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Grammar-Land: Grammar in Fun for the Children of Schoolroom-Shire
Before the days of Schoolhouse Rock's jingles like "Conjunction Junction," there was the playful primer "Grammar-Land," which has been teaching children (and adults in need of a refresher) the basic rules of English grammar since its first publication in 1878. In the allegorical world of Grammar-Land, the nine parts of speech-rich Mr. Noun, his useful friend Pronoun, little ragged Article, talkative Adjective, busy Dr. Verb and Adverb, perky Preposition, convenient Conjunction, and irksome Interjection-are brought to trial by Judge Grammar to settle disputes over the rules of language. Each part of speech is called in turn to take the stand, where they are questioned by Doctor Syntax and Sergeant Parsing. In the course of the amusing trial, the reader, perhaps without even realizing it, is exposed to the most important rules of grammar.
112 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1878
121 people are currently reading
227 people want to read
About the author
M.L. Nesbitt
5 books3 followersauthor of several books for children, such as "Harold's Choice; Or, Boyhood's Aims and Manhood's Work" and "Charlie's Choice."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
December 25, 2020
Likely written for upper elementary students in the late 19th century, but also suitable for older students and adults, this is a narrative exploration of the basics of English grammar. The various Parts-of-Speech are arguing about who owns which words, so Judge Grammar, with his able assistants, Serjeant Parsing and Dr Syntax, holds a court inquiry, calling all of them in for questioning.
The cast of characters includes
Mr. Noun, wealthy and prosperous.
Mr Pronoun, who does work for his neighbor, Mr. Noun
Little Article, so poor that that he has only two words
Conjunction, a train engineer who hooks together the railway cars of speech. I wonder if "Schoolhouse Rock" got its metaphor from here for the "Conjunction Junction" song, or if this is just the obvious way to express the concept.
etc, etc.
The book is remarkably readable, and the narrative format keeps everything moving along. Will Mr. Adjective be sentenced for stealing Mr. Noun's words for his own purposes? Will Judge Grammar figure out the "who's on first" comic introduction to first/second/third person, or be annoyed enough to clap them all in chains?
There is a short, optional exercise at the end of each chapter. Someone has also turned these end of chapter exercises into worksheets, and graciously made them available:
http://dontneednoeducation.blogspot.c...
There are several copies of "Grammar-Land" on archive.org, but I believe one of them is missing a few pages. This copy of the third edition seems complete: https://archive.org/details/grammarla...
Archive.org also has this in audiobook form. You'll miss the amusing illustrations, though.
UPDATE - I ordered a used copy with an eye to inflicting it on unwary children. Unfortunately, the paperback edition published by A.J. Cornell Publications doesn't have the aforementioned illustrations, so if these are what you want (I did), be wary.
The cast of characters includes
Mr. Noun, wealthy and prosperous.
Mr Pronoun, who does work for his neighbor, Mr. Noun
Little Article, so poor that that he has only two words
Conjunction, a train engineer who hooks together the railway cars of speech. I wonder if "Schoolhouse Rock" got its metaphor from here for the "Conjunction Junction" song, or if this is just the obvious way to express the concept.
etc, etc.
The book is remarkably readable, and the narrative format keeps everything moving along. Will Mr. Adjective be sentenced for stealing Mr. Noun's words for his own purposes? Will Judge Grammar figure out the "who's on first" comic introduction to first/second/third person, or be annoyed enough to clap them all in chains?
There is a short, optional exercise at the end of each chapter. Someone has also turned these end of chapter exercises into worksheets, and graciously made them available:
http://dontneednoeducation.blogspot.c...
There are several copies of "Grammar-Land" on archive.org, but I believe one of them is missing a few pages. This copy of the third edition seems complete: https://archive.org/details/grammarla...
Archive.org also has this in audiobook form. You'll miss the amusing illustrations, though.
