Appreciating English

[Bob_VT]

Here are some reasons to be grateful you don't have to learn English at this point in your life:

1. In what other language do people recite at a play and play at a recital?

2. Ship by truck and send cargo by ship?

3. Have noses that run and feet that smell?

4. How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wiseguy are opposites?

5. Why is it you can park in the driveway and drive on the parkways?

 

[mddubya]

Re: Appreciating English

Don't forget....

Jumbo shrimp, say what?

Fresh frozen, uhhh, is that possible?

Military intelligence, yeah, right!!!!!!

 

[HappierWet]

Re: Appreciating English

Why do you dock at a dock, and moor on a mooring. BUT, not wharf on a wharf or quay on a quay......?
Although I will admit to having seen people pile onto PILINGS

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Appreciating English

Well going back about 35 yrs ago when I was in Germany.... I took my "international driving test" with 50 road sing pictures. I left one blank...... I could not figure out what a cross wind was????? I said to the test supervisor...... I wind my watch ???? So what is a cross wind..... an intersection on a road with curves? He looked at me and asked if it was windy outside.... duh... so much for my 18 yo brain being out to lunch!

 

[gonefishie]

Re: Appreciating English

I know at least one other language where the exact same word, pronounce exact same way but have different meanings depend on how it's being use. There are many of words in that language plus accent marks on top of it all. It's a real mess. At this stage in our life, learning any new language is damn near impossible.

 

[sparticus]

Re: Appreciating English

I can go fishing for bass or adjust the bass on my stereo!

 

[OldePharte]

Re: Appreciating English

Here some fine examples - http://www.spellingsociety.org/news/media/poems.php

A number of years ago we had an AFS student from Japan staying with us. He had taken English classes for many years, but going to an American high school was giving him fits. One night he was having difficulty with the use of the word "but". He handed me his English to Japanese dictionary to help him out on the proper translation. The dictionary had 5 pages on the different definitions and uses!

 

[HappierWet]

Re: Appreciating English

Wear or Where?
Fair or Fare?
Your or You're

It goes on and on

 

[dodgezilla04]

Re: Appreciating English

park in a driveway and drive on a parkway

one bra, but a pair of panties

 

[mddubya]

Re: Appreciating English

And don't even get started on the meaning of words here in America compared to the same word in England.

cigarettes for example, what the British call them, and how we use the same word are VERY different,

 

[gonefishie]

Re: Appreciating English

park in a driveway and drive on a parkway

one bra, but a pair of panties

Maybe when the word panties first appeared, panties actually had legs?

 

[CN Spots]

Re: Appreciating English

If you cut one of the legs off of your pants do you then have a pant?

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Appreciating English

If you cut one of the legs off of your pants do you then have a pant?

If you want to go that way...... if you cut the wings off a fly would you then call it a walk?

 

[QC]

Re: Appreciating English

These things are always fun . . . one I'll never get over is Interstate and Intrastate being opposites. I'm sure that never messes anybody up

The American and British comparisons are definitely cool. Fanny is an interesting one. You'll have to look it up on your own

Another good one is they call the Median Strip on a "Motorway" the Central Reservation

 

[Don S]

Re: Appreciating English

Come on Bob, you should know this, What do you call a man in the water that has no arms or legs?

 

[gonefishie]

Re: Appreciating English

Mr. Hanky?

 

[adamjr]

Re: Appreciating English

And don't even get started on the meaning of words here in America compared to the same word in England.

cigarettes for example, what the British call them, and how we use the same word are VERY different,

That would be because the english word is defined as "a bundle of sticks suitable for burning."

How that word got it's meaning on our side of the pond I'll never know. Well, I could know but I'm either too tired or too lazy to look it up on wikipedia. Which brings us to; to, too, and two if they haven't already been mentioned.

 

[CN Spots]

Re: Appreciating English

I sealed the seal shaped seal up in the ceiling.

 

[WAVENBYE2]

Re: Appreciating English

Well there is only one thing that I know for sure and that is that nothing is for sure!!

 

[puddle jumper]

Re: Appreciating English

Theres two word that have evolved that i don't get.

One is *** that was a nick name for a cigarette

and gay was name for a person who was happy.

We all now them for other meanings.