VI

SENTENCE DIAGRAMS AND OTHER DEVICES

Some device by which the whole class can work together may be of value in large classes.—SOUTHWORTH.

A diagram is almost necessarily misleading in many ways. The half mechanical accomplishing of diagraming comes to be sought rather than an intimate comprehension of the sentence. Those peculiar features of a sentence which cannot be diagramed are lost sight of.-TOLMAN.

At this stage of his studies the pupil should not be required always to analyze sentences to their very dregs, nor should he be expected to analyze any sentence that is so complicated as to be very puzzling.-KITTRIDGE AND ARNOLD.

Too minute analysis may prove perplexing in complex sentences. Sufficient drill in the analysis of phrases will be given by the simple sentences.-HARPER AND BURGESS.

In the study of the individual sentence, analysis properly precedes the work of parsing. The early exercises in analysis should be of a broad and general kind, marking out merely the main features of the sentence. There should be abundant practice in this general analysis without confusing the pupils' minds by points of detail. At a later period clauses and phrases should be analyzed and specific words parsed.

In dealing with long and intricate sentences, a rapid method of interpretation called "construing" is often

of most value. It is a kind of continuous analysis, a combination of the methods of parsing and analysis giving rapidly the functions of clauses, phrases or words in their order, but pausing here and there for fuller discussion of the more difficult points. An extension of this analytic interpretation to the paragraph, or to connected thought in narrative prose and poetry, supplies some elements of value that are not met by the analysis of single disconnected sentences.

Caution should be used against supplying ellipses for the sake of ease in parsing, when they are not needed for the correct structure of the sentence itself; nor are dead forms and idioms always to be explained by analogy.

A device once extensively used in grammar teaching was that of diagraming sentences. But there has been a great reaction against its use. Teachers discovered that the complications of English sentences require many variations of the form of diagram, and that some of the subtler points of analysis can never be truly shown in this way. In short, diagraming degenerated into an unprofitable puzzle, the technical effort to fit the diagram to the sentence crowding out the real language study, which is the main object of the teaching.

Yet the fact that there are limits to the usefulness of diagrams is no reason for rejecting them wholly. Many a device that has often been misused is still of value in the hands of a wise teacher.

The diagram analysis appeals to the eye, which is

the most impressible of all the senses. The diagram can be made rapidly and left upon the blackboard for further study. It is of use in reviews, being specially adapted to the testing of large classes to see whether logical relations have been truly grasped. It gives a great saving of time over other forms of sentence analysis.

The form used should be as simple as possible and omit all needless elaboration. One diagram that has been found useful is simply a tabulated statement of the great sentence elements, as illustrated by the following sentence:

"Yesterday, during the recess, two little boys of my school found a strange animal in the schoolyard.

Subject, boys.

Two little

of my school

Predicate, found

a strange animal (obj.)
yesterday

during the recess

in the school yard.

The detailed analysis of the phrases is omitted, since the relations of these words would seldom be misunderstood. If one of the elements of a sentence is a clause, this can be included in an abbreviated form and then analyzed below in another diagram.

A plan of analysis which does not involve the rewriting of the sentence is suggested in Southworth's English Grammar and Composition. This is ac

complished by means of underscoring, overscoring, parentheses, brackets, etc.

The limit of usefulness for diagrams is very quickly reached. Idiomatic phrases and all complicated points are best discussed orally. When a word or phrase holds several relations in the sentence, the diagram is likely to do harm rather than good. All of the sentence relations need to be expressed, yet the repetition of a word or phrase in various parts of the diagram gives confusion. We must see to it that the aids we use in teaching are never suffered to become burdens or to detract from the main end that is to be gained.

To sum the matter up: Diagrams are of use in teaching and in testing classes (especially young classes), as a rapid form of expressing to the eye the general relations of sentences. But for difficult points of analysis they have only a limited value. a limited value. For unravelling the mysteries of idiomatic English nothing can take the place of a good grammatical “quiz.”

VII

SOME WORDS TO TEACHERS.

Theory guides practice, practice modifies theory.-BOYDEN. "It is easy to lay down general principles, but hard to apply them successfully."

The study of grammar develops and perfects those forms of thought which, like the honey-cell of the bee, only later become filled with rich and substantial content.-JoYNES.

Since grammar is a subject that must be taught in the schools, happy is that teacher who loves to teach it, and can awaken in his pupils a love for the study. It must be confessed that grammar as often taught presents few attractions to children; yet if their interest is really gained there is no subject in the common school curriculum that can yield larger educative results than this.

If the children are to love grammar the teaching of it must be adapted to their age and experience. They should not be troubled with too much grammatical technique until they know enough to perceive its desirableness. It takes some maturity of judgment to appreciate truly the value of a close analysis of one's own thought. The teacher should not waste time in what may seem to the pupil like hair-splitting discussions over matters of no practical importance.

It is not easy for mature minds to make logical defi