UPDATE - I ordered a used copy with an eye to inflicting it on unwary children. Unfortunately, the paperback edition published by A.J. Cornell Publications doesn't have the aforementioned illustrations, so if these are what you want (I did), be wary.
June 14, 2014
Call me a nerd but I loved this book! What a creative way to explain grammar. I loved the quirky characters and the courtroom drama. ;)
October 6, 2018
Grammar-Land, written in 1877 by M. L. Nesbitt, is a humorous and lighthearted approach to teaching grammar. Nesbitt imaginatively personifies each part of speech, and the fun little stories and poems within the book given to the children of Schoolroom-Shire as exercises only add to the entertaining read.
There has been a quarrel in Grammar-land, where Judge Grammar rules as judge and king. Some of the parts of speech have been greedy and have tried to steal words from each other. Of course, Judge Grammar cannot stand for such disorder and orders the Parts-of-Speech to appear before him to explain and clarify their roles as well as present their cases. Helping him are the stoic and gruff Dr. Syntax and the acting questioner Serjeant Parsing, (whose name cleverly means serious analyzing).
Each part of speech takes his turn introducing himself and his function and pleading their case if they feel wronged, except that is Interjection, who makes himself a nuisance and is pointedly passed over. And, oh, I had a lot of fun meeting these characters. I don’t have time to go into all nine of them. But I can give you a few highlights.
• Little Article’s case—Poor little Article’s appeal that one of his two little words wouldn’t always have to be in front and used as just a part of Mr. Noun’s was so touching. Definitely an awwwww moment. ;)
• Meeting Adverb—I never realized how annoying an Adverb could be personified, but now I know. Adverb’s a smooth talking guy that’s always over exaggerating poor Dr. Verb and Adjective’s words, altering them even to suit his purpose. *shakes head laughing*
• All the fun bickering—The cases that the different Parts-Of-Speech make against each other and the words they claimed had stolen definitely had me thinking about grammar in a different way.
• Interjection’s a hoot; you can never tell when in a flash his mood will change.
• Nominative and Objective Case presented—And all the fuss made over Preposition keeping nouns and pronouns in order and changing them in the Objective and Nominative case was amusing. Here I need to stop and remark at how cleverly Nesbitt introduced those two in a way that you were excited and looking forward to hearing about them when really they can be tough subjects to handle.
• The Conjunction—I definitely see elements of Schoolhouse Rock in his introduction.
• Grammar police officers officially being called critics—love it!
Overall, very entertaining and a must read for Grammar lovers.
There has been a quarrel in Grammar-land, where Judge Grammar rules as judge and king. Some of the parts of speech have been greedy and have tried to steal words from each other. Of course, Judge Grammar cannot stand for such disorder and orders the Parts-of-Speech to appear before him to explain and clarify their roles as well as present their cases. Helping him are the stoic and gruff Dr. Syntax and the acting questioner Serjeant Parsing, (whose name cleverly means serious analyzing).
Each part of speech takes his turn introducing himself and his function and pleading their case if they feel wronged, except that is Interjection, who makes himself a nuisance and is pointedly passed over. And, oh, I had a lot of fun meeting these characters. I don’t have time to go into all nine of them. But I can give you a few highlights.
• Little Article’s case—Poor little Article’s appeal that one of his two little words wouldn’t always have to be in front and used as just a part of Mr. Noun’s was so touching. Definitely an awwwww moment. ;)
• Meeting Adverb—I never realized how annoying an Adverb could be personified, but now I know. Adverb’s a smooth talking guy that’s always over exaggerating poor Dr. Verb and Adjective’s words, altering them even to suit his purpose. *shakes head laughing*
• All the fun bickering—The cases that the different Parts-Of-Speech make against each other and the words they claimed had stolen definitely had me thinking about grammar in a different way.
• Interjection’s a hoot; you can never tell when in a flash his mood will change.
• Nominative and Objective Case presented—And all the fuss made over Preposition keeping nouns and pronouns in order and changing them in the Objective and Nominative case was amusing. Here I need to stop and remark at how cleverly Nesbitt introduced those two in a way that you were excited and looking forward to hearing about them when really they can be tough subjects to handle.
