Silent letters in English

Silent Letters

English can be pretty tricky a language sometimes. In the word 'whistle,' we do not pronounce the letters T and H. They are silent letters. 

Nearly every letter in the alphabets can be silent.

Silent letters show up because English language takes words and spellings from many different languages. The silent H at the beginning of a word comes from a rule in French language pronunciation. That’s why hour sounds like our. Silent Ks come from Old English, in which the present silent letters were actually pronounced, but over hundreds of years, the sound was dropped, leaving us with the words knife and knight, where we don’t pronounce the first letters. Sometimes silent letters are used to give us a clue how to pronounce things. If there is an E at the end of a word, it is often silent, but it usually lets us know a vowel that comes before it will have a “long” sound. This is why haze sounds like hays and not has.

There are hundreds of rules to help figure out how to spell and read words, but they do not work all the time. Often it can be very confusing. But, no worries, many veterans of the language find them confusing too! The more you read and practice spelling, the better you’ll be able to figure out how these silent letters work.

The Silent ABCs

A – heAd, cocoA, breAd

B – deBt, douBt, suBtle

C – sCene, sCissors

D – aDjust, WeDnesday, hanDkerchief, sanDwich

E – crazE, evEry, vegEtable, tempErature,litErature, pErhaps

F - halFpenny
G - aliGn, champaGne, diaphraGm, hiGh, liGht, reiGn, thouGh,
H - cHoir, exHaust, gHost, Heir, Hour, kHaki, scHool

I - busIness
J – MariJuana

K - blacKGuard, Knead, Knock, Knot, Know
L - caLf, caLm, chaLk, foLk, haLf, psaLm, yoLk
M - Mnemonic
N - autumN, columN, condemN, damN, hymN, solemN
O – colOnel, opOssum, Oestrogen
P – corPs, couP, Pneumonia, Pseudo, Psychology, receiPt
Q  -  RacQuet
R - butteR, gaRden, heRe, myrRh,
S - aiSle, apropoS, debriS, fracaS, iSland, iSle

T - asThma, balleT, casTle, GourmeT, lisTen, rapporT, sofTen, Thistle 

U - catalogUe, colleagUe, dialogUe, gUess, GUest, GUide, GUilt, GUitar, tongUe
V - (none) !!! (if you have one, please comment below)
W - ansWer, sWord, tWo, Whole, Whore, Wrist, Writ, Write
X - fauX pas
Y – praYer
Z – laisseZ, rendeZvous

Interesting Origin of phrases – Its raining cats and dogs

Its raining cats and dogs

Meaning

It is raining unusually or unbelievably.

Origin

Houses in the 1500s had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying ... "It's raining cats and dogs."

PS:

This is one of the oldest phrases so much so that it has a biblical reference to it.  It seems that cats were at one time thought to have influence over storms, especially by sailors, and that dogs were symbols of storms, often accompanying images and descriptions of the Norse storm god  - Odin. So when some particularly violent tempest appeared, people suggested it was caused by cats (bringing the rain) and dogs (the wind).

SO MUCH PUN!! (INTENDED)

On a good day, if you have jovial friends and coworkers, you can expect to hear or read many examples of funny puns. Whether intentional or accidental, pun is the use of words that either have multiple meanings or sound like other words, the result of which is humorous. There are several different ways to make pun.

Pun, also called “paronomasia”, is a form of word play that suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. Henri Bergson defined a pun as a sentence or utterance in which "two different sets of ideas are expressed, and we are confronted with only one series of words".

Pun may be regarded as in-jokes or idiomatic constructions, given that their usage and meaning are entirely local to a particular language and its culture. 
Eg: Camping is intense (in tents).

Puns are used to create humor and sometimes require a large vocabulary to understand. Puns have long been used by comedy writers, such as William Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, and George Carlin. The Roman playwright Plautus is famous for his tendency to make up and change the meaning of words to create puns in Latin.

Whether your pun is one word or an entire sentence, the result is meant to be humorous - leading to funny puns (and punny funs).

One-Word Puns (Homophonic Puns)

Created by substituting one word for a similar-sounding word.

• A good pun is its own reword.
• I bet the butcher the other day that he couldn’t reach the meat that was on the top shelf. He refused to take the bet, saying that the steaks were too high.

Homographic Puns

Created in one of two ways: either by using a word that has two different meanings, or by substituting a word with the exact same spelling as the word for which it was substituted.

• Corduroy pillows are making headlines.
• Did you hear about the optometrist who fell into a lens grinder and made a spectacle of himself?

Compound Puns

Created using a string of two or more words that sound similar to a string of different words.

