Sentence diagram

In linguistics, a sentence diagram is a pictoral representation of the gramatical structure of a natural-language sentence. A sentence diagram is a form of a parse tree.

History

Most methods of diagramming are based on the work of Alonzo Reed and Brainerd Kellogg in the nineteenth century, though the method has been updated in line with recent understanding of grammar.

In recent years, the Reed-Kellogg system has somewhat fallen out of use. While some teachers continue to use this system, many have discouraged it in favor of the tree diagram, which orders words hierarchically.

The Reed-Kellogg System

A simple sentence is shown as

  subject | verb  

for example:

  I | am  

The diagram of a simple sentence begins with a horizontal line called the base. The subject is written on the left, the verb on the right, saparated by a vertical bar which extends through the base.

The subject and verb are separated by a vertical line that extends below the baseline, and the verb and object are separated by a line that ends at the baseline. If the object is direct or indirect, the line is vertical. If the object is a predicate noun or adjective, the line looks like a backslash, \, sloping diagonally upwards toward the subject.

Modifiers

Modifiers of the subject, verb, or object are placed below the base line. Adjectives and adverbs (including articles) are placed on slanted lines below the word they modify. Prepositional phrases are also placed beneath the word they modify; the preposition goes on a slanted line and the slanted line leads to a horizontal line on which the object of the preposition is placed.

Compound subjects, verbs, objects, etc. are drawn with as multiple horizontal lines stacked vertically, joined at each end by a fan of diagonal lines; the coordinating conjunction goes on a vertical line through the left ends of the horizontal lines.

û===Prepositional phrases=== ÒÚ[[]]

Compounds

• Compound subject
• Compound predicate
• Compound object
• Compound modifier

Clauses

Compound sentences

Subordinate clauses

Subordinate clauses exist in complex sentences.

Infinitival clauses

Other structures

Appositives

An appositive is written in parentheses, next to the word it describes.

Participles and participial phrases

A participle is given the same type of line as an adjective (see Modifiers, above), except that a small horizonal line branches off the end. The participle itself is written in a curved manner, so that the verb ending is written on the small horizonal line.

Any adjectives or prepositional phrases modifying the participial branch off of the small horizonal line, as if the participle were a noun.

Gerunds and gerund phrases

External links

• Sentence Diagraming by Eugene R. Moutoux
• Guide to diagramming
• SenDraw, a computer program that specializes in Reed-Kellogg diagrams

See also

• Graded Lessons in English Alonzo Reed and Brainerd Kellogg ISBN 1414286392