Probably the most difficult thing and also the easiest to do as a teacher when faced with a difficult question is to answer simply, "I don't know." Followed, of course, by "but I will find out and get back to you!"
Sometimes, however, I think well maybe I can figure it out as we go along. Probably not the wisest move. However, last week, that is what I did when a student asked me to explain the difference between 'almost never' and 'hardly ever'.
I had made the claim that the two phrases meant exactly the same thing. Ploni asked me why. I started futzing around with something to do with combining positives and negatives, and really should've just stopped and said that I didn't know. Or that this is how it is and we just have to accept it and move on. And then, suddenly, a diagram came to mind, and I drew it on the board. I drew the spectrum from Never to Ever (Always). The diagram is reproduced above. It seemed to work. Ploni went home happy. What do you think?
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