Maggie's Farm

Buddy,

I've always done the punctuation as you do. It makes sense. The word you highlighted with single quotation marks is not part of the whole construction of the sentence. Therefore, the end mark belongs on the outside. The British do it this way, and for the most part, they tend to grammar more efficiently than we do.

Buddy - This is the funniest, best grammar book ever. It's worth the small price just for the humor:

"Eats, Shoots & Leaves" by Lynne Truss.

Also, Karen Elizabeth Gordon has several wonders out that are worth it for the humor:

"The Transitive Vampire; A Handbook of GRAMMAR for the Innocent, the Eager, and the Doomed."

"The Well-Tempered Sentence; A Punctuation Handbook for the Innocent, the Eager, and the Doomed."

I don't know which you are - innocent, eager or doomed, but you'll still like 'em no matter. :)
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Luther,

You should not envy anyone. I have read this blog about six months and I am constantly amazed and blown away by your writing. Writing is a reflection of how you think, and all I have to say is you are capable of going places in the thinking realm that few of us are capable of visiting. And then you come back and write those thoughts in exquisite, unique prose that just takes my breath away.

Trust me - I've spent 20 years teaching and grading writing and another three as an editor. You are one of the best. I also know you don't believe me, but your writing is ethereal. So, as it is, is your thinking.
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My kids suffered the to, too, and two. I never taught rules because they're boring, and I had a knack for tricks that worked.


Here's just a short one for 'too'.

Substitute the word 'also' in the sentence where you've used 'too'.

If the sentence makes sense using 'also', 'too' is correct. If it doesn't make sense, use 'to'.

I invented 'sucede'. Better'n 'sylist'. :) More depth. har..
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I come from a family of word people. We love all word games and puzzles. Neologisms are one of our favorites. I have a list of some really funny ones somewhere on my computer. I only come across it by accident so have no idea where to look.

Filenesia: When you can't find a favorite file on your computer.

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Oh. I'm hanging my head. I messed up trying to be succinct with my example of using 'too'. :(

It also means emphasis. Too much food. Too much rain.

Luther, I'm sorry.

But I'm not sorry for anything else. I am correct about your writing. I know it's from the heart, but you still have a way of writing that is so sublime I don't have the words to describe it. Sometimes as I'm reading a thread I am stopped short by the way you've written something. In honesty - You are one of the main reasons I stayed with the blog even when I wasn't commenting.

I have heard your story a hundred times. Stupid teachers. I go crazy that there are teachers out there who do not understand the impact they have on a kid. My son experienced something like what you went through, and I got him in my class for his tenth and twelfth year. It would take too long to describe how I taught writing, but I can say it was positive - never negative.

I assigned essays on Tuesdays for all classes every week of the school year. They were due Wednesday and Wednesday nights I graded for hours. I'd staple the left hand corner of a batch and flip through writing all kinds of nice comments and gentle suggestions. Then I'd write a note at the bottom telling the student what I liked best. I'd pick out the top three and read them aloud on Thursday. I also sent the names of the top three to be announced over morning announcements.

I was grading a batch and came across my son's. He wrote about a 24 hour bike race that he'd had to do alone because his teammates didn't show up. It was a big race and he finished it. He wrote like you do..... from deep inside his mind and heart, and he wrote that the dawn was his favorite time because he could hear the birds chirping in the woods before any hint of sunlight, and he said after the loneliness of the night, it gave him a great feeling of hope to hear the birds and to gradually see all of nature as the sun rose. I'm not able to describe it, but it made me cry. I just couldn't believe my son had it in him to write and think like you do. He wrote of personal experience, but it was from his place in a world we all share - ethereal.

Darn. I can't describe it. Anyway, I read his paper and he was embarrassed but proud. I still have it.

I could not write as you or Parker did that time. Leave it at that..... your writing gives me shivers. To touch people the way you do and the way Parker did that time - it's a gift.
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Check this out! Too fun!

http://eatsshootsandleaves.com/ESLquiz.html

It's a little quiz. Go do it! I missed one! D'oh. :}
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Kids might forget what you do to them, but they will never forget how you made them feel.

The 'get over it' response to sad stuff is inappropriate. If we could just 'get over it' there would be no mental health professionals and we'd never get depressed.

Shameing a child is abuse. It is the worst emotion a person can feel. Betrayal comes in at a close second.
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"It's About How the Mind Copes Afterwards"

Thanks for my book title, Buddy. :} I'll give you a shout out at the end and some of my royalties.

Luther,

Are you my manly twin? My favorite things in life from early on were reading...... cancel the plural. I didn't enjoy writing until I was about 30 when I felt confident. I so love beautiful writing that I expect everyone to love it. I'm always shocked when people say, "I hate to read." I, too, have always been rebellious. I lost/quit my job because of an injustice that I would not abide and I lost, of course. But I wouldn't give in because I was right.

I think my tombstone will say: Teacher. Kiss my Nounly Ass.

(Actually the loss of my job kicked my ass and I'm still not right. I wish I could just get over it, but I can't.)

I went to the library today. Buddy, would that book by Manchester be in the library?
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