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Kincardine woman publishes grammar textbook and workbook By Liz Dadson |
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Four years ago, Eunice Lawrence was concerned that technology was destroying her beloved English language. A retired teacher, the 88-year-old Kincardine woman decided to do something about it. "You know, it bothered me that nobody seemed to care about the fact that grammar and sentence structure were almost avoided in the study of the English language," she says. So, she sat down, compiled everything she had learned through her teaching career and began to write "The GrammaR Crusade."
The textbook outlines the parts of a sentence clearly and concisely, with plenty of humour and engaging assistance from some colourful characters, including Grammar Girl (G.G.) from Station XLN(soft)C for "Excellence", Exercise Guy, Dictionary Guy, Detective Guy, Scholarly Guy and Author Guy. It builds from the simple sentence pattern to the complex, and includes references about punctuation, use of capitals, conjunctions, writer's tools and such literary masterpieces as "Casey at the Bat," "The Gift of the Magi," and "The Highwayman." The book also features directions for creating a mobile which gives a perfect visual for students to see as their sentence structure builds. With each new sentence pattern and adding to the mobile, there are exercises for the students to complete. The "GrammaR Crusade" is based on the fictional "Legend of Gramma R" and her joy in teaching, particularly her pride in excellence, urging all her children to do their best in everything they do. In essence, the legend urges all of us to preserve and protect our English language, and pass on its dignity, beauty and elegance, holding fast to the tradition of "Gramma R". Connected to the textbook, is the "GrammaR Composition Book" which contains numerous lesson plans, putting into practice what was learned in the textbook.
These include such things as haiku, limericks, short stories, similes and metaphors, legends, formal letters, speech-writing, essays, and fables. Each has a lesson with the rules that apply, some examples, and then an opportunity for the students to take their turn at creating a composition from what they have just learned.
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 Eunice Lawrence, author of "The GrammaR Crusade" and "The GrammaR Composition Book"  Illustrator Linda Tornambe Both books are beautifully illustrated by Linda Tornambe, and published by Irv Mills of C&I Graphics, Kincardine. Mrs. Lawrence also acknowledges the rest of her team who helped with this project, including her daughter, Ruth; former pupil and teacher, Pat O'Dell; Liz Palmer who helped improve the mobile; and Liz Dadson for helping to type and edit the books. At the age of 92, Mrs. Lawrence is thrilled to see both books published and being promoted to the Ontario Ministry of Education, private and Christian schools and individuals. "My urgent prayer was to see this project to completion," she says, with a smile. "May these books be used in our schools to inspire our children to put their best into the talents they have been given and receive the joy and satisfaction that comes from true excellence." The
books are available locally by contacting Irv Mills at C&I
Graphics, 519-396-2769 or imills@tnt21.com; or by contacting Liz Dadson
at 519-396-6271. Cost for the set is $30. Scrolling stops when you move your mouse inside the scroll area. You can click on the ads for more
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