• The Conjunction—I definitely see elements of Schoolhouse Rock in his introduction.
• Grammar police officers officially being called critics—love it!
Overall, very entertaining and a must read for Grammar lovers.
February 17, 2025
What a great way to teach grammar to kids! We enjoyed this very much and the simple explanations even helped me unpack my own understanding, some of which passed me by in my elementary school days.
September 20, 2012
Grammar has a reputation of being dull and dry, but a turn-of-the-century classic, Grammar-Land by M.L. Nesbitt (first published 1878), attempts to make it fun by turning learning the parts of speech into a game.
In the imaginary world of Grammar-Land, the parts of speech have been arguing about which of them is most important. They must come before Judge Grammar and explain themselves. The book is written with the “children of Schoolroom-shire” as the intended audience, and as each part of speech comes before the judge, he asks the children for help in understanding the parts of speech.
Because I love studying grammar, I think it goes without saying that I loved this book! I found it to be a delightful introduction for kids. The parts of speech have distinct and memorable personalities. I think my favorite was Little Article.
Admittedly, the plot is not a fascinating adventure. There is no disguising the fact that this book is teaching something. But, compared to other options, I think sitting and reading about Grammar-Land is an ideal way for my son to first be exposed to the parts of speech. With the worksheets that other homeschool parents have made (here and here), I see Grammar-Land as a delightful beginning grammar “curriculum” for my young son. Best of all, Grammar-land is available for free at Google Books. I’ll come back here and report when Raisin and I have read it together.
Cross-posted on my blog
March 5, 2019
We have been reading this during morning time for term 2. However, with changes in our life traveling to see Auntay and now with her coming to live with us, we are going to just use some of our morning time book rotations as our family read alouds for awhile starting with this one...krb 1/6/19
The kids enjoyed this book and the way it taught the 9 parts of speech in a story from better than the format of Language Lessons from The Well Trained Mind...krb 3/4/19
The kids enjoyed this book and the way it taught the 9 parts of speech in a story from better than the format of Language Lessons from The Well Trained Mind...krb 3/4/19
February 3, 2021
Great introduction to grammar. If you use AmblesideOnline someone made worksheets that go with each chapter that you can get for free in the files of the Facebook page. We didn’t do those but some of them at least I’m sure would be good exercises.
June 6, 2011
i stumbled upon this book at a local bookstore and decided that it was time for a grammar refresher story. i felt like a witness sitting through the courtroom drama as Judge Grammar called upon the nine parts of speech into court who were contesting for ownership of words.
it's a quirky story that re-introduces the rules of grammar in an amusing and entertaining manner.
it's a quirky story that re-introduces the rules of grammar in an amusing and entertaining manner.
July 9, 2019
I liked this book a lot. I'm not so sure that kids would read it on their own, but if read aloud as a supplement to instruction, it would be fun and memorable.
October 7, 2024
✍️📚 Grammar-Land by M. L. Nesbitt:-
✍️📚Book Review:-
OMG! THIS BOOK WAS SO FUN 💖 I loved it so much. It beautifully clarifies grammatical concepts, that otherwise may seem confusing. I enjoyed reading this as a literature student and my younger sibling is reading it and I love hearing him giggle while reading 🤭 This book is truly engaging and absolutely wonderful. It's actually a classic written back in the 1840s but the language is absolutely simple and easy to grasp. I highly recommend this book to all children out there (and also the adults who love children's fiction like me😂)
✍️📚 Book Description:-
Why did the words reach the court?
To be sentenced...
Order! Order!
In Grammar-land even kings and queens must obey Judge Grammar.
Join the children from Schoolroom-shire to witness an unusual trial that will leave you giggling in the most unexpected ways.
In this courtroom, the parts of speech are noblemen who take the stand and claim the words that belong to them. It's an all-out tussle as characters like wealthy Mr. Noun, busy Dr. Verb and little Article plead their case and set the record straight ‐ once and for all!
