Welcome to Wordsmiths! Home of Jensen's Grammar

JUST FOR FUN                      odd expressions

BUY THE BOOK                   an extended review

A NOTE CARD TIP               saving time & effort

RECENT READS                    a few from me

MISCELLANY                       as it says

NEWS

I still have a few slightly damaged copies of the punctuation book; the covers have minor problems.  I am selling them at regular prices but with free shipping and handling on any order in which they are included.  You need to email me for availability.

The DVD project continues to progress.  The writing is now done.  Some of the visuals for it are done; filming is starting, and editing is being done along the way.  As mentioned earlier, this DVD will be about the writing book.  If things go well, we hope to produce one about the grammar book.

Recently I had to reprint Jensen’s Format Writing, but no changes were made; it is the same as those copies which have been sold over the last few years. The book continues to explain expository writing in a clear fashion, and many students have profited.  One school I know gives graduating seniors the copy they have used during the previous year.  That’s a nice graduation present.

Confession: for those of you who happened to see my picture in a recent CBD catalog, well, it’s an old picture.  When they first contacted me in the mid-90’s all I had was an earlier glossy print, so that’s what they took.  CBD has used it ever since.  I have actually aged some over the years, so it is no longer a totally accurate rendition.

JUST FOR FUN 

The English language has a many curious expressions and turns of phrases, some of which make us smile.  Let’s look at a baker’s dozen and see the oddities.

 

1.  If something is not right, we can say it is out of whack.  What is a whack?

 

2.  Why are a wise man and a wise guy opposites?

 

3.  Shakespeare said, “All the world is a stage.”  If so, where is the audience sitting?

 

4.  Why is phonics not spelled the way it sounds?

 

5.  Why is it called after dark when it is really after light?

 

6.  In sports arenas and gyms, why are they called stands when they are made for sitting?

 

7.  Why do fat chance and slim chance mean the same thing?

 

8.  Notice the peculiarity of calling the third hand on a watch the second hand.

 

9.  Why do we call them tug boats when they are always seen pushing their barges?

 

10. Is it not curious that slow down and slow up mean the same thing?

 

11. Why do you have to make an appointment to visit a seer?

 

12. If a person is both cross-eyed and dyslexic, are his reading problems canceled out?

 

13. Why do we drive on a parkway but park in a driveway?

  

 BUY THE BOOK 

This title is actually a play on the title of the book I am about to review, Parenting by the Book, by John Rosemond, and his title is a play on the fact that the Bible is the book by which we must parent.  His subtitle makes the point, “Biblical Wisdom for Raising Your Child.”

 

Mr. Rosemond is a psychologist by training and by trade.  Before you turn off at that statement, you should know that the book is not filled with psychological jargon and theory.  Rather it is a book filled with common sense ideas; it is written in easy to understand English, and it is based on the principles found in the Bible.

 

So how is it that a psychologist would write a book on parenting from a Biblical perspective?  Two factors play into this.  Mr. Rosemond was an honest man who made many observations about child behavior and parenting.  He remembered how he was brought up and how there seemed to be fewer problems then and that when problems did occur, they were handled in a forthright manner.  In essence, the way grandmother handled it worked while today’s methods are not working. 

 

John spoke and wrote about his observations and was challenged on two fronts.  His own peers in academia put him down and rebuked him for his views; Christians began telling him that the views and methods he was recommending were all in the Bible.  Ultimately John Rosemond became a Christian, much to his surprise and subsequent delight.

 

The first section of the book, about 100 pages, deals with postmodern psychological parenting.  He explains how he was a devotee and was trained in it while in school.  Mr. Rosemond also explains what is wrong with the movement and how the fruit shows it is a bad tree.  He makes the point that Freud’s theories were never proven, just accepted, and he shows that B.F. Skinnner’s behavior modification theory does not work on man precisely because he is man and not a beast.

 

That section is informative and helps establish why many modern parents are having the problems they do.  This section serves as a warning of what not to do and a yardstick by which to assess how enmeshed you might be in these theories and practices yourselves.

