BarbaraC1977 Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 I take it you already know Of tough and bough and cough and dough? Others may stumble, but not you, On hiccough, thorough, lough and through? Well done! And now you wish, perhaps, To learn of less familiar traps? Beware of heard, a dreadful word That looks like beard and sounds like bird, And dead: it's said like bed, not bead - For goodness sake don't call it deed! Watch out for meat and great and threat (They rhyme with suite and straight and debt). A moth is not a moth in mother, Nor both in bother, broth in brother, And here is not a match for there Nor dear and fear for bear and pear, And then there's dose and rose and lose - Just look them up - and goose and choose, And cork and work and card and ward, And font and front and word and sword, And do and go and thwart and cart - Come, come, I've hardly made a start! A dreadful language? Man alive! I'd mastered it when I was five! Quoted by Vivian Cook and Melvin Bragg 2004, by Richard Krogh, in D Bolinger & D A Sears, Aspects of Language, 1981, and in Spelling Progress Bulletin March 1961, Brush up on your English. I had no idea there were SO many poems about the absurdities of English spelling & pronunciation. Here's a link to many, many more: http://www.spellingsociety.org/news/media/poems.php. Enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ande43 Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 SO TRUE....I feel sorry for both teachers and kids.......am amazed we ever learn everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teecee Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 I LOVE it Barbara - Thanks so much for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belle Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 I think we should all learn to speak Chinese, it's much easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teecee Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 I think we should all learn to speak Chinese, it's much easier. You're too funny Belle! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariJ Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 Wow, that IS amazing that there is so much written about this, thanks Barbara! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ValerieT Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 It's no wonder they say English is one of the hardest languages to learn. I'm with Belle I think we should all learn Chinese. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara Arell Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 Love this, Barbara - thanks so much for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elisha Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 Funny and so true! Thanks for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Florida granny Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 This is great, Barbara! Thanks for the link, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cherryyllaann Posted April 11, 2014 Share Posted April 11, 2014 That's awesome. Printing it out for my little guys to muddle through. I'm sure they will love it. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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