Grammar Lesson Mid-Term Exam

The following brief essay appears without standard punctuation
Here is a handful of punctuation marks which you may select and use as you see fit

" . . ."   " "  "  ' ' ' ' , , , , , ,  . . . . .  ! !  - - -   ; ; ; ;  : :  (  )  ? ? ?  Discard any you don t need

A few days ago I presented a grammar lesson which elicited some comments that reassure me  I am not the only person whose take away from English classes was minimal nor am I the only one for whom placement of punctuation marks is somewhat a mystery  Yet having read after these people I am convinced that their communication skills are quite adequate as I hope mine are  I find it amusing therefore to attempt an essay albeit brief sans punctuation  One wonders if in future grammarian will no longer be a career possibility for the aspiring young Likely though the role will not disappear completely as we shall always need disciplines by which we attempt to impose standard behaviors on the young  I am not saying this is a bad thing nor am I saying it is a good thing  I am just saying

Riddle Me This

Mothers today give their kids laptops when they are two.
Mothers of yesteryear entertained their kids with mind games such as these.
At any rate, my mother did.  Also, she played checkers with us, and Chinese checkers.  She read to us, and generally filled our heads with good things.  She also filled our tummies with good things which she made, baked, preserved and served in her own kitchen.  Wood burning stove, too, until I was nine years old.  I related earlier how terrified she was to use the pressure canner, and yet that did not deter her from "putting up" hundreds of quarts of good things to eat every summer.  Air conditioned kitchen?  Phfft.  Never heard of it, and couldn't have had it if we had.

Remember these, or enjoy them in any event.

As I was going to St. Ives I met a man with seven wives. 
Each wife had seven sacks, each sack had seven cats.
Each cat had seven kits.
Kits, cats, sacks and wives, how many were going to St. Ives?¹

Two legs sat upon three legs,
With one leg in his lap;
In comes four legs
And runs away with one leg;

Up jumps two legs,
Catches up three legs,
Throws it after four legs,
And makes him drop one leg.                                                     Image: mothergooseclub.com
What are we?²

Railroad crossing, look out for the cars!
Can you spell that without any "r's".<sup>3

I have watched some of those three and four year old kids "working" on their computers.  They become quite adept at punching the right buttons to get a desired result.  I suspect this is excellent training  for the world in which they will live circa 2034.  Skinner would be proud..</sup>