 

The second section of the book is about how to recover from the postmodern parenting disaster.  This is where the application in the book begins.  He talks about the Biblical mandate of the marriage being of one flesh and how to not let children divide the husband-wife relationship.  Then he looks at what the Bible has to say as the goal of parenting and shows how many parents state the right goal but do not parent in such a way as to achieve it.  Of course, he does show how to get on track to achieve that goal, which is to produce children of godly character.

 

He has quite a bit to say about the whole self-esteem idea.  We are bombarded in our culture that the child of today must have self-esteem.  Well, to esteem something is quite similar to worship.  This means that self-esteem is the same as self-worship.  That sure sounds like pride to me, and I suspect you all know what the Scriptures say about pride in man.  It is not a desirable goal for a child or for anyone for that matter.

 

Also in this section he talks about the seasons of parenting.  Mr. Rosemond identifies four seasons, the approximate ages of the child during each season, and the goal of parenting during that season.  While what he says is common sense, I have never seen it charted out so clearly.  He also points out what happens if the seasons are blurred or unrecognized by the parent and the resultant behavior of the child.

 

The final section of the book is all about discipline.  Here he speaks of how discipline should be done, addresses the spanking issue, and gives many helpful ideas. The last chapter is about commands, consequences, and confirming consistency.  Each chapter has study questions at the end for use in personal or group study.  My recommendation: buy the book.

 A NOTE CARD TIP

While writing up the script for the DVD I am doing to go along with Jensen’s Format Writing, I realized that while I mention having some personal shorthand identification, I really don’t give enough explanation of what I am talking about.  The DVD script does so along with illustrations, but I am going to give you the gist of it here as well. 

I am speaking to the student now.  Note cards come in two varieties: 1) bibliography or source cards and 2) cards with your notes on them.  Bibliography cards are pretty standard; they contain the name of the book or article title along with the author’s name and some other information, which others can use so that they can find and read the material which you cite.  Some folks may want to check out your sources. 

The preparation of such cards are covered in most style sheets, and there are some variations.  You will just have to know what particular style your teacher or peers are expecting you to follow. When I was a student, particularly in high school, my teachers wanted to see my bibliography cards and my note cards.  I am not quite certain why they asked, but I believe it was to make sure of two things: a) I knew how to do research and document it, and b) I wasn’t just writing the paper off the top of my head.  I don’t remember any college professor ever asking for my cards. 

Nevertheless, most of the manuals give attention to what ought to be put on a note card as far as the source is concerned.  Personally I think what they ask for is too much and a waste of time.  Here’s what I suggest and why. 

Let’s say you have a book by James S. Lewis entitled The Golden Horde.  I am making this up for illustration’s sake.  Now certainly you have a bibliography card with all the pertinent information on it.  There is no need to repeat all that detail on your note card, but you do need to know the page or pages and what particular source you are citing on your note card. 

So here’s where the personal shorthand identification comes in.  What you need to do is develop a consistent system that makes sense to you that identifies for you the book from which you are citing the information. 

First you need to know where to put this shorthand identification.  I use the top right hand corner of the note card.  Here are some samples of what you might do.  I prefer system B. 

A.  Use the author’s last name; this works well if you are only using one source by that author.  If you are using multiple references by the same person, you would have to add a number or letter to distinguish which source by that person you are using.  Example:  Lewis.  If you are using two of Mr. Lewis’s works, use Lewis-1 and Lewis-2 or Lewis-a and Lewis-b. 

B.  Use a significant portion of the title.  This can be one or two words, in this case golden or horde seems likely, or even golden horde.  Just gold would work.  You can abbreviate and use TGH or just GH; those letters should trigger in your mind the actual title of the source.  Remember, this if for you, not your professor, so let’s make it quick and easy. 

The only other reference you need at the top right is the page number or numbers where the information is coming from.  If I were taking something from page 76, I’d probably have this at the top right: GH-76, and that would suffice for me to know it was a note from The Golden Horde on page 76. 

