Diagramming "let alone"

Thanks,
It's all quite interesting. One thing that appears certain is that we are working from different "authoritative texts". I think we would all refer to Reed-Kellogg, but the text that I use is "Descriptive English Grammar" Second Edition, by Harman and House 1931.
I have yet to see a sentence that cannot be diagrammed using that text.
If anyone is interested, I would be happy to email them a reduction of that text which my students wrote when I taught this material 15 years ago.
What other authoritative texts are being used?
Frank
PS. Yes, this is quite fun to correspond with other "syntacticians".

Hi guys,

Do you know this:
X-bar theory - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I can barely understand Reed-Kellogg LET ALONE X-bar theory!

Perhaps you should let me send you my student's reduction of the book. It is made very simple -- and yet is complete.
Linguist Farmer

I just looked at x-bar theory and then saw that it referred to Chomsky's work.
I have tried to understand Chomksy -- his idea is tantalizing, but I think the world-wide interest in his work is one of the reasons that Reed-Kellogg has tended to be abandoned.
As I have mentioned (I think), my students and I are trying to make sentence diagramming a competitive sport. For that purpose Reed-Kellogg works -- perfectly, when the competition is with chalk and blackboards and not online.
On Youtube there are ten videos now showing us exploring this possibility. A problem that I have is that I do not officially teach it any more; and, although the students LOVE to compete, they are not really very good.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Frank Antonson

Perhaps you should let me send you my student's reduction of the book. It is made very simple -- and yet is complete.
Linguist Farmer

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Thanks, Linguist Farmer. But I already have a copy of House's book. He's the one who introduced me to diagramming. I know that teachers nowadays are told that diagramming is a waste of time. Sadly, the powers that be have abandoned it.

We will change those "powers that be"'s minds!
Glad to know you have that book.
Linguist Farmer