Conversations with my daughter, no. 8734287589
October 24, 2009
It is 10.30 on a Saturday morning. Mattgreen has gone away, so Izzy and I are still lounging around the house in our pyjamas and dressing gowns and slippers. It's pouring with rain outside and the washing machine and tumble drier are both rumbling away in the kitchen. Ludo is snoozing at our feet. Izzy has just been practicing her latest spellings from school.
Me: When you put 'ing' on a word that ends in 'E', you (nearly) always drop the 'E'.
Izzy: Huh?
Me: (scribbling on a pad) So "notice" becomes "noticing".
Izzy: (sounding unconvinced) Oh, right...
Me: Let me think of some other examples... er... (scribbling) "plate" becomes "plating", "skate" becomes "skating"...
Izzy: What's plating?
Me: Oh, you know, like armour plating, like armadillos have.
Izzy: What's an armadillo?
Me: It's a sort of animal...
Izzy: Does it come from Amarillo?
Me: When you put 'ing' on a word that ends in 'E', you (nearly) always drop the 'E'.
Izzy: Huh?
Me: (scribbling on a pad) So "notice" becomes "noticing".
Izzy: (sounding unconvinced) Oh, right...
Me: Let me think of some other examples... er... (scribbling) "plate" becomes "plating", "skate" becomes "skating"...
Izzy: What's plating?
Me: Oh, you know, like armour plating, like armadillos have.
Izzy: What's an armadillo?
Me: It's a sort of animal...
Izzy: Does it come from Amarillo?
