What is Sentence Builder?
Sentence Builder is an interactive, visual environment for learning and exploring the structure of the English language.
Think of it as a "natural language version of Scratch." Instead of connecting code blocks to create a program, you connect word blocks to build grammatically valid English sentences. As you build, the application conducts unification-based grammar validation, guiding you toward constructions that work and preventing you from making ones that don't.
It's a sandbox for language, where experimentation is encouraged and learning happens through play.
➡️ Try Sentence Builder App
(I'm currently refactoring the app. It might not work the same way as the video)
Who is it For?
Sentence Builder is designed for:
- Language Learners, especially those whose native language (like Japanese) has a fundamentally different structure from English. It helps build an intuitive "feel" for English grammar that rote memorization often fails to achieve.
- Teachers and Educators looking for innovative tools to explain grammatical concepts in a hands-on, engaging way.
The Core Idea: Learning by Building
The pedagogical philosophy of Sentence Builder is simple: we learn best by doing.
Traditional grammar teaching often presents students with a static list of abstract rules to memorize. This can make grammar feel arbitrary and disconnected from the act of communication.
Sentence Builder takes a different approach. It reframes grammar not as a set of rules to follow, but as a system of possibilities and constraints.
- You don't get a red "X" for making a mistake.
- Instead, blocks that are grammatically incompatible simply won't connect.
This subtle shift is powerful. It encourages learners to ask "Why doesn't this fit?" and to discover the underlying patterns of the language for themselves. By actively constructing sentences, users internalize the system, developing a robust mental model of how English works from the ground up.