Englislh can be confusing
#33
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: SW Minnesota
Posts: 1,590
This is one of the funniest...and most enjoyable...posts I've read. Got a couple of more for you...how about;
to, too, and two
and
do, due, and dew
I'm not an English teacher, but I did have excellent instructors, and I always have been a good speller. As a result, it drives me bonkers to see misspelled words and overdone quotation marks. Okay...done griping...but I keep saying I'm coming back as an English teacher in my next life!
to, too, and two
and
do, due, and dew
I'm not an English teacher, but I did have excellent instructors, and I always have been a good speller. As a result, it drives me bonkers to see misspelled words and overdone quotation marks. Okay...done griping...but I keep saying I'm coming back as an English teacher in my next life!
#35
Power Poster
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 17,827
#36
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 6,430
Unlike the French who try to keep their language pure, we are such a conglomeration of ancient languages that even a lifetime of study will not keep us straight. Wonder how we all learned our language! Of course, we always need to be reminded of the ins and outs of mice, meece, etc.
#38
Sloppy diction. There is no reason they should sound the same, no matter where they fall in the sentence. Although, in something like "The baby can't talk yet." it could be elision with the two t's together, but again... sloppy diction. Sometimes we're forced to depend for meaning on other (limiting) words in the sentence, like "yet" in that sentence.
The change of the T to a D is a common diction problem here and living with Brit's I have become more aware of it, and have for the most part corrected myself.
If anyone is interested (BTW - that word has always been a pet peeve of mine, there are 4 distinct syllables, the word is not "intrested" it is "interested") in the evolution of the English language I highly recommend "The Adventure of English" by Melvyn Bragg ... in fact, I recommend you LISTEN to it as opposed to reading it, as you can hear the diction. And yes, the language continues to evolve (devolve?). Speaking to my kids in England I get the feeling that there is a definite American influence. It is not uncommon to hear them talk of candy instead of sweets, and it's not just when they are talking to us, I see it in their face-book posts to others.
One last thing ... a bone of contention between myself and my English husband. He will often chide me about the way American's have "butchered" the English language (shedule as opposed to schedule, and many others), and each time I can end the conversation with one word ... Grossvenor. For those of you who are not familiar with the word, Grossvenor is pronounced "Grovenor" and is the name of the square where the US Embassy is located in London. Why they thought it was a good idea to stick a couple of S's where they don't belong is a mystery to me. And why the heck is Leichester pronounced as "Lester" in England??? We've both done a bit of butchering me thinks.
#39
Translation: Does anyone have a cigarette, I haven't smoked one all day.
Just by changing two little words, the whole bar went quiet.
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