• Where do you find giant snails? On the ends of giants’ fingers.
• Santa’s helpers are subordinate Clauses.

Funny Animal Puns

Puns involving animals are everywhere, and they run the gamut of pun types. I present here a small sample of the many, many funny animal puns already in existence.

Animal puns

• Biologists have recently produced immortal frogs by removing their vocal cords. They can't croak.
• The best way to communicate with a fish is to drop them a line.
• A horse is a very stable animal.
• If you hear it from the horse's mouth you're listening to a neigh sayer.
• One horse said to another: your pace is familiar but I don't remember the mane.
• Sign at a deer crossing: The Buck Stops Here.
• A zoo had a camel with no humps named 'Humphrey.'
• He bought a donkey because he thought he might get a kick out of it.
• The best way to stop a charging bull is to take away his credit card.
• A cat ate some cheese and waited for a mouse with baited breath.
• A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was ticketed for littering.
• Insects that make honey are always on their best bee-hive-iour.
• When a new hive is done bees have a house swarming party.
• A smelly ant was expelled from the colony because he was deodorant.
• A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.
• The flock of doves decided to stage a coo.
• Peacocks are meticulous because they show attention to de tail.
• The duck said to the bartender, 'put it on my bill.'
• It’s amazing how eagles catch their prey; they must be really talon-ted.

• Energizer Bunny arrested -- charged with battery.
• It's OK to watch an elephant bathe as they usually have their trunks on.
• Have you ever heard of an honest cheetah?
• A skunk fell in the river and stank to the bottom.
• An elephant's opinion carries a lot of weight.
• It's raining cats and dogs. Well, as long as it doesn't reindeer.
• 5000 hares have escaped from the zoo. The police are combing the area.
• When the Dalmatian ran away, he was spotted two blocks from home.
• A lion will not cheat on his wife, but a Tiger Wood!

Some more Puns:

