MANUAL MAP APP

A couple of weeks ago, I visited the historical museum in Humboldt, Iowa, and found this unfamiliar configuration of lines and words on the blackboard in the old school. Now, I don't know if this was not taught to me in school or if perhaps I was sick that day because although I didn't remember it, my kids and my husband did.

According to this website sponsored by the  Capital Community College Foundation, sentence diagrams are depicted here. Since the device hasn't been used for thirty years, it is possible it was not taught in my English classes. Diagramming sentences was developed over 100 years ago by Alonzo Reed and Brainerd Kellogg; it is a way of visually breaking down sentences. Fascinating!

I won't try to explain it here for fear of totally slaughtering it, but, basically, you write the main words in the sentence like the subjects and verbs on horizontal lines and then you use connecting slashes to write your modifiers like adjectives and adverbs. For an explanation of the basics, visit this website; for instructions on how to diagram compound sentences, visit this one.

I'm thinking this might be a good technique to use when editing as the Wordsy Woman. It may help in boiling down sentences for tightness and logic. Happy mapping!

P.S. If you are a history buff, the museum has a ton of artifacts and architecture, especially for such a small town. Plus, since it is not crowded, you get a personal tour! Plan to spend at least two to three hours.