Skip to main content

Writers On The Move: Diagramming for Grammar

How many of you remember diagramming sentences in elementary school? Where you shuffled, with great trepidation, to the chalkboard to draw a straight line and bisect it to show the “subject” (noun) and “predicate” (verb). And then the diagonal line(s) underneath one or more of those words to show “modifiers.” I have to make a confession—I liked diagramming. Although some have likened it to a mathematical equation, I see it more as putting pieces into a jigsaw puzzle (I’m not mathematically inclined, but I do like puzzles). It is easy enough to figure out “The horse galloped” or “The cat hissed.” But what about “John’s horse galloped around the paddock and then ran into the woods.” Oh my. Now you’re getting into lines underneath the lines beneath the subject/predicate line. And where does “around the paddock” go? OK, maybe that’s easy enough (under the verb galloped seems logical). But where does the rest of it go? And why do we care? Do we need to know how an airplane is designed before we fly? Do we need to know the terms and parts of a sentence before we write? Read the whole post at: Writers On The Move: Diagramming for Grammar

Popular posts from this blog

Embracing Intuition, Mediumship, and the Journey to Holistic Wellness

In the recent episode of "The Soul's Whisper," we embarked on an enthralling journey through intuition, spirituality, and holistic wellness, led by Krystal Parry, an evidence-based medium and Reiki master. Our conversation meandered through the corridors of personal narratives and the subtle yet powerful messages the universe imparts upon us. As we delved into our own stories and laughed together, we discovered how engaging with our clairvoyant and clairsentient abilities allows us to gracefully traverse the chapters of our lives, fostering a more profound sense of connection. We ventured into the intricate tapestry that interlinks energy work, metaphysical understanding, and the pursuit of a holistic lifestyle. Krystal Parry illuminated our understanding of Reiki, aligning it with our body's energetic pathways. We pondered the crossroads where spirituality meets the empirical, touching upon the intriguing realms of quantum mechanics and cell biology. Our discourse ve...

Guest Post Wed: Creating Unique Characters

Too many characters in novels are too much alike. As a result, the stories and the characters' actions (and reactions) become predictable. You'd already know what would happen only a few chapters in the story! This is what you want to avoid when you're writing your own story – having characters that are too much like the other characters. There are way you can create characters that are different enough from each other that your readers won't get bored. Here are a few tips on how to do just that...

Interview Friday with Kari Wolfe

Kari Wolfe is a writer and a blogger at Imperfect Clarity ( http://www.imperfectclarity.net/ ). She lives in Colorado Springs, CO, with her daughter, husband, two cats and the few plants she's managed to keep alive as of yet. She has a Bachelor's degree from Marshall University in Huntington , WV , in Physics and Mathematics, but decided after attempting a Master's degree in Physics that she likes playing with her own rules of nature better than she likes trying to learn and memorize the actual rules themselves. She also tinkers around with photography and has a small portfolio at Imperfect Clarity Photography: http://www.imperfectclarity.net/photos/ - VS: Kari, it is such a pleasure to have you as my guest on The Writing Mama today. Now I know a little bit about you because we are friends on Facebook. However, I am hoping to get to know you better today along with my readers. So to start, can you share a little about your family? How many children y...