<p>Recently, I discovered this NYtimes blog post about sentence diagramming. The writer attempts to answer the question, “What does the sentence diagramming teach us?”</p>
<p>This blog post made me wonder why schools teach comparably little (and sometimes none) sentence diagramming nowadays. I also wonder how and whether that affects the writing skills of our current generation.</p>
<p>Finally, were you taught to diagram sentences, and what did you think of that experience? How did it benefit you, and do you wish that your children were taught it?</p>
<p>Yes, in 7th grade, and it was probably my favorite thing to do in school at the time. I do wish my children had been taught sentence diagramming, particularly the d whose first drafts used to make the reader think, “Ouch. What?” Thankfully, she eventually caught on, but I think the sentence diagramming would have gotten her there sooner.</p>
<p>I agree. My middle school English teacher was very weak and failed to control the class so that year was lost. I struggle to this day with this. I think diagramming sentences should be drilled into our heads.</p>
<p>It has recently become very interesting to me how certain instructional practices, particularly in reading, come and go. The ultimate moral of the study is that so little of what we do, and decide to stop doing, has any empirical support. Rather, it comes down to ideals of how reading must be learned rather than science. </p>
<p>It just amazes me how much students are routinely shifted to new or old “best practices” that have absolutely no evidence beyond some guy somewhere thought it would be a good idea. And so much money is being invested into programs that have little to no demonstrated efficacy (think Hooked on Phonics). </p>
<p>At my age and in my school system, I never encountered a formal grammar lesson until 11th grade. No joke. I didn’t know what a comma splice was until 10th grade. This is all because someone at some time got the bright idea that we would pick up on these nuances just from reading, not seeming to grasp that many people do not read unless absolutely necessary and others read authors who make routine grammatical errors.</p>
<p>I have no memory of any instruction in sentence diagramming. When I was in high school I had a nun for English Literature who asked me to diagram a sentence. I said “I don’t know how, Sister”. She whacked me in the head.</p>
<p>True story.</p>
<p>I am a strong fairly writer and have little trouble with grammar and punctuation but I would like to learn to diagram a sentence. If only to avoid another assault.</p>
<p>we were taught sentence diagramming. I have no clue what year it was in.</p>
<p>I have to think that some people were not… or simply paid no attention… because I often hear people speak and have to wonder where on earth they went to school… and some of them have writing that is even worse!</p>
<p>If you work in computer programming or even do analytical work with SQL systems, you will probably run into language diagramming for the computer language at some point. The diagrams are a short-cut to describing syntax and the commentary provides semantics.</p>
<p>If you ever go into a computer science program, then you may take a course in compilers which are the programs that have to process the various computer languages used out there and you have to study the mathematics of formal languages. This is where some of the folks that had sentence diagramming in high-school have an Aha! moment.</p>
<p>My sixth grade teacher attempted to teach us to diagram a sentence. A few girls in my class and I were about to take the entrance exam for Hunter College High School in NYC and the teacher started yelling at us that “we should be shaking in our boots!” about the exam because we didn’t understand the lesson. Three of us managed to get accepted anyway without that particular skill.</p>
<p>I was in 3 different school systems and learned it in each. I think it’s useful and reinforces grammar rules. At least in my area, spoken English is murdered and it’s not because it’s ESL.</p>
<p>Older 2 kids graduated '07 and '09, d now a sophomore. NO sentence diagramming…ever…never a grammar book. I am very much disappointed by the lack of teaching in this discipline.</p>
<p>“Me and John” are going. <strong><em>nails on chalkboard</em></strong> Tell them it’s the subject and it’s “I”…blank stare. Verb conjugation? Huh. “They had went” <strong>nails again :)</strong></p>
<p>Honestly, I don’t think diagramming sentences is going to help speech patterns. At all. Those are ingrained well before the age of diagramming sentences. Yes, they can be altered but not through this method.</p>
<p>I remember doing this in (public) elementary school and hating it. I don’t remember either of my kids doing this. And they are both better writers than I am.</p>
<p>Former ESL teacher here. I LOVE grammar, but diagramming sentences is a waste of time, imo. Some homeschoolers have revived it because they believe that “if grandma did it back in the 1950’s, it must be worthwhile.” I think it is worthless.</p>