagramming. Ummm...what is a sentence diagram? I had very little grammar instruction at school and from what I have googled about sentence diagramming, it looks very alien to me. What is the purpose of diagramming a sentence? Is it essential to be able to diagram a sentence to be a good writer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrapbookbuzz Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 I remember doing this in 8th grade and I'm now 40!!! Anyway, from what I remember and what I've read about it, it really does help the student be able to identify the parts of speech (direct object, verb, indirect object, etc.). This really does help later in life. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motherdear Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 I recently discovered Growing with Grammar at our local convention. You can go to their website by the same name and take a peek at the sample pages. I've never seen grammar simplified as well as this program does. The page is very clean looking -- kind of like a Math-U-See page, and the explanation is very clear. I need seventh-grade and it will be available on May 1! I can't wait to get it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in GA Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 It is a way of mapping out the structure of a sentence so that it can be visualized. To be a good writer, I believe that one must understand the structure of sentences, i.e., how they are put together. In order to do a diagram, you have to be able to find the subject and verb of the main clause of the sentence (referred to as the "sentence skeleton" in the Rod & Staff grammar books). One exercise that Classical Writing uses is to take a sentence, diagram it, and then write a completely different sentence (i.e., about a different topic), that fits the diagram. This has been a great way to use diagrams to improve my dc's writing skills. A good resource for understanding diagramming is The First Whole Book of Diagrams, by Mary Daly. HTH, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siloam Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 Here is a sample for you. Heather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amyco Posted April 29, 2009 Share Posted April 29, 2009 The good news is that most grammar texts start very slowly, only requiring you to diagram the simple subject and simple predicate (aka the sentence core or skeleton). Then as you learn about them, you start adding in diagramming adjectives, adverbs, prepositional phrases, and the rest. Some of the sample diagrams are alien looking, I agree, if you aren't used to them! Paraphrasing SWB in Writing with Ease, diagramming is a good way to catch writing problems down the road. If the sentence is awkward, it will probably be difficult or impossible to diagram. Am I the only one who thinks diagramming is kind of "mathy"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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