Get ready for an entertaining language lesson like no other in a whimsical world where grammar rules, quite literally!
✍️📚Book Review:-
OMG! THIS BOOK WAS SO FUN 💖 I loved it so much. It beautifully clarifies grammatical concepts, that otherwise may seem confusing. I enjoyed reading this as a literature student and my younger sibling is reading it and I love hearing him giggle while reading 🤭 This book is truly engaging and absolutely wonderful. It's actually a classic written back in the 1840s but the language is absolutely simple and easy to grasp. I highly recommend this book to all children out there (and also the adults who love children's fiction like me😂)
✍️📚 Book Description:-
Why did the words reach the court?
To be sentenced...
Order! Order!
In Grammar-land even kings and queens must obey Judge Grammar.
Join the children from Schoolroom-shire to witness an unusual trial that will leave you giggling in the most unexpected ways.
In this courtroom, the parts of speech are noblemen who take the stand and claim the words that belong to them. It's an all-out tussle as characters like wealthy Mr. Noun, busy Dr. Verb and little Article plead their case and set the record straight ‐ once and for all!
Get ready for an entertaining language lesson like no other in a whimsical world where grammar rules, quite literally!
December 12, 2019
I discovered this gem on Librivox yesterday when I was too sick to read and bored.
(I hope all of you know this wonderful project where volunteers read books that are in the public domain. If not, check it out and have all the classics read to you.)
The story of Judge Grammar and the nine parts of speach who come before him to settle once and for all which word belongs to whom is a great way to introduce grammar to children (and adults). I wish I had known it sooner and that my son's English was good enough yet to read it with him. (And that there was something similarly entertaining for German grammar.) As a bonus, there are exercises to practice what you have learned at the end of each chapter for the children in schoolroom-shire. Some of these little stories seem a little harsh for my modern ear, but they do give great insights into the days of tutors and good Queen Victoria.
(I hope all of you know this wonderful project where volunteers read books that are in the public domain. If not, check it out and have all the classics read to you.)
The story of Judge Grammar and the nine parts of speach who come before him to settle once and for all which word belongs to whom is a great way to introduce grammar to children (and adults). I wish I had known it sooner and that my son's English was good enough yet to read it with him. (And that there was something similarly entertaining for German grammar.) As a bonus, there are exercises to practice what you have learned at the end of each chapter for the children in schoolroom-shire. Some of these little stories seem a little harsh for my modern ear, but they do give great insights into the days of tutors and good Queen Victoria.
February 10, 2022
A dated text, but, nontheless, a fun look at basics of grammar for elementary students. I think this book is best used when learning a second language aside from English. It's a good introduction to parts of speech and a bit about conjugation and case structure. The narrative itself is quirky, and very fun at the beginning. It grows a bit tedious towards the end of the book.
May 8, 2018
This was actually really cute. It had an interesting story with a creative way to explain grammar that wasn’t boring at all. I am so going to read this to my kids one day. It’s as cute as a fairytale, yet, it will help them learn a little along the way. Ha ha.
July 12, 2018
Fun introduction to grammar
I love the concepts and the parts-of-speech characters. Great for elementary age kids, and fun for adults too. My only objection is that the examples used in the book are too violent for today's day and age.
I love the concepts and the parts-of-speech characters. Great for elementary age kids, and fun for adults too. My only objection is that the examples used in the book are too violent for today's day and age.
October 9, 2020
This is such a wonderful little grammar book. I read it with my son and he loved it. We also listened to an audio version of the book which can be accessed free here. https://librivox.org/grammar-land-by-...
This is a fun way to learn grammar.
This is a fun way to learn grammar.
December 10, 2020
A fun account of personified parts of speech in a courtroom. Each chapter introduces a part of speech and what it (he) does. Then ends with an exercise for the students in Schoolroom-shire to complete.
