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The English Language
Sent by mail to me ... No wonder people think we are crazy 
Why English is the hardest language to learn
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.
There are no eggs in an eggplant, no apple or pine in pineapple.
Quicksand works slowly.
Boxing rings are square.
Guinea pigs are neither from Guinea or are pigs.
Writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers
don't ham.
If a vegetarian eats veg, what does an humanitarian eat?
A slim chance and a fat chance are similar.
So are quite a lot and quite a few.
But overlook and oversee are very different.
You fill in a form to fill it out.
An alarm goes off by going on.
when the stars are out, you see their light but when the lights are
out you see nothing.
Why English is the hardest language to learn
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.
There are no eggs in an eggplant, no apple or pine in pineapple.
Quicksand works slowly.
Boxing rings are square.
Guinea pigs are neither from Guinea or are pigs.
Writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers
don't ham.
If a vegetarian eats veg, what does an humanitarian eat?
A slim chance and a fat chance are similar.
So are quite a lot and quite a few.
But overlook and oversee are very different.
You fill in a form to fill it out.
An alarm goes off by going on.
when the stars are out, you see their light but when the lights are
out you see nothing.
12 Replies and 2738 Views in Total.
You never realise just how strange out language is until you read something like this !!! 
Posted: 16:07 Mar 16 2002 
Thank you very much!!
by coolkat
I feel sorry for foreign people now......
Posted: 18:49 Mar 16 2002 
Nah, compared to Dutch, English is easy...
by coolkat
I feel sorry for foreign people now......
Posted: 19:25 Mar 16 2002 
Ah, but due to a complete lack of decent language teaching in Britain (foreign languages really should be taught from a much younger age), i'll bet hardly anyone in Britain can speak dutch
by The Noid
(quotes)
Nah, compared to Dutch, English is easy...
Posted: 19:37 Mar 16 2002 
i think we should get taught one freign language from primary school age instead of leaving it til we're 11/12
i'd hate to be learning english tho'...it's such a quirky laguage...i mean we say "left-tenant" for luitenant (sp?)
i'd hate to be learning english tho'...it's such a quirky laguage...i mean we say "left-tenant" for luitenant (sp?)
Posted: 20:07 Mar 16 2002 Nor is there chicken in chick peas...
by Sweet-Sange
5, When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
There are no eggs in an eggplant, no apple or pine in pineapple.
In fairness, 'dove' as the past tense of 'dive' is an Americanism, and so is 'eggplant' - and as Mark Twain said, the Americans and the English are two nations divided by a common language...
Still. it's stuff like this that stops print journalists sleeping on the job.
Posted: 20:24 Mar 16 2002
what's the "Official" english past tense for dive then?? (this sounds really arrogant... but it's not meant to be... i'm inquisitive... and young... please... allow me to be)
Posted: 22:22 Mar 17 2002 You been on the uk farscape newsgroup since they have been having a discussion about the same thing.
by Rae
i'd hate to be learning english tho'...it's such a quirky laguage...i mean we say "left-tenant" for luitenant (sp?)
Posted: 22:57 Mar 17 2002 I think it's 'dived'. Although I may have a degree in Eng Lit but it was a long time ago!
by Wiggy
what's the "Official" english past tense for dive then?? (this sounds really arrogant... but it's not meant to be... i'm inquisitive... and young... please... allow me to be)
Posted: 23:27 Mar 17 2002