• I'm reading a book about anti-gravity. It's impossible to put down.
• I'm glad I know sign language, it's pretty handy.
• I couldn't quite remember how to throw a boomerang, but eventually it came back to me.
• I used to have a fear of hurdles, but I got over it.
• To write with a broken pencil is pointless.
• There was once a cross-eyed teacher who couldn't control his pupils.
• He drove his expensive car into a tree and found out how the Mercedes bends.
• A new type of broom came out, it is sweeping the nation.
• A small boy swallowed some coins and was taken to a hospital. When his grandmother telephoned to ask how he was a nurse said 'No change yet'.
• I was going to look for my missing watch, but I could never find the time.
• I wrote a novel about a fellow who had a small garden. It didn't have much of a plot.
• No one knew she had a dental implant until it came out in a conversation.
• The man who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran.
• The experienced carpenter really nailed it, but the new guy screwed everything up.
• A prisoner's favorite punctuation mark is the period. It marks the end of his sentence.
• A bicycle can't stand on its own because it is two-tired.
• If towels could tell jokes they would probably have a dry sense of humor.
• I relish the fact that you've mustard the strength to ketchup to me.
• A relief map shows where the restrooms are.
• I was going to buy a book on phobias, but I was afraid it wouldn't help me.
• What did the grape say when it got stepped on? Nothing - but it let out a little whine.
• People are choosing cremation over traditional burial. It shows that they are thinking out of the box.
• I try wearing tight jeans, but I can never pull it off.
• The one who invented the door knocker got a No-bell prize.
• Sleeping comes so naturally to me, I could do it with my eyes closed.
• My job at the concrete plant seems to get harder and harder.
• Lightning sometimes shocks people because it just doesn't know how to conduct itself.
• I used to be addicted to soap, but I'm clean now.
• There was a big paddle sale at the boat store. It was quite an oar deal.
• Why did the capacitor kiss the diode? He just couldn't resistor.
• My friend was fired from his job at the road department for stealing. I have to say I saw it coming. The last time I was at his house all the signs were there.
• A hungry traveller stops at a monastery and is taken to the kitchens. A brother is frying chips. 'Are you the friar?' he asks. 'No. I'm the chip monk,' he replies.
• My new theory on inertia doesn't seem to be gaining momentum.
• When the cannibal showed up late to the luncheon, they gave him the cold shoulder.
• The dead batteries were given out free of charge.
• If you don't pay your exorcist you get repossessed.
• You want to clone yourself? Now wouldn't that be just like you!
• I usually take steps to avoid elevators.
• Two peanuts were walking in a tough neighborhood and one of them was a-salted.
• I once heard a joke about amnesia, but I forgot how it goes.
• Pencils could be made with erasers at both ends, but what would be the point?
• Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat says to the other, 'You stay here, I'll go on a head.'.
• I was arrested after my therapist suggested I take something for my kleptomania.
• Did you hear about these new reversible jackets? I'm excited to see how they turn out.
• Did you hear about the crime that happened in a parking garage? It was wrong on so many levels.
• Mummies are bound to be uptight.
• I was struggling to figure out how lightning works then it struck me.
• It was an emotional wedding. Even the cake was in tiers.
• Jill broke her finger today, but on the other hand she was completely fine.
• If you step onto a plane and recognize a friend of yours named Jack don't yell out Hi Jack!
• It is tough to do inventories in Afghanistan because of the tally ban.
• Cartoonist found dead in home. Details are sketchy.
• He didn't tell his mother that he ate some glue. His lips were sealed.
• Weight loss mantra? Fat chants!
• He said I was average - but he was just being mean.
• Did you hear about the fire at the circus? The heat was in tents.
• I'm not a big fan of archery. It has too many drawbacks.
• A boiled egg in the morning is hard to beat.
• I get my large circumference from too much pi.
• The short fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.
• A criminal's best asset is his lie ability.
• A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.
• She got fired from the hot dog stand for putting her hair in a bun.
• I'm bad at math, so the equation 2n+2n is 4n to me.
• I think Santa has riverfront property in Brazil. All our presents came from Amazon this year.
• A thief who stole a calendar got twelve months.
• To some - marriage is a word ... to others - a sentence.
• A noun and a verb were dating but they broke up because the noun was too possessive.
• Alcohol and calculus don't mix so don't drink and derive.
• I wanted to lose weight so I went to the paint store. I heard I could get thinner there.
• A baker stopped making donuts after he got tired of the hole thing.
• I've been to the dentist several times so I know the drill.
• Those who jump off a Paris bridge are in Seine.
• I met a girl at an internet cafe, but we didn't click.
• I'm inclined to be laid back.
• I should have been sad when my flashlight batteries died, but I was delighted.
• Seven days without a pun makes one weak.
• My grade in Marine Biology is below sea-level.
• The two guys caught drinking battery acid will soon be charged.
• It's better to love a short girl than not a tall.
• The comedian stopped at the fabric store on his way to a comedy gig. He was looking for new material.
• The little old woman who lived in a shoe wasn't the sole owner - there were strings attached.
• I really do have a photographic memory -- I just haven't developed it yet.
• If you lose your hearing, is it ear replaceable?
• I probably have blind spots, but I don't see them.
• The coffee tasted like mud because it was ground a couple of minutes ago.
• The new weed whacker is cutting-hedge technology.
• Tennis players don't marry because Love means nothing to them.
• Never invest in funerals, it's a dying industry.
• I used to be a watchmaker. It was a great job and I made my own hours.
• I went to the store to buy some soup but they were out of stock.
• We were so poor when I was growing up we couldn't even afford to pay attention.
• My tennis opponent was not happy with my serve. He kept returning it.
• A cardboard belt would be a waist of paper.
• When the TV repairman got married the reception was excellent.
• No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.
• Never lie to an x-ray technician. They can see right through you.
• A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class because it was a weapon of math disruption.
• Let's talk about rights and lefts. You're right so I left.
• My wife tells me I'm a skeptic - but I don't believe a word she says.
• When an actress saw her first strands of gray hair she thought she'd dye.
• Old doctors never die they just lose their patience.
• I used to do rock climbing as a youth, but I was much boulder back then.
• I quit gymnastics because I was tired of hanging around the bars.
• I once thought about cloning a new, more efficient brain, but then I realized that I was getting a head of myself.
• He avoided funerals because he was not a mourning person.
• He has been a jogger for three years running.
• I used to be a banker but I lost interest
• In a recession, the most secure job is garbage-man. Business is always picking up.
• In the room the curtains were drawn, but the rest of the furniture was real.
• Math teachers have lots of problems.
• When I asked the man how he became a ditch-digger, he said he just fell into it.
• Have you heard about that online origami store? It folded.
• If a judge loves the sound of his own voice, expect a long sentence.
• Stealing someone's coffee is called 'mugging'.
• Deafness is getting to be quite a problem for me lately. I never thought I'd hear myself say that.
• It's a lengthy article on Japanese Sword Fighters but I can Samurais it for you.
• There was a fight in the candy store. Two suckers got licked.
• How do you make antifreeze? Steal her blanket.
• I didn't have the faintest idea as to why I passed out.
• If you take a laptop computer for a run, you could jog your memory.
• Man who wants pretty nurse, must be patient
• War does not determine who is right - only who is left.
• Always remember you're unique. Just like everyone else!
• Experts say the cost of funerals have risen by 50%, they blame it on the cost of living.

