Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog

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Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog

Posted: 8/21/07 at 10:14pm

Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog: The Quirky History and Lost Art of Sentence Diagramming by Kitty Burns Florey (Melville House Publishing, 2006)

This is the book I am reading now, and it's wonderful!

Has anyone else read it?

You'll like it if any one of the following items interests you:

Grammar
Writing
Sentence Diagramming
History (especially the wacky kind!)
Pop Culture
Education
Catholic Elementary School
Wit
Humor

Of course, if you find this whole package appealing, you'll probably like it even more. How odd...I'm reading this book now and today there were threads dealing with grammar AND The Trouble With Angels!

"Be on your guard! Jerks on the loose!"

http://www.roches.com/television/ss83kod.html

**********

"If any relationship involves a flow chart, get out of it...FAST!"

~ Best12Bars

re: Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog

Posted: 8/22/07 at 9:35am

I love this book, too! I bought it specifically to re-visit sentence diagramming. Talk about a lost art! From the days when people knew the parts of speech - and what to do with them.

re: Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog

Posted: 8/22/07 at 9:48am

They don't teach sentence diagramming anymore??

What do they teach them instead... txt msgng?

Sounds like a great book, Miss Penny!

"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."

blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22

re: Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog

Posted: 8/22/07 at 11:31am

Wow thanks for the tip! I still have a recurring dream where Sister Mary Humbert is standing over me as I try desperately to diagram a sentence. This brought it flooding all back!

re: Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog

Posted: 8/22/07 at 3:00pm

Wait till you read the book! You'll REALLY be transported back to the "old days." (Odd though. The author, who was educated in the 1950s, claims that by the 60s, sentence diagramming was kaput. I have news for her! I learned it in the 70s!)

Keen, I'm so happy to know of someone else who's read it. It's a blast, isn't it?

"Be on your guard! Jerks on the loose!"

http://www.roches.com/television/ss83kod.html

**********

"If any relationship involves a flow chart, get out of it...FAST!"

~ Best12Bars

re: Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog

Posted: 8/22/07 at 3:06pm

I'm almost done with my book... might move on to this one.

thanks ms p

Celebrate Life

Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted. - Randy Pausch

re: Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog

Posted: 8/22/07 at 3:19pm

I still have visions of my English teacher, Kitty Savage, teaching diagramming. I swear to you, that was her real name. She was not a drag queen. What a character.

Pretty pretty please don't you ever ever feel like you're less than f**ckin' perfect!

re: Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog

Posted: 8/22/07 at 3:26pm

It looks very interesting. I will have to check it out. Assuming Florey is her married name,I wonder if the fact that her maiden name was a complete sentence had anything to do with her fascination with sentence structure.

PEACE.

re: Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog

Posted: 8/22/07 at 5:45pm

JerseyGirl,

Did you know that Kitty Burns Florey is married to a guy named Ron Savage???

"Be on your guard! Jerks on the loose!"

http://www.roches.com/television/ss83kod.html

**********

"If any relationship involves a flow chart, get out of it...FAST!"

~ Best12Bars

#10

re: Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog

Posted: 8/22/07 at 6:19pm

Sue, I love that observation!

BTW, I tried to teach sentence diagramming to college students and they were completely LOST! Out of 60 students, only ONE was able to grasp the concept.

"Be on your guard! Jerks on the loose!"

http://www.roches.com/television/ss83kod.html

**********

"If any relationship involves a flow chart, get out of it...FAST!"

~ Best12Bars

#11

re: Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog

Posted: 8/22/07 at 9:15pm

Really?? Well, my Kitty Savage passed away about 5 years ago, I think. I still have visions of her running over freshman students between classes trying to get to the back dock for a smoke break.

Pretty pretty please don't you ever ever feel like you're less than f**ckin' perfect!

#12

re: Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog

Posted: 8/22/07 at 9:18pm

I remember sentence diagramming

It is ridiculous to set a detective story in New York City. New York City is itself a detective story... AGATHA CHRISTIE, Life magazine, May 14, 1956

#13

re: Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog

Posted: 8/22/07 at 10:13pm

My daughter is watching WAITING FOR GUFFMAN and Corky St. Clair is coming onto the young Johnny Savage...just to complete the savage circle!

Elph, did you LIKE diagramming sentences?

"Be on your guard! Jerks on the loose!"

http://www.roches.com/television/ss83kod.html

**********

"If any relationship involves a flow chart, get out of it...FAST!"

~ Best12Bars

#14

re: Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog

Posted: 8/23/07 at 1:44am

CONFESSION! CONFESSION! CONFESSION!

I loved diagramming sentences and I was so good at it, my seventh grade teacher would always call me to up the board to demonstrate for the poor, pathetic overly abstract thinkers (or the stupid kids who just didn't give a damn) how to give that glamour, that je ne sais quoi to sentences such as--

Reading BWW every day, it is clear to me that the tawdry and clueless posters on these message boards never learned the proper way to diagram a sentence.

"Be on your guard! Jerks on the loose!"

http://www.roches.com/television/ss83kod.html

**********

"If any relationship involves a flow chart, get out of it...FAST!"

~ Best12Bars

Updated On: 8/23/07 at 01:44 AM

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