My son the philosopher....

[aloha]

Ds was discussing over tea the fact that some big animals have big names - like rhinoceros - and some small animals have small names - like ant. But says he, 'isn't it funny that some big things have small words. Like you can love someone very, very much, but love isn't a very big word, is it?'

And this morning, reading Dear Zoo, said, 'mummy, why does it say 'we sent him back' and not 'we sent he back'.....cue very long silence from English graduate mother!
Anyone got an answer for me???

On a similar line this morning, DS asked who was it that made up all the words.

oooooooh good questions! your ds sounds so lovely

him/he depends on whether it's the object or subject of the verb. Like we/us - he sent us back, we sent him back etc.

LOL - I think i may start using big wors for big things and little words for little things - what a very sensible idea. If you were starting a language from scartch it would be a hlepful thing, to use the form of the word to inform you of some aspects on it's meaning!

'He' does things, we do things FOR 'him'.

We buy a present for HIM, HE unwraps it. We get a book from the library fFOR him, HE reads it. Would talking to him like that help?

Actually, knowing your DS, Mummy makes a cake for him, he eats it

Bless him! He sounds very bright.

Ah yes, object and subject
My school wasn't v hot on grammar. Typical 70s education!

yeah, well, I didn't find that out till I did a Spanish evening class last year

That's so cute, Aloha! Isn't it great when they begin to question the world around them?

Dd2 asked me recently "Mummy, can deaf people hear themselves think?" The jury's still out on that one!