Grammar Nerd BOOK REVIEW: Sister Bernadette’s Barking Dog – The Quirky History and Lost Art of Diagramming Sentences by Kitty Burns Florey

Title: Sister Bernadette’s Barking Dog – The Quirky History and Lost Art of Diagramming Sentences

Author: Kitty Burns Florey

Publisher: Melville House Publishing

Year published: 2006

ISBN: 978-1-933633-10-7

Genre: non-fiction; grammar; English language

Pairs well with your favorite pen or pencil,

a notebook, and a teacher’s red correction pen!

Grammar nerds, UNITE!

If you are a true grammar nerd, I believe you will find Sister Bernadette’s Barking Dog to be a joy of a read! The book, written by Kitty Burns Florey, is all about diagramming sentences.

Wait, wait, wait! Don’t click away yet!

This is NOT a book about diagramming sentences, but rather a book about diagramming sentences. The book traces the history of the practice of sentence of diagramming from it’s early beginnings in the 1870s through its heyday in the mid-1900s through to today when it is a bit more of a quirky classroom treat that may or may not have actual value in terms of learning the ins and outs of the English language.

As is often my habit, I judged this book by its cover, and I was not disappointed. The book is actually quite funny and includes quite a lot of history regarding the evolution of how the English is taught in the United States. Throughout the book, the author also includes a number of stories from her own childhood and education. And, she includes numerous diagrams to show both simple and complex sentence diagramming.

Kitty Burns Florey took what could have been a dull slog through grammar and turned it into a fun, non-fiction romp. I loved it!

To be fair, I did not grow up diagramming sentences, nor did my son. And, after reading Sister Bernadette’s Barking Dog, I’m glad! Although simple sentences could be satisfying to diagram, more complex sentences look like a headache! 

That said, when I started homeschooling my son, halfway through his 4^th grade year, I realized how little grammar instruction he had received in school. We ended up using a great grammar curriculum that brushes up against diagramming, but utilizes many more useful methods of teaching usage with the English language. We loved the Easy Grammar series – if you are homeschooling and need a grammar curriculum, this is a must! It’s also great if you’ve been out of school for a while and need to brush up on your own writing and grammar skills. Check it out on Amazon HERE.

If you want to read Sister Bernadette’s Barking Dog by Kitty Burns Florey, you might find it at your local library, as I did, or you can pick it up at Amazon HERE.

Did you grow up learning to diagram sentences? If so, do you have fond memories of it or was it a task you dreaded?