You people are amazing. We challenged you to diagram this sentence from Tim Pawlenty:
But if I can't have my own plan — as president, I'll have my own plan – if I can't have that, and the bill came to my desk and I had to choose between signing or not Congressman Ryan's plan, of course I would sign it.
And you did it, in several and wonderful ways. Thank you. Send more stuff. It makes a huge difference for the show.
Jon Oakes of San Jose says the result would make a great T-shirt: "I had to slightly modify the sentence to give it correct punctuation and explicitly add the word 'sign' in reference to the signing of the bill, but got it to diagram using this site."
Kathie Bryant of Shelby, North Carolina:
I have taken the opportunity to diagram the "Pawlenty Sentence". While he may not be able to logically form a sentence, it can be diagrammed. I think the diagram shows just how disjointed his thought process can be.
Carie Schneider of Tucson, take one:
This sentence diagram is not from a linguistics perspective, but from the perspective of a teacher of English 102 - focusing on the "parts of argument" I teach my college freshmen.
Carie Schneider of Tucson, take two:
Oh dear god. I diagrammed it. (Mostly)
I couldn't figure out how to put the two parts of the sentence together, so it's just one part above the other.
If this sentence appeared in one of my freshman composition students' papers, I'd not even TRY to correct it. I'd just give it a little squiggly underline and label it "awk."
From Chris Boese of Brooklyn:
From Rob Muise of Fort Lauderdale:
From Joshua Gardner of South Royalton, Vermont:
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Not to be revealing my own ignorance or anything, but it looks likes a bunch of stick figures fighting on a hand drawn retro platforming video game.
His answer sounds just like what you described 'a bunch of stick figures fighting on a hand drawn retro platforming video game'. You hit the stick figure square on the head!
Whack-a-mole!
This is one of the reasons that I actually do not use this form of diagramming in the classroom. It becomes more of a lesson in drafting than it does a lesson in grammar. I much prefer my own in-line method and so do my students.
Agreed! The hardest part isn't figuring out what parts of speech words are, but where to draw the lines, whether it gets a "tail" or not, and whether a dotted line is needed. Again, I hadn't done this since 2nd grade (oof, that's um, 21 years) and back then, nothing got more complicated than "I asked him to give me the red ball."
I agree wholeheartedly! I spent eleventh grade in tears, not because I didn't know parts of speech, but because I couldn't figure the proper symbol to connect to another line, which connected to a dashed line, or no, a slanted line, heaven help me! Decades later, my writing gets quite a bit of attention, and I still can't diagram a sentence. Too bad that teacher wasn't more interested in how we used language and less interested in whether we could catch on to this convoluted process.
Simply stated by T-Paw: I'll do as I'm told to do; sign Ryan's plan.
In the 7th Grade I had an English teacher named Mr. McGeoch (pronounced, no kidding, "McGoo"). Best elementary grammarian I ever had. He loved diagramming and I became quite adept. In fact I was really, really good. Won some competitions. I still love it, but I could not do it now it has been so long. I do think 1, 2 & 3 here would make a super T-shirt. I'd buy one -- so long as there was a snappy punchline too!
I had to do what seemed like a million diagrams in Latin classes, but good for organization elsewhere.
They should use in responding back to their new lies they will be spewing to make their plan sound like it will still be Medicare and confuse the seniors....they (the dems) should make this up in Tshirts and donate the money to the DCCC...you know they had to start spinning it differently to sell their "Premium Support" Medicare or "Voucher Program"....they all signed it for the record in the House and the Senate, it's all on record so now they know they're in trouble after losing the 26th district in New York....so they'll do what they're so good at and that's changing the wording and to try change the meaning of it (whatever "it" is) to confuse their voting base, especially the seniors on this one....they're a bunch of pips....
I would like to hear his ideas regarding public education, particularly 6th grade english.
His ideas regarding public education are as follows:
Sorry, nothing there. He decimated the public education system in Minnesota while Governor. I'll bet that that comes as a total shock to all! (please, oh please catch the sarcasm)!!
Pawlenty's was indicative of a wavering and dishonest politicians. While it was not part of the challenge, I want to offer up an analogy.
Diagramming Sarah (diagram may not use, please hit link above)
Can Palin's sentences stand up to a grammarian?
By Kitty Burns FloreyUpdated Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2008, at 7:07 PM ET
VOILA!!!!.... Other Palinisms are not so tractable. From the Charlie Gibson interview:
(AUTHOR Comments...not my comments) I didn't stop to marvel at the mad thrusting of that pet political watchword "families" into the text. I just rolled up my sleeves and attempted to bring order out of the chaos:
Pawlenty's really does 'take the cake'. His was intentional; Palin......cannot do any better.
How I spent my Thursday afternoon: now documented for all to see (not documented: the number of pages of draft diagram-trees now in the recycle bin.)
Beck's chalkboard is terrified!!!
All sticks point to no Medicare for the next generation. Steal the money, change the law and give a coupon for 25% off your next chest pain.
But don't touch THEIR socialized medicine or "entitlements"!
