This makes the two ideas equal in the sentence - if you take away one part of it, you are left with a simple sentence again. These are very common when speaking and they are not difficult to ...

What tools does a grammarian need? A brain helps, and so does a computer, but surely one of our most essential tools is some kind of diagramming system. How can we think about a sentence’s structure, ...

Sentence diagramming is the long division of English. It involves a bewildering array of lines and diagonal branches. It is loathed as an elementary school chore. And it is presumed to be obsolete.

My sentences are the best. Nobody can top my sentences. Photo by Richard Ellis/Getty Images At the Slate Political Gabfest's live D.C. show this week, Emily, David, and John tried to diagram a ...