The excuses for being absent are a little bit different at the college level. . . . .

This fall, I have four students who will be missing class for a few weeks because they are having hysterectomies. I told them I would scan all the tests and homework, and put them on our class website links.

Some things never change, though. I had a student who missed a week of class because she had her tonsils out. Now, THAT one I’ve heard a lot!

Tonight’s giggle: Chapter 20, Pronouns.

“One of the women brought (her, their) own sack to the picnic.”

Answer: “her.” “Of the women” is a prepositional phrase and therefore cannot be the subject, so we put it in parenthesis and forget it, except as it gives sex to the pronoun which has the sack.

Antecedent: “One. It is singular, so the pronoun must be singular to match the antecedent.”

Student comment: Is the woman giving sex to the pronoun or to the sack?

Student answer: Who cares? Sex is sex. I love this class.

Teacher: So do I.