One further suggestion is to put the personal shorthand identification on the bibliography card somewhere, maybe in the top right hand corner or on the back.  Pencil it in so you can erase it later on if those cards are required to be turned in.  If you have a large number of sources, you might not remember your shorthand, so be safe and note it on the bibliography card in a consistent spot.  It makes no sense to do extra work, but you do need to be exact in your documentation.  This tip should help in both areas.

 RECENT READS 

 Reading has always been a delight for me.  Because of that, I make time to read.  Sometimes it is difficult to squeeze in, but I manage.  Here’s my reading list for the last quarter. 

Earlier in this letter I spoke about John Rosemund’s book, Parenting by the Book.  A local author, Dr. Matthew Johnson, has a similar book, and he says they both sing from the same sheet of music.  Maybe next time I’ll be able to report on Dr. Johnson’s book.

David McCullough wrote a biography entitled, John Adams.  It was a long read, just over 650 pages, but it was worth the investment.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and learned some interesting things, too many to recount here.  Not having a TV, I never saw the mini-series, but the book is excellent, especially because so much of it comes from the Adams themselves.  The letters and diaries of that family for four generations fill five miles of microfilm at the Massachusetts Historical Society in Boston.

In the realm of fantasy, I read the fourth book in Fire and Ice series by George R.R. Martin; the book was titled A Feast of Crows; it ran over 700 pages and filled in some gaps in the story, but there is more to come.  Since I am committed to the series, I will read what comes next, but this book was mediocre in my estimation.

Gladstone Comics produced a memorial issue, Uncle Scrooge, A Little Something Special.  It included various writers: Carl Barks, Don Rosa, William Van Horn, and others.  160 pages of Uncle Scrooge, that was just too much to pass up, and I was not disappointed.

I finished Andrew Stuart’s fine commentary on II Chronicles, A House of Prayer.  It was quite helpful for my teaching through the second book of Chronicles.  I did consult Matthew Henry and some other incidental materials.

L. E. Modesitt, Jr. is one of my favorite authors.  He writes a good story; there is a noticeable lack of bad language and sex although violence does occur.  He draws engaging characters and is rich in detail.  This last quarter I read Natural Ordermage, his lastest thus far in his Recluce series.  Rahl, the main character, likes things to work out his way and tries hard to do so, but things have a way of going against him.  He learns the hard way most of the time.  It’s a good story, and a sequel is promised.

All My Holy Mountain is the fifth and final novel by L.B. Graham in the Summerland series.  If you have a taste for Christian fantasy, this series is a must read.  The final novel wraps things up nicely with a couple of surprises.  Graham is good at that.  Get the whole series.  You won’t be disappointed.  I’ve passed the books on to four others, and all of those folks enjoyed the books and have recommended them to others.  Graham’s characterizations are very good, and his plot lines are solid if a bit convoluted, but the twists and turns make for interesting reading.  I am hoping Graham will continue writing.

Collin Hansen is a writer for Christianity Today, a popular evangelical magazine.  Young, Restless, Reformed is a new book published this year by Crossway, and it is widely available.  I found it informative and interesting.  Mr. Hansen is a good writer.  Much of the book is composed of notes and quotes from various interviews with such folks as John Piper, Joshua Harris, and a host of others, some famous and some not so.  He is reporting, not judging, but he seems to identify with the movement since it is his generation which is the focus.  I do take some issue with the title; I think Calvinist should replace Reformed, but that’s a small quibble.  It’s a quick read of only 150 pages, but it covers a lot of ground.  Hansen describes a movement among a growing segment of those in their 20’s and 30’s, mostly college students, and their approach to Christianity.

Yes, I read a few westerns by Louis L’Amour.  Riding for the Brand and War Party were both a series of short stories.  The Cherokee Trail and Under the Sweetwater Rim are novels.  These four were my calendar pictures for the months of April through July.

 MISCELLANY 

IN HIS GRACIOUS CARE,

Frode Jensen