Tense situation : LETTERS

From Ms Sue Gaisford Sir: Like Miles Kington's son ("Louden it, but quietly, please," 22 January), my daughter has often invented words to fill a need, but the best of her creations was a tense - you could call it the Present Intentional. It is invaluable when you know you should already have done something and you still might just manage it. She first used it when I asked her some tiresome maternal question like: "I thought you said you were going to clear up this mess". "Oh yes," she said "I wis".

Yours faithfully, SUE GAISFORD Stonegate, East Sussex