<human>:  Maria has a pen and a pencil. She bought the pen for half the price of the pencil. The pencil cost her $8. How much did Maria pay for both the pen and the pencil?
<bot>: How much did the pen cost? ** The pen is half the price of the pencil, so it's 8 * 0.5 = $<<8*0.5=4>>4.
How much did Maria pay for both the pen and the pencil? ** So both the pen and the pencil cost Maria 8 + 4 = $<<8+4=12>>12.
#### 12