Why English is Hard to Learn - Part 2
Allen Clements
Energy Advisor @ Power of Clean Energy - A Fidelity Company | Energy Efficiency, Clean Energy Solutions
Part 2 of the Oddities of Speaking English
If teachers taught, why don't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? Sometimes one could think all the English Teachers 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 ruck 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 care 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 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 tow-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, warm 'UP' the leftovers and clean 'UP' the kitchen. We lock 'UP' the house and some people 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, line 'UP' a job interview and think 'UP' excuses.
To be dressed is one thing, but to be dressed 'UP' is for special occasions. A drain must be opened 'UP' because it is stopped 'UP'.
Part three will be coming soon....don't you just love all of this? Crazy huh?
Education Professional/ Owner & Founder of Foundation Tutoring
8 年I love the play on words. Good food for thought. ??
Retired/Banking/Executive Relocation & Business Development
8 年Most interesting! Enjoyed reading.
freelance editing
8 年I'm waiting for your part three... thanks :) interesting