Language geeks will love this book. I found the notes fabulous — funny and informative. Definitely quirky, but if you have an appreciation for grammar, copy editing, proofreading, or the magic of words, this book is worth your time. (And it's an easy read to boot!) ( )

As a grammar geek, I found this book about the lost art of diagramming sentences quite charming. It drags at times and is pretentious in places, but it rises in others to be downright funny. Case in point: Burns Florey takes issue with whether sentence diagramming actually improves one's grammar. She argues that even bad sentences can be diagrammed and puts forward (among others) two of former President George W. Bush's as an example. The sentences: "(W)e want our teachers to be trained so they can meet the obligations, their obligations as teachers. We want them to know how to teach the science of reading in order to make sure there's not this kind of federal -- federal cufflink," can indeed be diagrammed. She goes on to say "...although diagramming a sentence can sometimes expose its structural problems, it doesn't touch the deeper issues. A diagram can't ferret out a lie, correct a lapse in logic, or explain a foray into sheer lunacy." Now ain't that the truth!

For language lovers, it's worth it to pick up this book just to see the diagrams of sentences from some famous authors, including the verbose Henry James and Proust. ( )

Diagramming sentences was an epiphany for me in grade school. I have a distinct recollection of the time when diagramming was first explained to me, and my thinking to myself, "Oh, so this is what they've been trying to teach us about grammar!" Today I'm totally confounded as to why this teaching tool is no longer used! Is it possible that the portion of students like me (who think graphically) is so small that they can be ignored? The following quote from this book explains my feelings about diagraming perfectly:

"Diagramming made language seem friendly, like a dog who doesn't bark, but, instead, trots over to greet you, wagging its tail."

This book takes me back to my one-room rural grade school days when things made sense. As you can see, I get a warm and fuzzy feeling when reminiscing about diagramming sentences. ( )

Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog: The Quirky History and Lost Art of Diagramming Sentences, by Kitty Burns Florey is an entertaining memoir of sentence diagramming rather than a comlete history of it. Ms. Florey speaks for generations of students who learned to diagram increasingly complex sentences in private and public schools up until the 1960's when sentence diagramming began to fall out of favor. Did these complicated illustrations of how sentences are constructed actually help them become better writers? Ms. Florey does not provide a definitive answer, but she does present a series of amusing examples and anecdotes along with many entertaining illustrations of diagrammed sentences.

Sentence diagramming began in the 1877y with the publication of Higher Lessons in English by Alonzo Reed and Brainerd Kellog. It's popularity with elementary school teachers grew and endured through the century that followed. Ms. Florey learned how to diagram from her sixth grade teacher, Sister Bernadette. Supporters of sentence diagramming included Gertrude Stein who famously said "A rose is a rose is a rose." Which, it turns out, is fairly easy to diagram.

Ms. Florey presents the basic rules for diagramming sentences and gives many useful and fanciful examples. When she is focused on sentence diagramming her Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog is at its strongest. When she moves on to her personal grammatical bugaboos, the use of 'ain't' for example, the book becomes weaker. Too often she interjects her own political agenda in ways that do not add to the discussion of sentence diagramming. In the end one can see why students like Ms. Florey found sentence diagramming so much fun to do, but I cannot see that it had much real value. There must be a thorough study out there somewhere proving or disproving the effectiveness of sentence diagramming. I can't believe no one ever did a doctoral dissertation on this topic. But if there is, Ms. Florey has not included it in her book. This is what makes Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog an amusing memoir rather than a more complete history of sentence diagramming. ( )