What are some of the most interesting and unusual features of the English language?
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I would say, the difference in how similar looking words are pronounced. E.g. Cough sounds different from rough and is also different from dough. Another unusual feature is Phrasal verbs and how many they are. A change of preposition and the meaning changes. E.g. Put up, put on, put down, put out The addition of 2 prepositions changes the meaning too. E.g. put up and put up with or put up to. These are some unusual features of the English Language.
- JennyCertified ESL Teacher who helps her student in Conversational English.
Using plural form in pronouns "I" and "You"
Hi I love idioms and phrasal verbs Best Regards
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Hello! Homophones: Words that sound the same but have different meanings and spelling. Like, I (ate eight) sandwiches. Heteronyms: Words that are spelled the same but have different meanings and pronunciations. Like, the wind is strong vs. wind the clock. Phrasal verbs: Verbs followed by prepositions or adverbs that change the verb's meaning. Onomatopoeia: Words that imitate the sound they represent. Like, the dog barks woof. The clock goes tick-tock. English words often have unpredictable spelling patterns. Like, enough vs through. Even the words that have completely different pronunciations of their spelling, like iron and postpone. Contronyms: WOrds that have opposite meanings depending on the context. For example, (cleave) can mean to separate or to stick together. Actually, there's a lot to say, even about exceptions in grammar points.
The most interesting and unusual part is how to pronounce different letters combination: au, ea, aw, u, etc
The tenses when and how to use them
Homophones which are words with different meanings and spelling but the same pronunciation, such as they’re and their. And some words have the same spelling but different pronunciation and meanings, such as bow as a verb and as a noun.😃😮💨
Idiomatic expressions!!! The one I love the most is "All hat, no cattle." It means someone who talks big but lacks action or substance.
English is international language. Unusable features of English language are sound changes of words, Vocabulary expansion and irregular verbs.
The English language is quite rich and diverse and some of its most interesting and unusual features include the fact that, it is homophones such as "there", "their" and "they're" or another example could be "write" and "right" these words sound the same but have different meanings. Another English feature is certain pronunciation challenges such words with a silent "K" for example knee, or words with a silent "p" for example psychology or even words with a silent "b" for example subtle. another interesting English feature is the fact that it contains idiomatic expressions which is an informal way of speaking where the words used in the expression mean something different for example "kick the bucket" this means to die another example could be "beating around the bush" this means to avoid something. These are some of the most interesting and unusual features of the English language, although there are soo many of them that have not been discussed in the above answer.
IN my opinion English is very logical and subsequent language. The inly one thing is correct pronunciaton of some letters combination. Sometimes it is weird and illogical
Other student questions
- Which phrases do you find useful when making small talk in English?
Describe a specific situation where you will need to make small talk.
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A good way to do this is to discuss weekend plans. What do you usually enjoy doing on the weekends? Any fun plans for this weekend? How was your weekend?
Best answer
"The dark side of the light chasers" By Debbie Ford. Simple and easy to understand for an intermediate-level student. (Self-growth)
