Marcus read us a little book as we drove into town yesterday. His reading is really wonderful - there are quite a few words he doesn't know, but he doesn't let it slow him down. He inflects his voice to make it interesting to listen - which must take some doing, as to do this you have to anticipate a few words ahead.
The way he handled one word I thought was fascinating. Until I read about it in a Bill Bryson book, it had never occured to me that we all (I think) pronounce "have" two ways. We "have" a cat, but we "haff" to feed it every day. Marcus was reading smoothly along a line, came to "have" and pronounced it "have", then realised the context required "haff", so went back and corrected himself.
Isn't it interesting how he has learned this little rule, or habit? I did not even know the rule/habit existed until recently, although I have been following it all my life. I have never mentioned it to Marcus. What other little obscure rules/habits are we all following, and teaching our children, unconsciously?
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