Grammar

Grammar is not just knowing what the parts of speech are, it's knowing how to use them. When learning how to use the parts, the key word is "Function."

In the grammar section I have written some pages about some of the parts of speech. I've researched each topic and I although I have strived to be accurate, there could be errors or typos. The information is meant for those teaching students up to 12th grade.

The grammar section is not meant to be a full reference and I recommend that you invest in a good grammar handbook. Most of the handbooks contain much of the same information, the differences lie in the presentation. The presentation can make understanding grammar concepts difficult or it can produce "ah-ha" moments. Hodges' Harbrace Handbook has been my favorite for years and the presentation is good. BJUP's English Handbook for Christian Schools became my new favorite because of its presentation and I went to the trouble to link it on this page.

About Grading High School Papers

Your children are getting savvy between the ears in the teen years and when you grade their papers, "This stinks." is not a valid critical criticism. I'm speaking from experience. Your kids will need to know exactly why it stinks in grammatical detail and "Er, I don't know, it just doesn't seem right " doesn't work either. Homeschool teacher, you know what that means.

Donna

English Handbook

I recommend this book. It is called English Handbook for Christian Schools and it's linked to Amazon. I love this book so much that I bothered to upload an image for it a couple of years ago. Look at the name under the image at Amazon, Donna Young, that's me. You can pay full price for the book or buy a used one for a few dollars. I have two copies of the book and I used it for my children's high school grammar in conjunction with Jensen's Format Writing. Maybe someday I'll write about that.