re: #192 kirkspencer

Yes, I learned how to do this. Three times. First back when/where I grew up it was part of basic grammar education. It was how you learned the construction of complex sentences.

The second time was in high school, and I learned to use it to evaluate literature.

Third time was while learning a foreign language (spanish). The instructor said that using the diagrams, with the tense indicators, helped not only with grammar but with dependency structures. I’ve learned since that even though I only dabble with a few other languages that holds true - once you learn what the structure SHOULD be, diagramming helps organize what you’re trying to put down.

It’s still silly looking and a pain in the rear, /almost/ not worth the effort.

Was shocked that my kids’ schools not only didn’t diagram, they didn’t teach how to make a basic composition outline.