English breaks its own rules...

@BloggerDi (3121)
United States
September 15, 2018 2:03pm CST
There are so many confusing rules for spelling and pronouncing English words. How is it that the word "lose", as in "I need to lose weight", is pronounced so differently than "hose" (a water hose, for example). Both end in -ose! Here's a funny video clip from the old show "I Love Lucy", in which Ricky demonstrates how confusing English can be!
There are various ways to pronounce "O-U-G-H" in the English language. This was hilariously demonstrated on the "I Love Lucy" television program by Ricky Ric...
4 people like this
6 responses
pgn
@pgntwo (22405)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
15 Sep 18
"What a clever ewe you are", said the farmer, when he saw her in the shade of the yew tree... It can be tough, cough cough, sheltering beneath such a bough, though.
3 people like this
Diana B.
@BloggerDi (3121)
• United States
15 Sep 18
Exactly! Thanks for your perfect response @pgntwo.
1 person likes this
pgn
@pgntwo (22405)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
15 Sep 18
@BloggerDi What use are rules if they can't be broken now and then...
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Diana B.
@BloggerDi (3121)
• United States
15 Sep 18
@pgntwo Good point!
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Curious Man
@CuriousFellow (588)
• Mauritius
15 Sep 18
i get confuses too but i am learning. but i glad i manage to speak English and writing too.
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Diana B.
@BloggerDi (3121)
• United States
15 Sep 18
Thanks @CuriousFellow. I think it's wonderful that you are learning English and doing well at it.
Curious Man
@CuriousFellow (588)
• Mauritius
15 Sep 18
@BloggerDi thank you. that nice to hear.
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Curious Man
@CuriousFellow (588)
• Mauritius
16 Sep 18
@MALUSE It is Mauritian Creol.
Ronald Franklin
@RonElFran (1214)
• Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania
15 Sep 18
I understand that English is a fairly difficult language to learn because of all the inconsistencies that make no sense unless you grew up with the language.
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Diana B.
@BloggerDi (3121)
• United States
15 Sep 18
Thanks @RonElFran. Agreed! The only way to spell and pronounce many of the words correctly is memorization from repeated exposure through the years.
Diana B.
@BloggerDi (3121)
• United States
15 Sep 18
@MALUSE Thank you for sharing your insight. You made some excellent points! I, for one, am not proud that English might be hard for some to learn, due to the things I mentioned. The only language I tried to learn was Spanish.That was many year ago in high school. I took it for three years. I could understand it much better than I could speak it. Yes, practice (practise) makes perfect, as an old saying goes.
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Mike
@Mike197602 (15504)
• United Kingdom
15 Sep 18
Pretty easy for native English speakers but must be a nightmare for those learning the language. I work with people who mostly have English as a second language and they make mistakes that have me in stitches. We've got a board on our kitchen wall where they used to write certain words and I'd put them into sentences with different contexts and spellings.
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Diana B.
@BloggerDi (3121)
• United States
15 Sep 18
Hi @Mike197602, and thanks! I think that using different words in context might be the best way to help people learn the differences. Yes, I'll bet you have many funny examples of people's mistakes using words they're unfamiliar with!
1 person likes this
Diana B.
@BloggerDi (3121)
• United States
16 Sep 18
@MALUSE Yes, that makes sense. When a person is a child, they don't have to "unlearn" very much that might hinder their learning of a new subject or skill.
Hanni Harel
@Hannihar (130150)
• Israel
2 Dec 18
@BloggerDi There are different places and cities that one word may mean something different to them than others and that will confuse one more learning English. I grew up in the Midwest and we say things differently than they do in New York.
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Hanni Harel
@Hannihar (130150)
• Israel
2 Dec 18
@BloggerDi You are welcome.
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Diana B.
@BloggerDi (3121)
• United States
2 Dec 18
Vert true @Hannihar! I' was talking about this with a friend recently. Thanks for your insight.
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Courage7
@Courage7 (19626)
• United States
15 Sep 18
English. I guess I am lucky to know it. I would not want to learn it.
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Diana B.
@BloggerDi (3121)
• United States
15 Sep 18
Thanks for your comment @Courage7. I so admire people who learn to speak English as a second language! I doubt that I'd be very successful at learning another language at this stage in my life.
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Courage7
@Courage7 (19626)
• United States
15 Sep 18
@BloggerDi It would be a difficulty for me also Diana. Welcome
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