September 27, 2017
It was a bit annoying the work that goes in this book but now I know so much about parts of speech that I probably will never have to learn them again.
October 20, 2017
Another great little resource but for now I won’t be finishing this one either.
March 23, 2022
I'm using this to supplement my homeschool curriculum; teaching grammar to my younger two kids. It's a great resource!
May 9, 2024
6 stars if there was one
January 2, 2025
It was a really entertaining and humorous book, great for children and super educational! Would totally recommend!
It may have been a little outdated though because of the publication date.
It may have been a little outdated though because of the publication date.
January 29, 2025
It was a really good, fun book that told the tale of grammar in a wonderful way. I wish all textbooks taught facts in this way!
May 16, 2025
wonderful! I wish that this was how I learned grammar when I was young. I would love to see this acted out in a classroom or even made into a show for young kids
October 22, 2025
Very dry and boring book. Definitely not my cup of tea. I totally understand the reason this was written and its value, but nonetheless I just wasn't a big fan.
February 24, 2025
This book was good
April 17, 2012
If you enjoy the laws of Grammar, you will love this book. Written back in the 1870's, it is a humorous story that takes place in the courthouse in Schoolroom-shire where Judge Grammar's laws rule over his 9 subjects - or 9 Parts-of-Speech. Judge Grammar had given words to all his subjects and let them have them for their very own as long as they obeyed the rules. There is rich Mr. Noun, his useful friend Mr. Pronoun, little Article, busy Dr. Verb, talkative Mr. Adjective, Adverb, perky Preposition, convenient Conjunction and the tiresome Interjection. Each part-of-speech is put on trial and must prove why his words are his and how they are used because some parts-of-speech have become greedy and stolen words from others. Everyone seems to be disobeying the rules of Grammar-Land. Each part-of-speech has a personality of its own and are given characteristics to make the imagination help the memory in retaining the first principles of Grammar. Then there are the Judge's two counselors - Serjeant Parsing with his incessant questioning in finding out the whole truth and Dr. Syntax whom everyone thinks is old-fashioned and need not be obeyed. I found myself laughing out loud at some of the quarreling that went on between everyone. Kids will enjoy it, as they will be entertained while learning. Great for adults as well who would like a refresher course in "parsing" a sentence. Parsing is an earlier term for the diagramming of sentences of natural languages, and is still used for the diagramming of inflected languages, such as the Romance languages or Latin. The term parsing comes from Latin pars (ōrātiōnis), meaning part (of speech). Each chapter also has short exercises at the end if you are really motivated. I plan on reading this to my kids over the summer!
November 10, 2015
This is fun way to learn grammar...each part of speech is a 'character' at court in a kingdom, arguing about how they are used and which words belong to them. It's pretty old though, as it even includes 'thou' and 'thee' in the pronouns! But we enjoyed using this to learn about the parts of speech. It did get a little confusing for the kids when we got to the 'nominative case' and the 'objective case', but overall, it covered a great deal of grammar.
December 27, 2023
A fun, allegorical, way to learn grammar. This is a well thought out and explained story that really helps being grammar to life. As an adult ahh an English major I learned me things. There are lessons to go shopping with each chapter. Here's an answer key I found online. https://allinonehomeschool.files.word...
I highly recommend this book for teaching Grammer to children.
I highly recommend this book for teaching Grammer to children.
December 13, 2016
My 10 year old liked it. My 8-year-old found it very boring. She detected the lesson in there a mile away. She hates it when we try to sneak learning into her relaxation time.
I found it quite cute and I actually learned a few things. It made me think about language in ways I had not used in quite a while.
I found it quite cute and I actually learned a few things. It made me think about language in ways I had not used in quite a while.
October 13, 2025
I've used this book with my fifth graders as a fantastic review of the parts of speech. Each part of speech is personified, so we just take it one chapter at a time and they illustrate Mr. Noun, etc. after reading the chapter about him, incorporating as many details into their illustration as they can. Even grammar can be fun if you have the right books!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews