Proof that study can be fun – SenGram - Sentence Diagramming Review

If memory serves, I think I was exposed to some sentence diagramming starting in elementary school, but it was a recurring topic on into junior high. Those lessons stood me in good stead for learning German, and much later, Japanese. Without an adequate understanding of the structure of one's own language, it is more difficult to pick up others. What modifies what? what are the relationships between the different parts of the sentence? What words are omitted but implicitly understood by native speakers? Sentence diagramming graphically focuses attention on these questions. SenGram is an app that makes learning or reviewing sentence diagramming an enjoyable exercise in puzzle solving. In my case, due to some new teaching responsibilities, I just wanted to review the conventions of sentence diagramming after a lapse of over 4 decades. In fact, I found using this app to be ever so much more engaging than just looking over finished examples on the web. This app would be an ideal introduction to sentence diagramming for anybody home-schooled, or a great supplement to classroom instruction for those having trouble grasping the concepts. The diagram structures are provided, but the user must still figure out which words belong where on that scaffold and where words are inferred. This is a bit like using training wheels when learning to ride a bicycle, but it allows one to proceed rapidly to diagramming more complex sentences. I like puzzles, and found this app hard to put down until I had completed every sentence. Unlike many recreational puzzles, however, these actually manage to teach something of intrinsic value.
Review by Bob in Tokyo on SenGram - Sentence Diagramming.