Friday, October 15, 2010

Adjective Noun Day of Week - Interjection! Pronoun verb possessive pronoun adjective verb.


Verb noun conjunction verb.  And you didn't think I could nerd the place up any more.  Interjection, verb pronoun.

I seem to be in a mood lately, moreso than normal.  It means I'm quite sensitive to the verbal and written gaffes of other people.  I did well in English class in school, with the exception of that paper I failed to write on Camus.  That's okay, since Sartre is smartre, anyway.

What I don't seem to recall is diagraming sentences.  I remember seeing sentence diagrams on television and in movies, but, though I'm certain we must have done these in school, the memory of it has escaped me. 
I remember Schoolhouse Rock, with its Conjunction Junction (not as exciting as Petticoat Junction...), Lolly's Adverbs, and that depressing little Mr. Morton wandering about, but I don't remember ever actually applying what I learned on Saturday Morning television to my schooling. 
I suppose between Grammar Rock and The Electric Company, there was a lot of education snuck into my entertainment, like the school lunch programs that added pureed prunes to their hamburger patties.
Because really, would you have watched if you thought it was good for you?

7 comments:

MJenks said...

My favorite was always this guy, which, given the ambiance of the place, seems appropriate this morning, no?

I think my entire sixth grade English class revolved around prepositional phrases and diagramming sentences. I can't seem to recall anything BUT doing those in the sixth grade.

Elliott said...

I love that guy! I seem to remember him parrying with a carrot stick, too.

Bev said...

I do remember diagramming sentences in 7th grade, but I don't think I was all that good at it. Yet I've always practiced good grammar when writing, so I'm not sure how I learned it.

I think a lot of it is how your parents spoke/how you learned to talk, and reading. I read a lot from an early age, so I honestly think most of my grammar skillz were obtained through osmosis.

Gwen said...

I still diagram sentences in my head for fun. NERD ALERT!

Elliott said...

Bev, I'm with you - if you learn proper grammar at a young age, it comes naturally for the rest of your life.

Gwen...shocked! Shocked, I am.

Melissa said...

I remember diagramming sentences. I loved it. I agree with Bev that a lot of it is just what you grew up with, but god, I'll tell ya (and I said this on a post from Smama on Fb the other day), it pains me that people seem to have given up on adverbs. They're practically endangered. Ugh.

Nej said...

Conjunction Junction...what's your function?

Be nice and share!

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