I’m glad to see a textbook author with a great sense of subtle humor. Yet I still can’t make myself study.

Dorothy Devney Richmond, writing in the Practice Makes Perfect series, is quite entertaining. In Spanish Verb Tenses (New York, McGraw-Hill, 1996) she has lots of fun hiding “Easter eggs” in the practice exercises.

On page 22 she describes the differences in usage between ser and estar, one being that the latter is used as the “result of action,” often referencing a temporary state. Thus, “Even being dead, which is about as enduring as it gets, takes estar, for it is the result of having lived.”

On page 34 she details the use of the personal a: “You will use the personal a with your pets and/or other animal with whom you have a personal relationship. You will not use the personal a with strays, nesting birds, alley cats, squirrels in your back yard, insects, cockroaches, and any other animals with whom  you do not wish to form an allegiance.”

Why is it, with such a delightfully written and engaging book full of surprises as well as solid practice exercises — and while peering down the barrel of a trip to Mexico — that I still can’t discipline myself to study. What does it take?