Well, here we go.  I think I have enough for a decent posting of student gaffes and hilarity.  The following were all taken from papers by my 11th and 12th grade students.  The assignments are various, including assignments on Macbeth, essays on American Realist short stories, and reports on aspects of the Roaring '20s.  A few I have put in not because of any errors, but because the thoughts expressed or the manner of expression struck me as humorous.  These are, of course, unedited, as editing them would ruin the fun. My comments appear in (  ).

- The only way Macbeth sees himself taking the thrown is if Duncan is killed.

- Shakespeare's characterization is top notch.  (I am sure he would appreciate the kudos.)

- Peyton's imagination has created a scene where Peyton can mentally run away even though physically he can not because he is dead.

- The man gave up on trying to build a fire and burry himself in the dog.

- "A Pair of Silk Stokings"  (The title of the story is "A Pair of Silk Stockings," and it's by Kate Chopin.)

- Mrs. Sommers would be presented as difficult.

- A man instincts are good, but a dog's instincts are lot more better.

- ... went to dinner.  Then went to dinner, then went to dinner.  (I didn't realize when I read the story that the character went to dinner three times.)

- (In this quote the parenthetical statement at the end is the student's.)  How people deal with stress is a prime example of how people differ psychologically; some people meditate, some people drink, and some people shoot up an office building (arguably the last one would cause far greater problems).

- My favorite part is the first act because it is the beginning.

- When she herd the prediction...

- The Macbeths never act in a loving manor.  (Their house just wasn't conducive.)

- I might go see a production of Macbeth because the entire play is a war and there are no romantic scenes like in Romeo and Juliet.

- The 1920's were a very historical time.

- The percent of people dying 15 miles away from home bottomed out.  (He meant "driving;" it was a report about automobiles in the 1920s.)

- In 1925 the ear of the baggy pants dawned.

- During the 1920s, football was not as possible as the sport of boxing.

Let me conclude with an all time favorite of mine which happened this fall.  For the record, he meant "Tests."  This was the title of a student's paper on The Crucible: "The Testes of John Proctor."

More when I get a good list.  Until then...

Jer