I’m once again so relieved you are there to save me from errors, Barbara. And I so agree that the terminology is what short-circuits people’s brains the most.
Re new terms for adverbs: my first two are just jokes. PADJECTIVE, since adverbs can modify adjectives. VERBALL, with the accent on the second syllable, to rhyme with "furball." And for the more practical terms: since adverbs qualify/modify other words, here's QUALLIE, and MODDIE.
Funny you should mention the confusion around “clause.” My grammar is very far from perfect, but I’d like to think it’s better than average. When I’ve tried to explain to friends how I came by my knowledge, I’ll admit it wasn’t from studying the definitions of grammatical terms, which didn’t fit my learning style. The example I'll give is that I still don’t know what the hell a clause is. I learned whatever grammar I have by having errors pointed out, and reading good literature. (It’s why I was such a flop at learning foreign languages in school: memorizing out-of-context conjugations of verbs and dry descriptions of strange tenses just wouldn’t stick. Although not doing any homework didn’t help either….)
Incidental story: I went to a very competitive public high school, but by the time I was a freshman they had stopped formally teaching grammar. As a result, when I was a junior, and college applications began to be of concern, the English department in something of a panic realized we were going to bomb on the English college exams. So they suspended classes for two weeks for an academic boot camp, to cram as much grammar into our overloaded brains as they could. I’m not sure how successful it was.
When I was in elementary school they had us diagramming sentences — and I, ordinarily a straight-A student, was terrible at it. I don't recall my teacher explaining to us anything like the reason "They were married at city hall" and "They are married" should be diagrammed completely differently. In "... married at city hall," "were married" is a passive verb. In "are married," "are" is a, ahem, copulative verb and "married" is a participle. Of course.
I don't think diagramming is part of the curriculum anymore, and I'm glad.
I’m once again so relieved you are there to save me from errors, Barbara. And I so agree that the terminology is what short-circuits people’s brains the most.
Re new terms for adverbs: my first two are just jokes. PADJECTIVE, since adverbs can modify adjectives. VERBALL, with the accent on the second syllable, to rhyme with "furball." And for the more practical terms: since adverbs qualify/modify other words, here's QUALLIE, and MODDIE.
Funny you should mention the confusion around “clause.” My grammar is very far from perfect, but I’d like to think it’s better than average. When I’ve tried to explain to friends how I came by my knowledge, I’ll admit it wasn’t from studying the definitions of grammatical terms, which didn’t fit my learning style. The example I'll give is that I still don’t know what the hell a clause is. I learned whatever grammar I have by having errors pointed out, and reading good literature. (It’s why I was such a flop at learning foreign languages in school: memorizing out-of-context conjugations of verbs and dry descriptions of strange tenses just wouldn’t stick. Although not doing any homework didn’t help either….)
Incidental story: I went to a very competitive public high school, but by the time I was a freshman they had stopped formally teaching grammar. As a result, when I was a junior, and college applications began to be of concern, the English department in something of a panic realized we were going to bomb on the English college exams. So they suspended classes for two weeks for an academic boot camp, to cram as much grammar into our overloaded brains as they could. I’m not sure how successful it was.
When I was in elementary school they had us diagramming sentences — and I, ordinarily a straight-A student, was terrible at it. I don't recall my teacher explaining to us anything like the reason "They were married at city hall" and "They are married" should be diagrammed completely differently. In "... married at city hall," "were married" is a passive verb. In "are married," "are" is a, ahem, copulative verb and "married" is a participle. Of course.
I don't think diagramming is part of the curriculum anymore, and I'm glad.
I'm fascinated that you of all people sucked at diagramming sentences. Makes me feel a little better about my struggles!