User:Tepples/Inline Reed-Kellogg

Reed-Kellogg sentence diagrams are a way to express the structure of a sentence in English or possibly other verb-medial, non-polysynthetic languages. This inline variant can be used to express a Reed-Kellogg diagram in a linear textual medium, such as e-mail, a newsgroup or web forum post, a blog post, or a wiki article.

I liked Reed-Kellogg sentence diagrams up through ninth grade. When the curriculum dropped any semblance of grammar theory in favor of overrated literature, I was disappoint. (And so was someone else.) So I ended up making a version of Reed-Kellogg diagrams that can be typed. Nearly two decades later, I dug it up and finished it.

Two pipes separate the subject form the verb. This is enough for intransitive sentences. subject||verb A space separates an auxiliary from its main verb. subject||aux main If the verb is a copula, a backslash separates the verb from its complement. subject||verb\complement A transitive verb takes a direct (accusative) object. subject||verb|object Modifiers, such as adjectives and adverbs, follow the word they modify. word`modifier A prepositional phrase is a modifier with an underscore separating the preposition from its object. head`preposition_object A dative, or indirect object, is drawn as a zero preposition modifying the verb. verb`_indirect object Words or phrases that modify another modifier are enclosed in parentheses. word`modifier(`adverb) An appositive is also enclosed in parentheses. subject(appositive)||verb Thus an appositive to the object of a preposition needs double parentheses: one pair to mark it as an appositive, and another to mark that it modifies a modifier. head`preposition_object((appositive)) For a complex sentence, one with subordinate clauses, a Reed-Kellogg diagram uses a dotted line from the main clause on top to the subordinate clause on bottom, with the complementizer in one of the positions. An inline diagram needs to name these lines instead and does so with a variant of the appositive notation. subject(*)||verb who(*)||verb

TO DO: compound subjects, compound verbs

Examples
The child scooted quickly. child`The||scooted`quickly All the people shouted. All`people(`the)||shouted The kind old man laughed pleasantly. man`The`kind`old||laughed`pleasantly The snow has melted. snow`The||has melted Soon the baby will scoot upright. baby`the||will scoot`Soon`upright This mist will probably clear away. mist`This||will clear`probably`away Directly opposite stands a wonderful palace. palace`a`wonderful||stands`opposite(`Directly) The Pilgrims landed at Plymouth. Pilgrims`The||landed`at_Plymouth Tomoki laughed at the monkey's tricks. Tomoki||laughed`at_tricks(`monkey's(`the)) Many little girls with wreaths of flowers on their heads danced around the May-pole. girls`Many`little`with_wreaths(`of_flowers`on_heads(`their))||danced`around_May-pole(`the) Ripn's seal crawled along slowly after him. seal`Ripn's||crawled`along`slowly`after_him The candy tastes sweet. candy`The||tastes\sweet The hummingbird is a very dainty creature. hummingbird`The||is\creature`a`dainty(`very) Have you seen the monkeys in the zoo? you||Have seen|monkeys`the`in_zoo(`the) The little squatter Goldilocks visited the house of the three bears. squatter`The`little(Goldilocks)||visited|house`the`of_bears(`the`three)