masterwordsmith-unplugged

Indeed, English is a language which can be difficult and intimidating to
master. There are many nuances and quirkiness which are lost on those who
do not read widely and critically in excellent publications by those who are
born, bred and educated in UK (and all English-speaking countries like
Australia, NZ, USA, etc.)

How many Malaysians have read Somerset Maugham's novels, Bernard Shaw's and
Oscar Wilde's plays, J.R.R. Tolkien's epic trilogy "Lord of the Rings"?

English is also a language which excels in satire. This is lost on
Malaysians who have a post-NEP schooling. An excellent language is dynamic
and grows by borrowing extensively from other languages whether scientific &
technological terminology or ancient "dead" languages like Latin, Greek or
Sanskrit. English has borrowed many words and phrases from the French and
Germans.

English Language

Professor Ernest Brennecke of Columbia is credited with inventing a sentence
that can be made to have eight different meanings by placing ONE WORD in all
possible positions in the sentence:

"I hit him in the eye yesterday."

The word is "ONLY".

The Message:


1. ONLY I hit him in the eye yesterday. (No one else did.) *

2. I ONLY hit him in the eye yesterday. (Did not slap him.)*

3. I hit ONLY him in the eye yesterday. (I did not hit others.)*

4. I hit him ONLY in the eye yesterday. (I did not hit outside the eye.) *

5. I hit him in ONLY the eye yesterday. (Not other organs.) *

6. I hit him in the ONLY eye yesterday. (He doesn't have another eye..)*

7. I hit him in the eye ONLY yesterday. (Not today.)*

8. I hit him in the eye yesterday ONLY. (Did not wait for today.) *

*This is the beauty and complexity of the English language.*

Another word is FxxK.

-Author Unknown-

Thanks to Angela who sent me this post.