I'd do a run of authors and blitz through a dozen Christies or (in my teens) MacDonalds, MacInnes, McLean.
When I find a new author, I still Read All the Books. A friend contends that if I could restrain myself, I'd be less likely to say things like, "Why would anyone go to the theatre with DCI Roderick Alleyn (Ngaio Marsh's detective)?"
My life wasn't bad or difficult, I have no idea why I needed so badly to escape it.
In high school, my life was in such a state that if I finished a book at night, I had to start a new one, in order to have a reason to get up in the morning.
I think that losing sentence diagramming was the beginning of the current steep decline in writing ability and, along with the designated hitter, a sign of the end of Western civilization.
I don't remember doing any sentence diagramming in school, at least not the visiual mapping out of the sentence. When I saw an example of it in one of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books, I was really confused by the concept.
I remember diagramming sentences in middle school. I thought it was fun, but now I can't remember how to do it.
I don't think I ever had required summer reading lists, but I read a lot. However, I was more inclined to reread books I loved or read everything in series or by an author, or on a topic I was interested in. I read Asimov's Foundation series in 2 weeks I think, I remember lying on my stomach with the cat curled on my back or sitting cross legged on my bed reading until I'd get a crap. I got interested in Westerns and started reading every bit of non fiction I could get my hands on.
It's hard for me to concentrate on something I can't get into so there are a lot of books I think I should read but I haven't.
Fully 90% of errors are sentence boundaries. How the hell do I teach that crap?
If you figure it out, let me know, because I know many adults in the business world who have sentence boundary problems. I am SO tired of getting e-mails that read "If you would send me the notes from the Smith article."
And all I want to do is scream "If...WHAT?!?!?"
If what? That's it? If and here's a million dollars? If and here's your own spaceship?
Maybe they mean "if you would, send me stuff"? And left out the please?
I think we diagrammed sentences for a week in middle school. Like, total five hours.
I didn't figure out what direct and indirect objects were until Spanish class!
Maybe they mean "if you would, send me stuff"? And left out the please?
Hmmm. That usage sounds too formal for them. Possibly they mean, that, although I think they mean "If you would send me stuff, that would be great." Because it sounds like a nicer way of saying "Send me stuff now, you slacker."
everything i know about grammar i learned in Latin. No, really. Then during the single week in high school when we diagrammed sentences, i totes aced the diagramming, since only the Latin students knew the difference between an object and a preposition. It was sad.
I love diagramming sentences. It makes English mathy!
Oh! That explains why I hate diagramming sentences. It's all so clear, now.
