Grammar

My grammar, ‘tis of thee,
Sweet incongruity,
Of thee I sing.
I love each mood and tense,
Each freak of accidence,
Protect me from common sense,
Grammar, my king!

“The Wonder of Words” by Isaac Goldberg, 1938.

Saving Grandma

The following is a tribute to my students:

“As the children emerged from the cornfield and tromped through the back door of the old farmstead, the eldest called out, ‘Let’s eat grandma!”

Err.

“As the children emerged from the cornfield and tromped through the back door of the old farmstead, the eldest called out, ‘Let’s eat, grandma!”

These two sentences offer a brief lesson in the difference between “The Children of the Corn” and “The Children of the Comma”. Only commas save lives.