SOME VERY TOUGH ENGLISH QUESTIONS THAT I HAVE -----A MUST READ
Post 1 of 6
To the English teachers out there.. any comments... ?
This is absolutely BRILLIANT.
For those who speak English well, you will find it amusing.
For those who dont, then this is an eye-opener.
Can you read these right the first time?
1) The bandage was wound around the wound.
2) The farm was used to produce produce ..
3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4) We must polish the Polish furniture.
5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present .
8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10) I did not object to the object.
11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row .
13) They were too close to the door to close it.
14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
18) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
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 or French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat. We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.
And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth, beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices? Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?
If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what langua ge do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell?
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.
English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.
PS. - Why doesn't "Buick" rhyme with "quick"
You lovers of the English language might enjoy this . .
There is a two-letter word that perhaps
has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that is "UP."
It's easy to understand UP , meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP? At a meeting, why does a topic come UP ? Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report ?
We call UP our friends. And we use it to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver, we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car. At other times the little word has real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses. To be dressed is one thing but to be dressed UP is special.
And this UP is confusing: A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP . We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night.
We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP ! To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP , look the word UP in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4th of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions. If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP , you may wind UP with a hundred or more. When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP . When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP.
When it rains, it wets the earth and often messes things UP.
When it doesn't rain for awhile, things dry UP.
One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP , for now my time is UP , so............ Time to shut UP.....!
![[em9]](http://img.alibaba.com/images/eng/style/icon/emoticons_dizzy.gif)
This is absolutely BRILLIANT.
For those who speak English well, you will find it amusing.
For those who dont, then this is an eye-opener.
Can you read these right the first time?
1) The bandage was wound around the wound.
2) The farm was used to produce produce ..
3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4) We must polish the Polish furniture.
5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present .
8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10) I did not object to the object.
11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row .
13) They were too close to the door to close it.
14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
18) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
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 or French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat. We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.
And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth, beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices? Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?
If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what langua ge do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell?
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.
English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.
PS. - Why doesn't "Buick" rhyme with "quick"
You lovers of the English language might enjoy this . .
There is a two-letter word that perhaps
has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that is "UP."
It's easy to understand UP , meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP? At a meeting, why does a topic come UP ? Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report ?
We call UP our friends. And we use it to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver, we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car. At other times the little word has real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses. To be dressed is one thing but to be dressed UP is special.
And this UP is confusing: A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP . We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night.
We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP ! To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP , look the word UP in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4th of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions. If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP , you may wind UP with a hundred or more. When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP . When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP.
When it rains, it wets the earth and often messes things UP.
When it doesn't rain for awhile, things dry UP.
One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP , for now my time is UP , so............ Time to shut UP.....!
03 Dec 2007 23:40
Post 2 of 6
Replying to [David Frencken]: I grew up in Kenya as a very white Red head. I had some corrupted American vernacular which the British swiftly cained out of me!
Your presentation is wonderful!
The more of our silly language can have this type of word demonstration, the better the chance of all of our "English learning" members gaining some insight. It is not them, it is the Language!
![[em1]](http://img.alibaba.com/images/eng/style/icon/emoticons_smile.gif)
Your presentation is wonderful!
The more of our silly language can have this type of word demonstration, the better the chance of all of our "English learning" members gaining some insight. It is not them, it is the Language!
05 Dec 2007 09:30
Post 3 of 6
Replying to [Jimmy Neutron ]:
Actually I did not write it, I have received this via email a couple of times already and it think it would be nice if somebody started to debate over it
Actually I did not write it, I have received this via email a couple of times already and it think it would be nice if somebody started to debate over it
05 Dec 2007 22:22
Post 4 of 6
Replying to [David Frencken]:
I don't know up or no up but I know I like to drink 7 UP
I don't know up or no up but I know I like to drink 7 UP
05 Dec 2007 22:25
Post 5 of 6
Replying to [David Frencken]:
Yes, brilliant play of words.
The last one on UP was featured here earlier and you might want to enjoy the exchanges
http://resources.alibaba.com/topic/43583/UP_the_fun_of_the_English_language_.htm
Cheers,
macs2005
![[em17]](http://img.alibaba.com/images/eng/style/icon/emoticons_shake_hands.gif)
![[em2]](http://img.alibaba.com/images/eng/style/icon/emoticons_laugh.gif)
![[em37]](http://img.alibaba.com/images/eng/style/icon/emoticons_cheers.gif)
07 Dec 2007 09:19
Post 6 of 6
Replying to [Keat Ta Kia]:
That's a great article! I personally like number twelve - there was a row among the oarsmen about how to row - and number sixteen - to help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow. :D
Phrasal verbs have got to be one of the most baffling of all English topics. Like the author outlines, why do we 'wake up' in the morning or 'lock up' our house? I'm also wondering why we 'take after' our parents, 'look after' our little brothers and sisters, 'call after' a lost dog and 'run after' a football during a match? Or 'carry on' with our homework after dinner and 'put on' a lot of weight at Christmas? We could 'go on and on' . . .
I think the hardest thing about phrasal verbs is that there really isn't any pattern to them. Much like idioms, you are either familiar with them or not.
What's your take, Keat Ta Kia? Thanks very much for the link! By the way, if you are looking to improve your phrasal verb usage, check out the Enterprise Grammar book series (I believe only available in the UK, unfortunately). www.bbc.com also has some resources, but you have to dig a bit to find them. Also, check out Jerry Seinfeld's hilarious piece concerning phrasal verb usage among the old and young - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M523VCKvCVo&feature=related (starts about 2:45 into the video).
Good luck!
Ryan
That's a great article! I personally like number twelve - there was a row among the oarsmen about how to row - and number sixteen - to help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow. :D
Phrasal verbs have got to be one of the most baffling of all English topics. Like the author outlines, why do we 'wake up' in the morning or 'lock up' our house? I'm also wondering why we 'take after' our parents, 'look after' our little brothers and sisters, 'call after' a lost dog and 'run after' a football during a match? Or 'carry on' with our homework after dinner and 'put on' a lot of weight at Christmas? We could 'go on and on' . . .
I think the hardest thing about phrasal verbs is that there really isn't any pattern to them. Much like idioms, you are either familiar with them or not.
What's your take, Keat Ta Kia? Thanks very much for the link! By the way, if you are looking to improve your phrasal verb usage, check out the Enterprise Grammar book series (I believe only available in the UK, unfortunately). www.bbc.com also has some resources, but you have to dig a bit to find them. Also, check out Jerry Seinfeld's hilarious piece concerning phrasal verb usage among the old and young - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M523VCKvCVo&feature=related (starts about 2:45 into the video).
Good luck!
Ryan
12 Dec 2007 05:30
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