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This is a discussion thread.
Latest post Sun, Sep 27 2009 5:27 AM by Anonymous. 9 replies.
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Woodward
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9036
Thu, 25 Sep 03 05:00 AM
English is hard to learn because...
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.
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?
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.
If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth ‘beeth’?
One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 ‘meese’?
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?
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?
That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are
invisible.
Reasons why the English language is so hard to learn:
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) After a number of injections my jaw got number.
19) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
20) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
Woodward.
I forget where I got this from. Though I do remember chopping and adding bits to it. It's one of those things that has been floating around forgotten in the darkest corners of my hard drive. If anyone knows the original source of this, please let me know.
Joined on
Tue, Jun 24 2003
A New Zealander in Chile
Senior Member
2,764
Don't let schooling interfere with your education. www.grammar.cl - www.vocabulary.cl
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Orpheus
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9554
Wed, 01 Oct 03 03:45 AM
If I am not mistaken it is an excerpt from the book 'Crazy English' by Richard Lederer.
Joined on
Tue, Jun 17 2003
Jakarta, Indonesia
Regular Member
590
'Truth is Subjectivity' - Kierkegaard
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mystical_angel
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10912
Thu, 16 Oct 03 03:09 PM
I don't think so english is hard.If a person has willpower and wants to learn english that person can easily do it.
Joined on
Wed, Oct 8 2003
Pakistan
Full Member
125
~*~Live as if your were to die tomorrow.Learn as if you were to live forever~*~
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whl626
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10920
Thu, 16 Oct 03 03:51 PM
It is hard to learn because learners might adopt the wrong approach. It is like when you are in the US and ask for directions to Canada, someone advises you to head South :P Well, you may still reach the destination provided you go around the earth.
Joined on
Sun, Aug 24 2003
Regular Member
882
Learn English every day
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NanakiXIII
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10922
Thu, 16 Oct 03 04:02 PM
Actually, I don't think English is too hard to learn. I learnt it by watching TV. OK, so I don't know all the grammar, but I do speak English.
Joined on
Wed, Jun 18 2003
Netherlands
Junior Member
76
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Anonymous,
136 days ago
I find it very hard to learn English, but I have not ben learn it for much time so that maybe why.
But the television helped as well me as well listening to English music, which is very good music actually!
I did not understand most sentences in the post although. Read and tear and desert and stuff--fugh! You pronounce it different when speaking but in writing it all the same! Very confusing.
If person learns young then I predict they will better understand it more? That is just my opinion. I learned Polish when I was little and were fluent by age 5! I also learn Latin in school long ago, and that helps with English, though most of it I have forgotten. German was very hard, and I had to quit French. I think there's a total that someperson can learn language?
In some aspekts English is much easier than Polish though! My English friends can barely speak it correct and it is a funny thing to listen to!
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Ahmedali111
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846118
Mon, 03 Aug 09 11:59 PM
No offence, but as Maharishi said the grammar of the language doesnt help the coherence of mind, that is why it is hard to use this languge as a tool for expresing ideas by those whose languages well up from deep levels of meditation as eastern languages ( Arabic , Sanskrit...). English language is a product of a practical mind.
Joined on
Wed, Jul 26 2006
Iraq
Junior Member
67
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Anonymous,
58 days ago
All I can say is if English is so tough, what about Japanese? Most people can't even read the newspaper till they're in high school let alone understand the quirks of the language.
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