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The state of the English language:
"Let's face it English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant or
ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple.
English muffins were not invented in England or french fries in France.
Sweetmeats are candies, while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat.
We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that
quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square, and a guinea pig is
neither from Guinea nor is it a pig. And why is it that writers write, but
fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce, and hammers don't ham? If the
plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth beeth? One goose, 2
geese. So why not one moose, 2 meese?
One index, two indices? Is cheese the plural
of choose?
If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats
vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?
In what language do people recite at a play, and play at a recital? Ship by
truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell? Park
on driveways and drive on parkways?
How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a
wise guy are opposites?
When a house burns up, it burns down. You fill in a form by filling it out
and an alarm clock goes off by going on.
When the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they
are invisible. And why, when I wind up my watch, I start it, but when I wind
up this essay, I end it?
Now I know why I flunked my English. It's not my fault -- the silly language
doesn't quite know whether it's coming or going."
Author Unknown
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