Earn while you learn - Be your own boss

Being in college is as much about being strapped for cash. It is unfortunate that a student has to study hard all week and have no money to enjoy the weekend as entertainment gets more expensive. Students can help themselves by earning extra money while still in college.

A few income-earning strategies before you graduate which help ease your financial requisites.

Tutoring

If you excel in certain subjects, let your professors know that you're willing to help other students in need -- for a fee. Don't let your GPA go to waste, especially gifted math and computer science students. Highlight those aforementioned credentials and utilize bulletin boards to post an ad interested individuals can tear your phone number from. You can also use Twitter with hashtags specific to your university and expertise to advertise your services. A website like ‘Tutor.com’ invites college students to apply for online tutoring positions.

Speaking another language is not only an impressive skill but also a bankable commodity. If you are a fluent speaker of another language and feel confident in your ability to teach, you can put your linguistic skills up for sale. Expand your pool of possibilities and check out ‘Verbalplanet.com’, which is a website that links up language teachers and students from all over the world via Skype for video classroom sessions.

Like speaking another language, knowing how to play and teach an instrument is a seriously marketable skill. Furthermore, teaching an instrument will incite you to practice yourself, which you probably haven't been doing as much as you should while away at college. 

Online Opportunities

Online surveys: A lot of surveys will often pay you a sum of money for participation. Market Research: Websites like ‘ipoll.com’, ‘survey.com’ encourage market research from students on various topics. You can do the research yourself or you can participate in research conducted by others.

Microgigs: They are becoming a popular way to earn extra cash (taskrabbit.com, mechanical turk.com). While many are virtual gigs (writing resumes, helping with facebook and blog articles, etc.,) some can be done in the real world like house-sitting, gardening, freelance photography, etc.,

Selling: There are numerous opportunities for online promotion, marketing and selling

Web design: Identify small businesses in your area that do not have a website. Approach the owner with a few stats about online sales and make a pitch.

Telemarketing: Some telemarketing jobs allow you to work from your own place if you have access to the Internet and phone. If you have a knack for sales and a thick skin, telemarketing could be just the right job for you while you are attending college.

Freelance Writing

Blogging and tweeting are like reflexes to many college students. Students often take their knowledge for granted and underestimate the degree. Web and social media savvy are hot commodities in the business world.  Register at E-Lance and search for available jobs on Pro Blogger. You could even contact webmasters directly to write about topics you enjoy. Those who do not update their blogs regularly are the ones you can pitch. Send them an email that highlights your knowledge and passion for the subject matter and pitch a price per article.

Managing freelance work looks great on resumes, it shows initiative, enthusiasm and business acumen. Employers are interested in candidates who are proven self-starters.

Event Promotion

If you're outgoing or have a large following on social media, getting onto the promotion team for events can be a great way to earn extra money in a non-traditional setting.

Event promotion is only on an as-needed basis, meaning that it requires no long-term commitment from you if you're already juggling one or more work schedules.

Look for event promotion opportunities in your local classifieds and online job listings. Promoter opportunities may include anything from festivals to concerts to corporate events / club memberships to simply advertising products (think: car wash kit) and will likely entail such varied tasks as handing out flyers to advertising on Twitter and Facebook. Contact the advertising and PR teams for upcoming events in your area and ask how you can get involved. Even if you can't get involved with the PR team, you may be able to score some free event tickets if you sell a bundle first.

Other Opportunities

Running errands for the community can be fun. Students can become well-organized and it improves contacts with a good word of mouth for you in the locality. If you have a car, you can search for people who need rides and help them commute. At the beginning or end of semesters, students and parents run back and forth to move furniture and personal items in and out of dorms and apartments. Offering to help fellow students move is a great way to make money while providing a service. Finding a part-time job on campus or within your college town can be a convenient way to have a steady cash flow. Paid internships are an added advantage in work experience, networking opportunities, and resume reference.

Crazy vagaries of English language

English is the most widely spoken language in the history of our planet, used in some way by at least one out of every seven human beings around the globe. English has acquired the largest vocabulary of all the world's languages, as many as two million words. Nevertheless, we have explored the beauty and variance of the language; it is now time to face the fact that English is a crazy language - the most loopy and wiggly of all tongues. 

In English language:

Ø      People drive in a parkway and park in a driveway.

Ø      People play at a recital and recite at a play.

Ø      The night falls but never breaks and day breaks but never falls.

Ø      When we transport something by car, it's called a shipment, but when we transport something by ship, it's called cargo.

