Highly Irregular

Highly Irregular

Why Tough, Through, and Dough Don't Rhyme-And Other Oddities of the English Language

O'Neill, Sean; Okrent, Arika

Oxford University Press Inc

11/2021

272

Dura

Inglês

9780197539408

15 a 20 dias

408

Descrição não disponível.
What the Hell, English?

The Colonel of Truth: What is the deal with the word colonel?

Fairweather Vowels: Why is y a sometimes vowel?

Hey Large Spender: Why do we order a large drink and not a big one?

Crazy English: Why do we drive on a parkway and park on a driveway?

What the Hell is with What the Hell?

Blame the Barbarians

Thoroughly Tough, Right?: Why don't tough, through, and dough rhyme?

Getting and Giving the General Gist: Why are there two ways to say the letter g?

Egging them On: What is the egg doing in egg on?

I Ated All the Cookies: Why do we have irregular verbs?

It Goes by so Fastly: Why do we move slowly but not fastly? And step softly but not hardly?

Elegantly Clad and Stylishly Shod: Why is it clean-shaven and not clean-shaved?

Six of One, Half a Twoteen of the Other: Why is it eleven, twelve instead of oneteen, twoteen?

Woe is We: Why is it woe is me, not I am woe?

Blame the French

A Sizeable, Substantial, Extensive Vocabulary: Why are there so many synonyms?

Don't inSULT me with that INsult: Why are there noun-verb pairs that only differ by stress?

Without Fail: Why is it without fail and not failure or failing?

Ask the Poets Laureate: Why is it sum total and not total sum?

Of Unrequited Lof: Why isn't of spelled with a v?

Blame the Printing Press

Uninvited Ghuests: Why are ghost, ghastly, and ghoul spelled with a gh?

Gnat, Knot, Comb, Wrist: Why do we have silent consonants?

Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda: Why is there a silent l?

Peek, Peak, Piece, People: Why are there so many ways to write the 'ee' sound?

Crew, Grew, Stew, New...Sew?: Why don't sew and new rhyme?

Blame the snobs

Get Receipts on those Extra Letters: Why is there a p in receipt, an l in salmon, and a b in doubt?

Asthma, Phelgm, and Diarrhea: Why all the extra letters?

The Data are in on the Octopi: What's the deal with Latin plurals?

Too Much Discretion: Keeping discreet and discrete discrete, discreetly

Pick a Color/Colour: Can't we get this standardized/standardised?

Blame ourselves

Couth, Kempt, and Ruthful: Why have some words lost their better halves?

If it Ain't Broke, Don't Scramble It: Why is There no egg in eggplant?

Proving the Rule: How can an exception prove a rule?

How Dare You Say How Try You!: Why dare isn't like the other verbs

Release the Meese: Why isn't the plural of moose meese?

Why do Noses Run and Feet Smell?: A corny joke with a serious answer

Negative Fixation: Why can you say "this won't take long" but not "this will take long"?

Abbreviation Deflation: Why is there an r in Mrs.?

How it Comes to Be: How come we say how come?

Phrasal Verbs, Let's Go Over Them: But don't try to "go them over." (You can look them over though)

Terrible and Terrific, Awful and Awesome: How does the same root get opposite meanings?

Literally Messed Up: How did literally get to mean figuratively?

That's Enough, Now, English

Acknowledgments

Notes

Bibliography
Este título pertence ao(s) assunto(s) indicados(s). Para ver outros títulos clique no assunto desejado.