Grammar Lessons

Every week Alice’s school distributes a letter outlining their plans for the week. It includes what songs they are going to sing, what books they are going to read, and what concepts they are going to work on during circle time. Alice held onto the handout while I drove home. Apparently, she is learning about the comma from her teachers because she kept commenting when she saw one on the paper. The former teacher in me saw a “teachable moment” here.



“Alice, did you know that a comma with a dot on top of it is called a semicolon?” I asked her.

“No, it’s not,” Alice informed me.


I was a little taken aback, but I persisted. “Yes, Alice, it is.”


“No, it’s not.”


I decided against going into a long dissertation about my teaching and education qualifications. Instead, I asked, “Well, then what is it?”


“It’s an ‘I’.”


Oy….