Diagramming the Scriptures

There's a certain amount of controversy over the necessity or even wisdom of diagramming sentences. Many insist it just isn't necessary for developing a good working use of grammar. I look at it a little differently. Diagramming is a graphic organizer; a tool to help us understand the relationship of words in a sentence, and thus, to help us understand our language and improve our communication skills. That being the case, what better way to "kill two birds with one stone" than to use sentences from Scripture as diagramming practice and models? In the step-by-step analysis that diagramming requires, we can come to a much richer understanding of the meaning of Scripture. The language of the KJV (the version of the Bible used in this study) can be a bit daunting, which is why the author starts at the very beginning. She reviews each part of speech (i.e. nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, etc.) as well as the various parts of a sentence (subject, verbs, direct objects, etc.), teaching sentence patterns. She then builds precept upon precept, giving the student diagrammed examples, practice sentences, and ultimately tests. (Correct diagrams for all practice and test sentences are in the back of the book.) When the going gets tough and complicated (i.e. noun or adjective clauses), the author provides in-depth instruction as well as "helps" such as the "signal words" that introduce noun clauses. By the way, this is the point at which the impact of the Bible content is most realized. Sorting through a sentence in order to diagram it becomes a function of pondering God's Word. The book is a worktext with plenty of space and diagram frameworks provided. 329 pgs. pb ~ Janice