The Crazy World of English Grammar

Ever noticed that the English language can be a bit tricky sometimes? Have you ever been confused by sentences like “The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert”? (Feel free to take a minute to make sense of that one!)… But it’s easy to see how learning English can be a daunting task for some TEFL learners.

English is full of little oddities and ‘exceptions-to-the-rules’, which make getting your head around the language that tiny bit harder. In what other language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? 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?

With that in mind, below are a collection of some weird grammar facts, which prove just how crazy the English language can be:

Image by:Podictionary

• English is the most widespread language in the world and is more widely spoken and written than any other language.


• Over 700 million people speak English as a foreign language.


• The word "queue" is the only word in the English language that is still pronounced the same way when the last four letters are removed.


• Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch procejt at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosnt mttaer waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter…


• The combination "ough" can be pronounced in nine different ways. The following sentence contains them all: "A rough-coated, dough-faced, thoughtful ploughman strode through the streets of Scarborough; after falling into a slough, he coughed and hiccoughed."


• Switching letters is called “Spoonerism”. For example, saying “jag of Flapan”, instead of “flag of Japan”. (Click here to see a funny example from Ronnie Barker!)


• The longest word in the English language, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is “Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis”.


• A word that can mean the opposite of itself is a contranym. For example:
  
  Bound (Moving towards – ‘London bound’)
  Bound (Unable to move – ‘Bound by chains’)
  
  Buckle (To hold together – ‘Buckle your shoes’)
  Buckle (Fall apart – ‘Buckled under the weight’)
  
  Clip (Attach to – ‘Clip on your tie’)
  Clip (Cut off from – ‘Clip your nails’)
  
  Left (Remaining – ‘There’s only one left’)
  Left (Having gone – ‘He’s only just left’)



Image by: Wink



• The word “set” has the largest number of definitions in the English Language: (192 definitions according to the Oxford English Dictionary).


• What is called a "French kiss" in the English speaking world is known as an "English kiss" in France.


• 1 out of every 8 letters written is an “E”.


• Of all the world's languages (over 2,700) English is arguably the richest in vocabulary; and that the Oxford English Dictionary lists about 500,000 words, and a further half-million technical and scientific terms remain un-catalogued!


• The term “the whole 9 yards” came from W.W.II fighter pilots in the South Pacific. When arming their airplanes on the ground, the .50 caliber machine gun ammo belts measured exactly 27 feet, before being loaded into the fuselage. If the pilots fired all their ammo at a target, it got “the whole 9 yards.”


• "Almost" is the longest word in the English language with all the letters in alphabetical order.


• Words that sound the same but have different meanings:
  
  They were too close to the door to close it.
  The bandage was wound around the wound.
  We must polish the Polish furniture.


• "Rhythm" is the longest English word without a vowel.


• The plural of man is men. The plural of woman is women. But the plural of human is humans.



Image by: Tsallam



• No words in the English language rhyme with “Orange”, “Silver” or “Purple”.


• To "Testify" was based on men in the Roman court swearing to a statement made by swearing on their testicles.


• ”Town” is the oldest word in the English language.


• ”WAS IT A CAR OR A CAT I SAW”… 'WASITACARORACATISAW'... This is the only FULL English sentence which, even if we read in reverse, it'll give the same sentence.


• The sentence “Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs” uses every letter of the alphabet and uses the least letters to do so!


• The shortest complete sentence in the English language is "I am".


• ”W” is the only letter which doesn't have one syllable. It has three.


• There was no punctuation until the 15th century!


• German is considered the sister language of English.


• The name of all the continents end in the same letter that they start with.


• "Goodbye" came from "God bye" which came from "God be with you."


• If a teacher has taught, why hasn’t a preacher praught?


• If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?

Image by:Sherrie Holmes

So, there you have it… Let this be a lesson to all you TEFLers out there! English grammar can be tricky business and you have to watch out for some bizarre grammar rules! If you feel like you need to brush up on your grammar skills, then why not take a look at i-to-i’s Grammar Awareness Module? It’s a great way to get your head around the pitfalls of the English language and build your confidence before you step into the classroom. Or if you want to learn more about teaching English abroad just visit www.onlinetefl.com

• TEFL
• teach overseas
• TESOL
• teach English abroad
• Teachign English as a Foreign Language