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Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog: The Quirky History and Lost Art of Diagramming Sentences
 
 
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Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog: The Quirky History and Lost Art of Diagramming Sentences (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: sentence diagramming, diagramming sentences, Gertrude Stein, New York, Miss Peckham (more...)
3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)

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  Hardcover, September 30, 2006 $7.90 $4.00 $0.26
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Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog: The Quirky History and Lost Art of Diagramming Sentences + Grammar & Diagramming Sentences (Advanced Straight Forward English Series) + Basic Skills Better Sentence Structure Through Diagraming, Book 1
Price For All Three: $22.77

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  • This item: Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog: The Quirky History and Lost Art of Diagramming Sentences by Kitty Burns Florey

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  • Basic Skills Better Sentence Structure Through Diagraming, Book 1 by Gregg Carnevale

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A pleasantly discursive and affectionate tribute to an antiquated art. Ms. Florey closes with a levelheaded assessment of diagramming, listing its virtues by acknowledging its weaknesses." -- Wall Street Journal

"Diagramming sentences may have gone the way of the slide ruler, but this charming little book makes deconstruction of language fun." -- Chicago Tribune

"Florey writes with verve about the nuns who taught her to render the English language as a mess of slanted lines, explains how diagrams work, and traces the bizarre history of the men who invented this odd pedagogical tool... It's a great read." -- Slate

"Kitty Burns Florey always liked diagramming sentences, she says, and nobody who reads Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog will presume to doubt her. Subtitled `The Quirky History and Lost Art of Diagramming Sentences,' the book is a nostalgia trip to the '50s, fondly evoking a sixth-grade class learning to wrestle syntax into the framework of the Reed-Kellogg system." -- Boston Globe

"This gem from copyeditor Florey is a bracing ode to grammar: it's laced with a survivor's nostalgia for classrooms ruled by knuckle-cracking nuns who knew their participles." -- People Magazine --This text refers to the Paperback edition.


Review

"Kitty Burns Florey seems to write from a great wellspring of inner calm that derives from a gleeful appreciation of life’s smallest details."
—Richard Russo, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Empire Falls

"This book is not a primer; it’s a prize."
—Robert Hartwell Fiske, author of The Dictionary of Disagreeable English

"A wistful, charming and funny ode to a nearly lost art. Those who remember will cheer. Those who don’t will wonder what fun they missed and whether it will be preserved for future generations. All will agree Florey’s passion is infectious and entertaining."
—June Casagrande, author of Grammar Snobs are Great Big Meanies

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 200 pages
  • Publisher: Melville House; First Edition, First Printing Stated edition (October 1, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1933633107
  • ISBN-13: 978-1933633107
  • Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.3 x 0.7 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #230,096 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

More About the Author

Kitty Burns Florey
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Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog: The Quirky History and Lost Art of Diagramming Sentences
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Grammar & Diagramming Sentences (Advanced Straight Forward English Series) 4.2 out of 5 stars (21)
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Basic Skills Better Sentence Structure Through Diagraming, Book 1 4.0 out of 5 stars (1)
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Customer Reviews

38 Reviews
5 star:
 (13)
4 star:
 (11)
3 star:
 (4)
2 star:
 (6)
1 star:
 (4)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.6 out of 5 stars (38 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
82 of 83 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars I loved this book!, October 30, 2006
By T. MacCombie (Amherst, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Who would have thought one could write such a funny, and charming, and informative book on sentence diagramming? Kitty Florey weaves her own 6th grade experiences diagramming sentences under the watchful eye of Sister Bernadette, and then reflects on other writers, notably Gertrude Stein, who was passionate about grammar, and even loved diagramming, (who knew?) but then wrote sentences that obeyed her OWN rules and defied grammatical conventions. Florey's tone, throughout this delightful book, is one of spontaneous humor and warmth. She is passionate about language herself, and seeing how language has evolved, with or without the help of diagramming, is a fascinating look at ourselves, our culture, and gives us a clue about what the future may hold for the written and spoken word.
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77 of 82 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Barking for Bernadette, October 27, 2006
This book is a fabulous read: it is brilliant, erudite, easy-to-read, and laugh-out-loud funny. It will teach you all you never even thought to ask about diagramming sentences, but it is about far more than that. Really, it's an exploration of the evolution of the English language, the gap between those of us who MUST speak and write properly and those who say--whatever. Mostly, it'll make you laugh out loud and how many authors can do that? Move over, Lynn Truss and David Sedaris.
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33 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A walk down memory lane, December 4, 2006
By M. J. Smith (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
It's wonderful to meet, though just through writing, someone who had as much fun diagramming sentences as I did. If only she had enjoyed parsing sentences and conjugating verbs as much :-). The author had excellent control of her material as she went through her memories, the history of the diagrams and the delightfully convoluted sentences from a variety of writers. Only twice did I want to question her. First, for her definition of parsing which left out all the fun - mood, tense, person, number; second, for her dismissal of the tree diagrams used by linguists where she ignored their main advantage - going down to the smallest level of meaning e.g. -ed noted as a past tense marked on walked. Moving past the nit-picking, which as a copy editor the author implied she would enjoy, I only became bored/willing to set the book down in the final chapter - the "survey" of the use of diagramming in today's classrooms and what diagramming actually teaches one.

I definately recommend this book to anyone who loved to diagram sentences.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice history of diagramming but not helpful in learning diagramming.
This book is basically a history of diagramming with an undercurrent of language and grammar usage. The anecdotes and reminiscing of the author are heart-warming and fun. Read more
Published 12 days ago by txlucky1

3.0 out of 5 stars Charming
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... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Julie Hedlund

2.0 out of 5 stars Talking about language
If you are the sort of person who enjoys language for its own sake, then you may enjoy this book. Well, I'm not and I didn't. Read more
Published 3 months ago by John E. Maas

5.0 out of 5 stars Nostalgic
A fun book that brings back memories of Catholic grade school and the nuns who taught us how to diagram sentences.
Published 6 months ago by D. Nicoson

2.0 out of 5 stars Diagramming sentences
This book really is a history of diagramming sentences, so this better be your passion or the book will not hold much appeal for you. Read more
Published 7 months ago by P. Silver

1.0 out of 5 stars Bogus book
The illustrative diagrams contain several mistakes. If you're going to publish a book about diagramming, then you should make sure the diagram are right. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Robert W. Funk

5.0 out of 5 stars A delightful tale well told
What a lovely little book! Who would ever have thought to write a book about diagramming sentences? Kitty Burns Florey's evocative prose transported me back to Miss Quigley's... Read more
Published 7 months ago by N. B. Kennedy

4.0 out of 5 stars Nostalgia
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. When I was in high school and learning to diagram sentences, I can't say it was my favorite activity. Read more
Published 10 months ago by E. Pierce

5.0 out of 5 stars got as a gift but HAD to read it!!
as one of the survivors of diagramming sentences (we're 70 plus) I bought this as a gift for a friend, then HAD TO KEEP it for myself!
Ordering another for my friend!
Published 13 months ago by Beryl Warner

4.0 out of 5 stars Cute, Quirky, and Informative!
A curious and nostalgic tome. A bit off topic at times, but still a valuable resource tool (especially for the would-be grammarian in some of us). Read more
Published 13 months ago by SalemClipper

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