I love words. I love playing with words. Sometimes, words are not very funny. Especially when you're trying to learn English. Spelling. Context. It's a confusing place for a young or new learner. As we wind down the school year, teachers are in full metal jacket mode, attempting to squeeze in every last bit of lesson plan, creating student anxiety and general parent pandemonium. My son is going bonkers. We finished the last "Independent Reading" project which was a non-fiction packet on the book "Dog." He ended up with a diarama (i.e. field of clay dogs, dog pictures, and Milk-Bones built into a shoebox.) Note how close "diarama" is to "diarrhea" which I had by the end of the project. He got an "A," though. Hurray! Spelling Chihuahua still confuses us.
I was thinking about words and confusion just this past weekend. This was my Mountain Wings for Saturday. I love Mountain Wings. It has provided the most amazing synchro newsletter moments of all time.
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MountainWings A MountainWings Moment
#4217 Wings Over The Mountains of Life
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Say What?
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21 Reasons why the English language is so hard to learn:
MountainWings A MountainWings Moment
#4217 Wings Over The Mountains of Life
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Say What?
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21 Reasons why the English language is so hard to learn:
1) The bandage was wound around the wound.
2) The farm was used to produce produce.
3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4) We must polish the Polish furniture.
5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was
time to present the present.
8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10) I did not object to the object.
11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
13) They were too close to the door to close it.
14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
18) After a number of injections my jaw got number.
19) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
20) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
21) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
Thank you for inviting MountainWings in your mailbox.
See you tomorrow.
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16 comments:
Interesting post Tink. I suppose the English language is pretty messed up. Then again...who knows...maybe these problems exist in other languages as well. Maybe not to the same degree, but to some degree I'm sure they do. It's hard for me to know since I only speak English, Pig-Latin, and a little Spanish. You know...trash in Pig-Latin is ashtray. Pretty cool huh? LOL!
Also, the mere mention of Diaroma makes me laugh. Phil Hendrie did a bit with Ted Bell once called "Diaroma Kids. Ted was building a life sized display of children throughout history for a museum. He was asking listeners to donate the bodies of their dead children to be stuffed and mounted. He used the best taxidermy in the West afterall. A crying grandmother called in very upset because her grandson had just died of SIDS. Ted offered her free steak dinners for life if she'd give him the body and said he's use it in a nativity scene if that would make her happy. This made her cry even more. Ted (Phil) didn't let up and really badgered the poor old lady. It was hilarious:) Then again...I've got a sick sense of humor don't I?
Well...I think I'll go listen to it for old times sake. It's been a while.
Take care!
Rob
Ashtray, ha ha, pretty funny, Rob!
Tink -- I LOVE this post. (love all your posts).
How about this? The singer hurt his finger. What about that? :-O
Oh, and how come the past tense of read is read, but past tense of lead is led?
Wouldn't "I proof-red that" look so much better than "I proof-read that"?
Or is it past-tense?
(Or is it passed-tense?) ;-)
(Those to hyphen or not-to-hyphen dilemmas also drive me up the wall.)
(as do those "should I put this thought in ellipsis or between dashes (hyphens?)?" questions) (but then again that could happen in ANY language. I suppose)
- L.
oops - I wrote that last comment in such haste I wrote ellipsis when I MEANT parenthesis.
:-P
Oh, and tink - - I hear you on the overwhelming school projects business. But I must confess I have a thing for dioramas. Especially when you get to view a classroom full of 'em on display! So much fun.
My son and I once made a diorama (notice I said "my son AND I") on a scene out of an Amelia Bedelia book. When she "dresses" the chicken. :-) We made a roast chicken (using a balloon covered with papier mache) (I was feeling ambitious), complete with wings and drumsticks (all formed out of newspaper/papier mache), and then painted it flesh (chicken) color, then placed it in a large square shoebox, then "dressed" the chicken with a tuxedo made of various felt pieces. It was hard to throw away. Unfortunately we never took a picture of it.
