Griffin Stofer

Professor Lucchesi

ENG 101

1/16/19

“He became ‘good at talking’” (175)

It happened when I was six. I was reading a book with my mom. A book of many pictures of dinosaurs, the likes of which many children like to read. I was having a delightful time reading the names of all the different dinosaurs, that is until I got to the end. At the end of the book was a dinosaur with wings and a long name. The gloriously difficult to pronounce (at least for a six-year-old) pterodactyl. The “erodactyl” was easy enough to pronounce, but the “pt,” what am I supposed to do with that? Is it a hard “p” or a silent one? Or perhaps the t is silent and it’s pronounced “perodactyl.” Or maybe it’s even stranger and both are silent and it’s just “erodactyl.” Well might as well try and say, for even upon failure I might learn the truth. So I choose “pterodactyl,” silent “p” and all. “Good job” my mom says. I have triumphed, over this word, though by pure luck. I have pronounced correctly this nigh insurmountable word and completed this book. My mother’s encouragement making this moment all the sweeter. Looking back, I’m just glad the word wasn’t “parasaurolophus.”