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A Brief Introduction
DIAGRAMMINGSENTENCESHASNOTBEENMUCHINVOGUE as a pedagogical
device for the
past thirty years or so. There are, however, many grammarians
and English instructors who hold
that analyzing a sentence and portraying its structure with a
consistent visual scheme can be
helpfulboth for language beginners and for those trying to make
sense of the language at any
level, especially for language learners who tend to be
visual-learning types. Watching a sentence
take root and ramify in space can even be fun.
I really do not know that anything has ever been more
exciting than diagramming sentences. Gertrude Stein
There are other ways to represent graphically the structure of a
sentence, but the mostpopular method is based on schemes developed
by Alonzo Reed and Brainerd Kellogg over a
hundred years ago. The diagrams in this section are Reed-Kellogg
diagrams; in a few cases, an
optional method is suggested. In these days of three-dimensional
computer graphics, it won't be
long before we will see colorful, three-dimensional, nonlinear
representations of how sentences
work, something like the Visual Thesaurus, by Plumb Design, Inc.
(If you go there, please don't
get lost. And come back soon!)
If your computer is equipped withPowerPoint, click on the
PowerPoint icon to
the right for a brief PowerPoint presentationon Diagramming
Sentences. You can watchdiagrams grow before your eyes.Click HERE
for help with Powerpoint.
For further information about diagramming, see Martha Kolln's
Understanding English
Grammar(4th Edition. MacMillan Publishing Company: New York.
1994) or Thomas Klammer
and Muriel R. Schulz'sAnalyzing English Grammar(2nd Edition.
Allyn & Bacon: Boston. 1996).
The order of diagrams presented here is based on a similar
project at America Online's
homework and instructional reference area (Keyword: homework),
but the sentences and
diagrams are entirely our own. If you need help with the
definitions of any of the terms orconcepts listed here, refer to
the Index.
What Diagramming Teaches Us
When Joseph R. Mallon Jr. bumps up against a complex problem, he
thinks back to a lesson helearned in high school from the Sisters
of the Immaculate Conception.
http://www.plumbdesign.com/thesaurus/http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/powerpoint.htmhttp://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/index2.htmhttp://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/powerpoint.htmhttp://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/index2.htmhttp://www.plumbdesign.com/thesaurus/
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The Philadelphia-area school's Catholic nuns taught him the art
of diagramming a sentence. Onceall the parts of speech lined up,
Mallon pulled clarity from the chaos. It's a process he uses today
totackle tough issues as chief executive and chairman of
Measurement Specialties Inc.
"Sit down quietly. Take (the issue) apart into its component
parts. Make sure all the components fittogether well. They've got
to be well chosen, fit together and make sense. There are few
(business)
problems that can't be solved that way, as dire as it might
seem," Mallon said. "Sentencediagramming is one of the best
analytical techniques I ever learned."
Investor's Business Daily
17 October 2000
If you have any suggestions (or corrections) for this page,
please send them toGrammar
English. Because of the graphics-rich nature of this endeavor,
we cannot respond with help on
diagramming questions beyond what is offered here.
The diagrams themselves are individually listed on another page
(click the "enter button"
below). Click on a phrase or clause type in the top frame, and
the diagram will show up in the
bottom frame. If you prefer to see the diagrams listed in two
long documents, you can use thesummaries listed below.
Summaries
There are two single-document summaries of the diagrammed
sentences. Since manygraphics are involved, you may have to be
patient for a complete download.
Basic Sentence Parts, Phrase Configurations
Sentence Types, Clause Configurations
Pledge of Allegiance (by popular demand)
Preamble to the U.S. Constitution (by popular demand)
ASK MR. LANGUAGE PERSONQ. Please explain how to diagram a
sentence.
A. First spread the sentence out on a clean, flat surface, such
as an ironing board. Then, using a
sharp pencil or X-Acto knife, locate the "predicate," which
indicates where the action has taken
place and is usually located directly behind the gills. For
example, in the sentence: "LaMont
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/diagrams2/one_pager1.htmhttp://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/diagrams2/one_pager2.htmhttp://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/diagrams2/pledge.htmhttp://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/diagrams2/preamble.htmhttp://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/diagrams2/diagrams_frames.htmmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/diagrams2/one_pager1.htmhttp://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/diagrams2/one_pager2.htmhttp://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/diagrams2/pledge.htmhttp://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/diagrams2/preamble.htm
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never would of bit a forest ranger," the action probably took
place in a forest. Thus your
diagram would be shaped like a little tree with branches
sticking out of it to indicate the
locations of the various particles of speech, such as your
gerunds, proverbs, adjutants, etc.
Dave BarryYes, we know. "Would of bit" is an unacceptable
spelling of "would have bitten," but Mr. Language Person is notvery
bright and to change his spelling would be just plain sic
