Who Needs Mensa?

Thank you, Shaun the Sheep, for being a sheep in the midst of sheep. Not sheeps.

Squib: You're sure there's not a "s" at the end of sheep? (s) He adds the 's' sound. He does not yet believe me.


Moi: I'm certain of it. There are several English words that do not require an 's' to make them plural.

Squib: Like?

Crap. Dog-dogs. Chicken-chickens. Cow-cattle or cows. Bull-bulls. Why all the animals? Lizard-Lizards?


Moi: Trust me, there are some.

Squib: So how do you know if you're talking about sheep or sheeps?

Moi: Just sheep.

Squib: Right

Silence.


He tilts his head at me expectantly.


Moi: Uh, from context.

Squib: Blank stare. I have said something new enough so as to not register at all. He probably didn't even hear the sound of my voice.


Moi: When you look at how a word is used in a sentence and the sentences around it, you are defining the word from context...from it's surroundings. For example: I have one sheep. Squib has two sheep. Each time I used sheep in the sentence, there were words in the sentence that told you if I was talking about one sheep or more than one sheep.

Squib: The fog is starting to roll out. One sheep is a sheep. Four hundred million zillion sheeps are my sheep.

Moi: Something like that.

WARNING: Oncoming commission of critical parental tactical error!!! Dive! Dive! Dive!


Moi: You could just say "my herd of sheep, too."

Squib: That thing in his eyes perked up. I saw it. Sheep come in herds?

Moi: I don't know that they come that way but every group of similar animal has a name for it like 'herd of sheep,' or 'drive of dragons,' or 'gaggle or geese.' Be advised he's on your six and bearing down hard.

Squib: What about giraffes? And anteaters? Meerkats!!! And rhinoceroses. Is it rhino or rhinos?

We're going down!!!!!!!! May-day, may-day, we are at zero limit! Pull the yellow-and-black striped handle!!


Squib: I almost forgot dino's? What are a group of dino's? His brow finally furrows. 


Mom, what's the matter you don't look so good.