What ever happened to ....this is what i'm gonna do and this is what i am not gonna do? Do these guys and gals think that the American People are soooo damn stupid. This double talk has got to stop. I use to teach high school kids and tried to get them interested in our two party process and they think our system is full of 'Clowns'. There should be a commission that regulates the campaigns messaging and warn them that this is serious business and this wishy washy crap will not be tolerted. We look like jokes in this country when any clown can say "i'm running and travel around the country and collect money, all the while knowing he or she is not serious. They have taken all the class and honor out of this process. Save it for entertanment TV. Serious news networks should be ashamed for running this stuff. It's not news...it's a sideshow
LMAO Priceless!
If this is an example of what the GOP has elected as their representative, we've got the 2012 Presidential Election wrapped up. No need for anyone else to apply.
Either Mr. Pawlenty is very confused or he is not capable of concealing his lack of integrity. Probably both.
Lost the house of representatives.
GOTO 10
Whaawww. If it's my party, I get have my own plan, 'cause it's my party, and I get to say anything I want. Maybe I'll get to be President.... and everybody will have my plan. If I don't get to be President, I'll take Ryan's plan and go sit in the woodshed.
does anyone think that he will actually even get the GOP nomination? no way. if you like this article, check out my blog at newsinshort.blogspot.com
Mr. Boese of Brooklyn, has a very funny illustration!
Thank you, Flex. However, in the middle of the night I noticed one error in it, and I was, of course, mortified.
You suppose I OCD much? Except that my house is really messy right now.
Mr. Boese, put down the cocktail and pick up some clutter! ;)
;-P
That's DR. Boese to you, Michele. Heehee.
HA! Touche. :)
Let's be a vague as possible and talk in as many circles as possible so that everyone is as confused as possible and will not be able to make an intelligent voting decision. If this is the level of speech he speaks, we will all be so confused, if he were president, that he could pass anything, and how would we know what they had slipped by in the swirling confusion above all our heads. Guess the new way to politic is to talk nonsense and think nobody notices. They underestimate the intelligence of the American voter. The laugh will be on them. What a fool Pawlenty is.
I saw the challenge, and wondered if anyone would do it.
Then, I saw the results . . . INSTANT PANIC ATTACK!
It was 50 years ago, give or take a year, when I had to do sentence diagramming in school - and I HATED IT! I mean, I really, really hated it. These diagrams brought back those horrible memories in full force.
Then I took a deep breath and told myself that these diagrams can't hurt me, so get over it.
That done, they are EXCELLENT! I liked Joshua Gardner's the best as it was the least threatening to my psyche.
GOOD JOB, EVERYONE!!!
And, YES - T-Shirts!!!!! Send Mr. Pawlenty a t-shirt of the first one - delivered by his 7th grade English teacher . . .
My junior high English teacher, Mrs. Sathoff, would have loved this. She told us that she took notes in class by diagramming the sentences! Anyway, I laughed out loud at both the diagrams and the comments. Thank you! By the way, try some Michelle Bachmann sentences. They're doozies too.
Did anyone read "Being There", or see the movie with Peter Sellars? PawPaw reminds me of the protagonist, only not as smart.
Mendacity has grown and swallowed the G.O.P. whole. Will someone please translate this sentence into German for me and then diagram it so I can give it to the German press? Italian is also acceptable. However, you get extra points for Hebrew...it is Saturday. ;-)
Ack! You are one disturbed individual LOL!
Here's the German translation, or as close as I can get:
Aber wenn ich mein eigenes Gesetz nicht haben kann - als Präsident werde ich mein eigenes Gesetz haben - wenn ich das nicht haben kann, und dieses Gesetz auf meinem Schreibtisch läge, und ich zwischen unterschreiben oder dem Gesetz Congressman Ryans nicht unterschreiben wählen müsste, würde ich es natürlich unterschreiben.
Q - Isn't Konjunktiv II way way WAY easier auf Deutsch? Why can't English just have an easy-to-use subjunctive?
Of course, lack of a simple subjunctive in English means we get these super-fun political sentences. "would I to have had to have done so, then perhaps I might possibly would have," etc.
Doesn't matter. If you vote for T-Paw (or any other GOP nominee) you won't be getting anyone who stands for anything. You won't be electing anyone who will represent you or the best interests of the nation. What you will get is someone you elected who will check with the GOP powers that be to find out what his position is. So yes, no matter what, the Ryan plan would be signed.
Well, in fact, they'd need to check with their Billionaire Overlords to see what the GOP thinks to see what they think.
As a language geek (and retired high school English/ESL) teacher, I'm thrilled that some students actually paid attention during sentence diagramming! I don't think it's being taught in many schools today.....certainly not in conjunction with public speaking, as Pawlenty's remarks substantiate!
I am very impressed by those who took the challenge.
Not too long ago, I read author Kitty Burns Florey's book, Sister Bernadette's Barking Dog, a wonderful book outlining simple diagrams to the more complex, e.g., Pawlenty's mash up. I'm going to reread it after seeing these efforts.
Thanks, Rachel, et al. for your wonderful blog.
I totally <3 this diagram....