You think English is easy???
Read to the end . . . a new twist** *
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_ .*
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 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.
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.
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........it is time to shut _UP_!
Now it's _UP_ to you what you do with this message!
Peter
Return To Main Site
