General Chat

> > >For Those who Reed and Right > > > > > >We'll begin with a box, and the plural is boxes; > > > > > >but the plural of ox became oxen not oxes. > > > > > >One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese, > > > > > >yet the plural of moose should never be meese. > > > > > >You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice; > > > > > >yet the plural of house is houses, not hice. > > > > > > > > >If the plural of man is always called men, > > > > > >why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen? > > > > > >If I spoke of my foot and show you my feet, > > > > > >and I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet? > > > > > >If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth, why > > > > > >shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth? > > > > > > > > >Then one may be that, and three would be those, > > > > > >yet hat in the plural would never be hose, > > > > > >and the plural of cat is cats, not cose. > > > > > >We speak of a brother and also of brethren, > > > > > >but though we say mother, we never say methren. > > > > > >Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him, > > > > > >but imagine the feminine, she, shis and shim. > > > > > > > > >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. 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? > > > > > >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 folks who grew up speaking English should be > > >committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. > > > > > > > > >In what other language 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. > > > > > >If Dad is Pop, how's come Mom isn't Mop?

i like it .... :- )

very good, i enjoyed reading that sandra

Well, I suppose we should all be congratulating each other that we managed to learn this strange language at all - let alone as young children!

Donald I loved it!! Must be terrible learning English as a second language!!! Ann Glos

I enjoyed the article very much. I have seen a similar one, and still have it somewhere. There is one good thing about the English language though, they don't have masculine and feminine. Everything is "the". Most other languages I know you have to know whether it's masculine or feminine otherwise it confuses the whole sentence. In the French language, thinking logically, I thought a woman's bra would be feminine, but oh no it's masculine. I had the whole class in hysterics when I discovered this. I said I don't know another such feminine article as a beha and you call it masculine.

Oh I like that Donald, thank you for sharing it. Norah

Oh I like that Donald, thank you for sharing it. Norah