The dog diorama sounds like it was fun (but I'm sure it was more like work). Do you have a pic of it?
Oh, and do you write for Mountain Wings? I'm a little unclear. If so, COOL! If not, it's still cool.
Talk about tongue twisting :) I have to admit, I only learned about the Diarama, years ago in Atlanta at a Civil War Museum. It was fascinating and amazing. Rob, Phil is a character, but are'nt we all characters here? Well, Tink, sorry, not literally your place, but bloggland? lol :)
xox
p.s. Happy Mom's Day this weekend! :)
Tink, yes Happy Mom's Day tomorrow!
And ... yesterday I thought of another good English language thingy, but I've forgotten it! Should've written it down.
Ah, maybe it'll come to me later.
Congratulations to your son for his "eh"!
Tink, this is wonderful!
I am smiling and laughing.
English is the most difficult language to learn because, for every rule there is an exception, and for every exception there's another exception!
I am glad I speak French...
we've all been misled
Happy Mothers Day Tink!
Happy Mother's Day to a very, very special Mum, Tink!
Hi guys! I rose from exile to collect my rose on Mother's Day. Or is it arose? I was aroused from exile? I exited exile and was excited? lol
Sorry to go missing from the Word-A-Rama. Been SO hectic.
Rob .. excellent! Ashtray. Good one. :o) I hope that poor grandmother was really Phil in disguise! Yeah Lucy! that one drives me nuts! Read/read. Led/lead. So dumb. I guess the gas from the past was passed. hahahaha. I knew what you meant by ellipsis. I cannot believe you mentioned Amelia Bedelia who dressed the chicken. I JUST read that with my daughter. Amazing. A very funny book. Your diarama project was massive and so very creative! I'll bet it was spectacular. No, we have no pictures of the doggy diarama. My digital is on the fritz again. (And where did *that* come from? On the fritz - for when something is not working?) We have the diarama intact (minus a couple of the "My Little Pet Shop" dogs we used. So, if the digital should resurrect itself, we will take one.) and ... Oh! no no no .. I do not write for Mountain Wings. I used the confusing possessive of "my" Mountain Wings. Sorry! I should have written "the latest issue." Yes Dale We have been misled! I need to get the lead out and lead a more exciting life. lol Oh my good gosh Grace! Was that diarama like a life-sized one?? I can't imagine it. You can call me a character. I understood. lol
Hope each of you had a very nice Mother's Day! (well .. er Rob .. you're sort of like a Mom and Dad to Riley!) :o)
Can't believe how time flies. I just realized it has been a week since the last post. yikes. The days are longer, the nights still coolish, the afternoons warmer, and the days definitely sunnier between the spring rains. Everything is blooming and pretty. Pollen/allergies have been pretty bad, but thank God for sinus and allergy meds.
Hope all my blogger pals are well and finding time to play!
xo
Tink
I console myself that one day I will spend less time at the console. Ahem.
Nice 2 sea u, Tink,
P, my father's son.
It wasn't actually life size, but it covered a huge area, battle scenes and everything. YOu would like it, it was very cool.
I am wrong, it was life size, I should have thought a little longer. (the brain just kicked in!!)
That was cool, Tink, English is crazy...
my Mom does make up some doosies when it comes to rambling and running her words together and pronounciation when she is tired and I always tell her that if she was a teach of Japanese students, teaching them English, they would have their hands raised every 20 seconds saying, please repeat, we do not know wot you say'
how's everything, girl?
-Lin
Hello P ! Good to have you stop by the echoing halls here. Forgive me Fadder for I have been a bad blogger. :o) Ahh .. thanky Grace for the added info. Amazing. lol Lin those little Japanese students would prolly run rings around most of us, using perfect nouns but really crappy verbs. nyah nyah. :o)
I am fine and running around like the proverbial headless chicken. Getting near end of school year, many family issues happening, etc. But, I'm taking a little time this weekend to catch up with all our blooger pals! Love 'n hugs to you all.
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