Why English is the hardest language to learn

Knight-Dragon

Unhidden Dragon
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1, The bandage was wound around the wound.

2, The farm was used to produce produce.

3, The dump was so full it had to refuse more refuse.

4, There is no time like the present, so he thought he would present the present.

5, When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

6, He did not object to the object.

7, The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

8,The oarsmen had a row about how to row.

9, he was too close to the door to close it.

10, A stag does strange things when the does are present.

11, After a number of injections my jaw became number.

12, The artist saw a tear in his painting and shed a tear.

13,She had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

14, An army chef decided to desert his dessert in the desert.

15, There are no eggs in an eggplant, no apple or pine in pineapple.

16, Quicksand works slowly.

17, Boxing rings are square.

18, Guinea pigs are neither from Guinea or are pigs.

19, Writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham.

20, If a vegetarian eats veg, what does an humanitarian eat?

21, A slim chance and a fat chance are similar.

22, So are quite a lot and quite a few.

23, But overlook and oversee are very different.

24, You fill in a form to fill it out.

25, An alarm goes off by going on.

26, When the stars are out, you see their light but when the lights are out you see nothing.

Any more to add? :D
 
If you notice this notice then I'll notice you noticing this notice.

The graph plots how many plots there have been.

I have decided to be a bee.

You got fired because of the fire?

He's got a chip on his shoulder.

The train is running late.

I will keep them at bay until I reach the bay.

I will ship you the goods by ship.

I hear the haire lost all its hair.

I don't want to be kind to his kind.

I saw the saw.

I live to play live.
 
I have to step in and defend my beloved language. Careful: Lefty is probably already planning something similar :eek:.

Originally posted by MrPresident
He's got a chip on his shoulder.

I will ship you the goods by ship.

I hear the haire lost all its hair.

What's odd about the first one? It's a simple idiom, and similar examples can be found in all languages. That's not a reason why English is hard to learn. The second one is just nonsense. The "by ship" is entirely unnecessary and would leave the speaker looking a fool. If you are going to ship something then necessarily it will travel by ship. The reason for the misunderstanding here is the Americanisation of the word ship, meaning simply to send. "Civ 3 ships today!" is just a strange way to say that Civ 3 has been released and sent to the appropriate stores. It is shorter, but more confusing for someone not familiar with the language. Besides, for those with an eye for irony, you will note that when TF posted the message that Civ 3 was shipping, it was only to stores in the US and overseas customers had to wait for it to be available to them ;).
[splitting hairs]For the third, sure it's a homonym, as were all the rest, but the animal is spelt hare, which doesn't lead to any confusion written down. [/splitting hairs]
 
The "by ship" is entirely unnecessary and would leave the speaker looking a fool.
What if the goods are usually shipped by airplane and for some unforseen circumstances the goods were shipped by a ship instead then would it be unnecessary.
For the third, sure it's a homonym, as were all the rest, but the animal is spelt hare, which doesn't lead to any confusion written down.
It may be spelt hare where you come from but where I am from it is and shall always be haire.

He's got a chip on his shoulder.
This is odd because the man doesn't have an actual chip (as in fish and..) on his shoulder but a metaphorical chip which may be hard for someone learning english to understand. For example,

Time really did fly
 
Originally posted by MrPresident

What if the goods are usually shipped by airplane and for some unforseen circumstances the goods were shipped by a ship instead then would it be unnecessary.
It may be spelt hare where you come from but where I am from it is and shall always be haire.

Shouldn't it be "flown to" rather than shipped then?
I assume we're talking about the hare, the long-legged rabbitesque creature here? Even the entirely unrelated Hare Krishnas are spelt the same so if you're from some bizarre, unknown Yorkshire where a strange parody of English is spoken that would put even the Yorkshire accent where I live to shame then it is the only spelling. They may pronounce things in a strange way, but the spelling remains the same, unless you're trying to create some of that awful regional poetry à la Robert Burns.
And to have a chip on one's shoulder bears absolutely no reference to the potato snack of the same name so this is where the confusion might lie. But it is an idiom and they are common to most, if not all, languages.
For example, in French: (sorry, this is the only one that springs to mind) "Il y a du monde sur le balcon" - which loosely translates not as "Look at all the people on the balcony", but something like "What an impressive chest that young lady has". Idioms are the most fun things about learning languages and are a reason to learn them, not the other way round. :D
 
Originally posted by Knight-Dragon
21, A slim chance and a fat chance are similar.

22, So are quite a lot and quite a few.

Surely these two are the difference between being an optomist and a Pessimist. Like is the glass half full or half empty...
 
Shouldn't it be "flown to" rather than shipped then?
That is the whole point. To ship something doesn't necessarily mean that it has been transported by a ship (or boat). You ship a product round the world you don't fly a product round the world.
 
One ought not plough a trough through rough ground when nursing a cough for it is tough enough to be thorough when healthy.

the letters "ough" are pronounced 6 different ways (ah, ow, off, oo, uff, and oh) in that sentence.
 
If someone can work the word "hiccough" in there, that would be 7 pronunciations!
 
And this is just too funny...

"I" Before "E" Except After "C"
By Duncan McKenzie

It's a rule that is simple, concise and efficeint.
For all speceis of spelling it's more than sufficeint.
Against words wild and wierd, it's one law that shines bright
Blazing out like a beacon upon a great hieght,


It gives guidance impartial, sceintific and fair
In this language, this tongue to which we are all hier.
'Gainst the glaceirs of ignorance that icily frown,
This great precept gives warmth, like a thick iederdown.


Now, a few in soceity choose to deride,
To cast DOUBT on this anceint and venerable guide;
They unwittingly follow a foriegn agenda,
A plot hatched, I am sure, in some vile haceinda.


In our work and our liesure, our homes and our schools,
Let us follow our consceince, sieze proudly our rules!
Will I dilute my standards, make them vaguer and blither?
I say NO, I will not! I trust you will not iether.
 
It is not that hard to learn I managed to learn it before I even started primary school :D LOL
 
Originally posted by Wolfe Tone
It is not that hard to learn I managed to learn it before I even started primary school :D LOL

Yes but thats because everyone around was using English as well so you are constantly learning it...
 
I used to think that English is an easy language and Greek or Chinsese difficult.

After all:I talk the England very best.
 
Simple enough...

One ought not plough a trough through rough ground when nursing a cough or a hiccough for it is tough enough to be thorough when healthy.
 
The weirdest thing in English in my opinion, is 'ough', as brilliantly displayed by Tim and Beowolf. For a beginner it is completely imposible to guess how it is pronounced in each instance. No wonder Americanisms such a 'thru' are quite popular!
 
Originally posted by Sixchan
shouldn't it be throo then?

Well, maybe, it would make more sense, but either way (thru or throo) is the incorrect way to write 'through'.
 
It's quite simple really, the English were busy making their language difficult for foreigners to learn, and that's why they can't speak any other languages. :D

Example of the English language being absolutely incomprehensible.

'GHOTI'. How do you pronounce it? 'FISH'.:confused:


'GH' is pronounced 'F'.
(Example) 'Enough'.

'O' is pronounced 'I'.
(Example) 'Women'.

'TI' is prnounced 'SH'.
(Example) 'Expectation'.


And you say it's not hard to learn!:confused: :confused: :confused:
 
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