The peculiarities of the English language.

Ok here are some words I can think of off hand. If the past tense of teach is taught why is preach not prought? The plural form of box is boxes, fox, foxes but why can't we say oxes but oxen. We pronouce lead as leed but for soldering lead we say led. And yes, we call food tasteless if they are not good, but an item is called priceless when they get too expensive. English language is interesting.

The language is indeed packed with peculiarities. The scientist in me says we should rationalise it, whilst the artist hits him very hard with a teapot.

Plurals are interesting – the plural of ox is oxen, and this comes from the German influence. This can also be seen in child and children. Sheep and sheep – I have no idea.

Bought, Through, and Thorough have always perplexed me.

There are millions more. If I spot one or two today, I will drop back in.

But at least we don't say tables are ladies.

We have words like 'bellows, binoculars, glasses, gallows, pliers, scissors which are only exist in the plural.

Then theres Fair and Fare and how about Fayre?
And There and Their.

Then Excuse in two forms ie: Please Excuse me while I think of an Excuse.
We had better Record the Record that has just been broken.
The pin was so Minute the Minute I found it.
Polish...The Polish man found the Polish.
Permit...Will you Permit me to pass if I show my Permit.
Bow.. He stood on the Bow of the ship to fire his arrow from his Bow and then he gave a Bow in appreciation.
Intimate... He tried to intimate that I had been intimate with his wife!
Wound.. The nurse Wound a bandage round his wound.

And so on and so on.....

How about, "Did you read it?"
Reply, "Yes, I have read it."

I have also always been confused by things such as, too, to and two or there, they're and their..

versatil! flexiblllllllllllllll!

This subject is cracking me up. what an awesome post LOL. I'm not sure if I can add anymore to your topic LOL, you seemd to have summed it up quite well. Other than lay to me is like a chicken laying an egg. Lie to me is like tell a lie. This is funny. Thanks for the good laugh. you do make a very good point LOLOL.

One that always trips me up is fiery. You would think it should be firey, but no...This has been a very good discussion. I liked it! I always feel sorry for people who are learning English. I do get confused over some German phrasing too though. And, to them (I think) everything is a him. I have a German neighbor, and she always called our female cat "him".

I have this incredible article written by Cindy Adams, of The New York Post, I saved it because it is really good refering to English... and this is the perfect moment to share it with all of you. Here goes, as it was published on the NYPost website:


WORDPLAY FIELD DAY
By Cindy Adams
August 13, 2006 -- SOME Sundays ago I wrote about "such" and "touch" and "clutch" and what tough stuff English is. Comes now letters from grammarians, lexicographers, language teachers and just plain readers.
Wordsmith Rem Myers sent these words containing all the vowels: abstemious, boundaries, cauliflower, consanguine, education, exhaustion, facetious, grandiloquent, housemaid, pandemonium, precarious, regulation, speculation, tambourine, unreasoning.
And informed me that: The capitol's in the capital. The statute for the statue gave it stature. The council will counsel. There is a tenet for the tenant. With that discrete entity, be discreet. The eminent scientist's arrival is imminent. What effect will this affect cause? They flaunted the fact and flouted the law. Forward the book's foreword. Be wary of being weary. Be disinterested not uninterested. Due to rain the Queen grips her reins so nothing damages her reign. Floundering about, he foundered beneath the waves. A peek at the peak piqued my curiosity. The principals have principles. The cart carrying stationery was stationary. Complimentary wine complemented the food. Don't elicit a confession about his illicit activities. The Strait of Hormuz is not straight. There is an ordinance against firing ordnance. The taut grip taught many things. The guerrilla shot the gorilla. The fowl tastes foul. He was intolerable because he was intolerant. Patients need patience. Sites are splendid sights.
And handed sentences like: The bandage wound around the wound. The farm had to produce produce. The dump was to refuse more refuse. He could lead if he got the lead out. The soldier wanted to desert his dessert in the desert. Time to present the present. A bass swam on the bass drum. The dove dove into the bush. I did not object to the object. Insurance was invalid for the invalid. The oarsmen had a row about how to row. Close the door you're close to. The pig owner taught his sow to sow. Wind the sail in the wind. After a number of injections I got number. When I saw the painting tear, I shed a tear. We had to subject the subject to tests.
And paradoxes? Quicksand can work slowly. Boxing rings are square. A guinea pig is not from Guinea and is not a pig. How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? Your house can burn up as it burns down. You fill out a form by filling it in. An alarm goes off by going on. And for some reason, people recite at a play and play at a recital.
And for the smart-a$$es amongst us: A bike can't stand alone; it's two-tired. A will is a dead giveaway. In a democracy it's your vote that counts; in feudalism it's your Count that votes. With her marriage she got a new name and a dress. A hungry clock goes back four seconds. He fell onto an upholstery machine and is fully recovered. She broke into song because she couldn't find the key. A boiled egg is hard to beat. His photographic memory never developed. If you're too big for your britches, you'll be exposed in the end. The short fortuneteller escaped from jail - a small medium at large. Seen one shopping center, you've seen a mall. Jump off a Paris bridge, you're in Seine. Order bread on a knead-to-know basis. Santa's helpers are subordinate clauses.
A 1954 Herald Tribune gives us: dandelion and battalion, youth and south, mint and pint, senate and sedate, seven and even, indict and verdict, science and conscience, sally and ally, ever and fever. How's granary and canary? Leery and query. Dull and bull. Face but preface. Gas and alas and Arkansas. Tour and four and our and succour. Doctrine, marine, turpentine. Dost, lost, post. Ghost and roast. Refer does not rhyme with deafer. We got wind and mind. Also revile and simile. Cloven, oven. Vicar, quicker. Constable, unstable. Lord and word. Retain and Britain. Break and bleak. Daughter and laughter. War and far. Kitchen and lichen. Wallet and mallet. Bullet and billet do not sound like ballet. Blood and flood are not like good food. Should mould sound like would?Hark! More differences: heave and heaven. Towed but vowed. Mustache and ache. Hallowed albeit allowed. Mover and cover and rover. Asp and wasp.
Now, good buy, sew long, go aweigh, leave me a loan.

I think it's these very peculiarities that make English such a marvelously artistic language. I feel sorry for anyone who has to learn it as a second language because there appear to be more exceptions to the rules than there are rules; however, in terms of nuanced expression, English is difficult to top. Many languages rely on inflection to impart meaning, but English relies on its immense vocabulary -- one of the largest, if not the largest in the world.

What makes it so fun is that it's such a hodge-podge language, pulling from so many different language systems and melding them into one. Depending on the origin of the verb, you can conjugate it in any number of ways. But then that's the beauty of it.

I've heard English is the most difficult language in the world. I'm grateful for a mom that started teaching me early.

When I first moved to the States, I had trouble pronouncing some of the street names. One was Bronough. I wanted it to be bru noff, but the locals call bru no.

Two words that I have the biggest problem with is good and well. My mother has taught me a very good rule to remember when to use which one, but I often cannot remember the rule.

I know she taught me well. The apple is good. But does the car run good or well?