The Key to the Blue Workbook gives clear, thoroughly-explained answers
to all exercises in the Blue Workbook, one of four non-sequential books
in the Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind series, providing detailed,
well-designed exercises in the correct use of English grammar. The Key,
along with the accompanying Blue Workbook and the Core Instructor Text,
make up Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind: a complete course that takes
students from basic definitions ("A noun is the name of a person, place,
thing, or idea") through advanced sentence structure and analysis, all
the grammar skills needed to write and speak with eloquence and
confidence. This innovative program combines the three essential
elements of language learning: understanding and memorizing rules
(prescriptive teaching), repeated exposure to examples of how those
rules are used (descriptive instruction), and practice using those rules
in exercises and in writing (practical experience). Each year, parents
and teachers go through the dialogue, rules, and examples in the Core
Instructor Text; students follow along in the Workbook. This repetition
solidifies the concepts, definitions, and examples in the student's
mind. There are four Workbooks, one for each year. Each Workbook
contains the same rules and examples, but four completely different sets
of exercises and assignments, allowing students to develop a
wide-ranging knowledge of how the rules and examples are put to use in
writing. Each Key to the Workbooks provides not only answers, but also
explanations for the parent/instructor, and guidance as to when the
answers might be ambiguous (as, in English, they often are). All of the
rules covered, along with the repeated examples for each, are assembled
for ongoing reference in the Comprehensive Handbook of Rules (soon to be
renamed as The Grammar Guidebook). Every step of the sentence
diagramming process is gathered for reference, along with illustrations,
in The Diagramming Dictionary. These will become the student's
indispensable guide to writing through high school, into college and
beyond. Step-by-step instruction takes students from the most basic
concepts through advanced grammatical concepts such as modal and
hortative verbs and multiple functions of noun clauses. Extensive
diagramming exercises reinforce the rules and help technical and visual
learners to understand and use the English language effectively. Each
step of the diagramming process is illustrated and thoroughly explained
to the student. Text for examples and exercises are drawn from great
works of literature, as well as from well-written nonfiction texts in
science, mathematics, and the social sciences. Regular review is built
into each year of work. The Key accompanies one of four non-sequential
workbooks, each containing new exercises that allow students to practice
and apply the grammar principles under study.
