Let's face it: English is a crazy language.
There is no EGG in EGGPLANT nor HAM in HAMBURGER; neither APPLE nor PINE in PINEAPPLE. ENGLISH MUFFINS weren't invented in ENGLAND. QUICKSAND can work SLOWLY. BOXING RINGS are SQUARE, and a GUINEA PIG is neither a GUINEA nor is it a PIG.
And why is it that WRITER'S WRITE but FINGERS DON'T FING, GROCERS don't GROCE and HAMMERS don't HAM? Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make AMENDS but not one AMEND? If TEACHERS TAUGHT, why don't PREACHERS PRAUGHT? If a VEGETARIAN eats VEGETABLES, what does a HUMANITARIAN eat?
In what other language do people RECITE at a PLAY and PLAY at a
RECITAL? We SHIP BY TRUCK but SEND CARGO BY SHIP. We have NOSES that RUN
and FEET that SMELL. We PARK in a DRIVEWAY and DRIVE in a PARKWAY. And
how can a SLIM CHANCE and a FAT CHANCE be the same, while a WISE MAN and
a WISE GUY are opposites?
You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your HOUSE can BURN UP as it BURNS DOWN, in which you FILL IN a form by FILLING IT OUT, and in which an ALARM goes OFF by going ON. And, in closing, if Father is POP, how come Mother isn't MOP?
I didn't write that but I just had to share :) And there are days when I feel like a mop, unfortunately... Especially when I look like Sideshow Bob :)
You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your HOUSE can BURN UP as it BURNS DOWN, in which you FILL IN a form by FILLING IT OUT, and in which an ALARM goes OFF by going ON. And, in closing, if Father is POP, how come Mother isn't MOP?
I didn't write that but I just had to share :) And there are days when I feel like a mop, unfortunately... Especially when I look like Sideshow Bob :)
That is all true. English is rubbish like when you have one word with three different spellings when written but only one sound when said (there, their, they're).
ReplyDeleteToo funny - lots to think about there!
ReplyDeleteThis was great! Thanks for the smile today! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat was the hardest part for you when you were learning English?
ReplyDeleteOh, actually speaking it was the hardest part! They taught us in school how to read and translate without a dictionary but using it was a whole different story. I'm still learning every day but, at least, I'm not terrified anymore...
Delete*TeeHee* English was not my first language, Lena, but fortunately I learned it once I started school. In that time teachers were very strict, and I was able to learn all the intricacies of unusual spellings and grammar (so now I'm better at English than my own mother tongue LOL). I completely understand why other non-native speakers shake their heads at the craziness :)
ReplyDeleteHahaha, love it. The English language is truly puzzling.
ReplyDelete