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Question Time

A problem submitted to a well-known literary figure cast in the role of agony uncle and his response.


Dear Uncle Eddie. Our daughter Henrietta aged 7 has a lively imagination and the potential, we believe, to become a notable author, essayist, poet and playwright, just like you. Unfortunately her teachers to date have equipped her with scant knowledge apropos the finer points of grammar. An understanding of syntax, parts of speech, spelling, semantics, punctuation and parsing is essential to her future career. What should we do? Anxious


dear anxious) grammar is I guess (may children always gather flowers) to growing as a grimace is to half a smile or no is to perhaps. in Just yearfour when playgrounds laugh skippingropes and fivestones and dinnerladies whistles whistle far and wee – indoor blackboards (as chalk is to kisschase and gloom is to glad) weep syntax and spellinglists (a capital letter makes a Dull december, a full stop is an ending to begin). youse best re (grammarwise) lax – (e.e.cummings)

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