“Language is the source of misunderstandings.”
from Le Petit Prince, by Antoine de Saunt-Exupéry
I always felt German was a hard language to learn – much harder than French, my first foreign language at school – but I do understand that the English language has its problems too…
Here are some sentences found, oh goodness knows where, many years ago, that I sometimes show to my students to console them when they have difficulties!
- The farm was used to produce produce.
- The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
- The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
- Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
- I did not object to the object.
- There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
- They were too close to the door to close it.
- The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
- After a number of injections my jaw got number.
- I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
And then there’s these:
- The chicken is ready to eat.
- Visiting relatives can be boring.
- They are cooking apples.
- They are hunting dogs.
- We saw her duck.
- He ate the cookies in the kitchen.
- Mine exploded.
- I know a man with a dog who has fleas.
😀
Who says English is easy?!