Ø      We pack suits in a garment bag and garments in a suitcase.

Ø      We call it newsprint when it contains no printing but when we put print on it, we call it a newspaper.

Ø      People who ride motorcycles called bikers and people who ride bikes called cyclists.

Ø      Noses run and feet smell.

The paradoxes and vagaries of English to name a few:

Ø      Nightmares can take place in broad daylight

Ø      Morning sickness and daydreaming can take place at night

Ø      Happy hours and rush hours often last longer than sixty minutes.

Ø      Quicksand works very slowly.

Ø      Boxing rings are square

Ø      A woman can man a station but a man can't woman a station.

Ø      A man can father a movement but a woman can't mother one.

Ø      Apartments are named so even when they're all together.

Ø      We call them buildings even when they're already built.

Ø      It is called a TV set when you get only one.

Ø      The word abbreviation so long.

Ø      The word ‘monosyllabic’ consist of five syllables.

Ø      There no synonym for synonym or thesaurus.

Ø      A slim chance and a fat chance are the same.

Ø      A caregiver and a caretaker.

Ø      "What's going on?" and "What's coming off?" are the same.

Ø      Quite a lot and quite a few the same, while overlook and oversee are opposites.

Ø      Button and unbutton and tie and untie are opposites.

Ø      But, loosen and unloosen and ravel and unravel the same.

Ø      Harmless is the opposite of harmful, but shameful and shameless are same.

Ø      Pricey objects are less expensive than priceless ones.

Ø      Flammable and inflammable materials are the same.

Ø      Heritable and inheritable properties are the same.

Ø      Passive and impassive people are the same.

Ø      Valuable objects are less valuable than invaluable ones!

Ø      Pertinent and impertinent, canny and uncanny, and famous and infamous are neither opposites nor synonyms.

Ø      When the sun or the moon or the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible!

Ø      When I clip a coupon from a newspaper I separate it, but when I clip a coupon to a newspaper, I fasten it.

Ø      A first-degree murder is more serious than third-degree murder but a third-degree burn is more serious than a first-degree burn.

Ø      When I wind up my watch, I start it, but when I wind up this essay, I end it.

English is indeed a crazy language!

Let's look at a number of familiar English words and phrases that turn out to mean the opposite or something very different from what we think they mean:

A waiter – Why do they call those food servers waiters, when it's the customers who do the waiting?

A non-stop flight – Never get on one of these. You'll never get down.

A near miss – A near miss is, in reality, a collision. A close call is actually a near hit.

A hot water heater – Who heats hot water?

A hot cup of coffee – Here again the English language gets us in hot water. Who cares if the cup is hot? Surely we mean a cup of hot coffee.

Extraordinary – If extra-fine means "even finer than fine" and extra-large "even larger than large," why doesn't extraordinary mean "even more ordinary than ordinary"?

Pick up the phone – We don't really pick the phone; we pick up the receiver.

Put on your shoes and socks –Most of us put on our socks first, then our shoes.

Underwater and underground – Things that we claim are underwater and underground are obviously surrounded by, not under the water and ground.

We constantly mis-perceive our bodies, often saying just the opposite of what we mean:

Watch your head – I keep seeing this sign on low doorways, but I haven't figured out how to follow the instructions. Trying to watch your head is like trying to bite your teeth.

They're head over heels in love – That's nice, but all of us do almost everything head over heels. If we are trying to create an image of people doing cartwheels and somersaults, why don't we say, they’re heels over head in love?

Put your best foot forward – It's our better foot we want to put forward. This grammar atrocity is akin to May the best team win. Usually there are only two teams in the contest. Similarly, in any list of bestsellers, only the most popular book is genuinely a bestseller. All the rest are better sellers.

Skinny – If fatty means "full of fat," shouldn't skinny mean "full of skin"?

English is truly weird. If the truth be told, all languages are a little crazy. That's because language is invented, not discovered. As such, language reflects the creative and fearful asymmetry of the human race. While we enjoyed the beauty and variance of the English language; in this post; we took time to marvel at the unique lunacy of the English language.

Interesting Origin of phrases - "Cat got your tongue?"

Cat got your tongue?

This is a shortened way of saying: Has the cat got your tongue?


      

Meaning

This idiom can mean the following:

·   Have you nothing to say?

·   Why are you not talking?

·   Why are you not saying anything?

·   Why don’t you answer me?

The idiom is used to compel someone to speak, say something, or give a response when they are (unusually) quiet. It is often said by adults to children. When someone is speechless or without words (sometimes out of surprise) you will say “Cat got your tongue?” to prompt them to react. This idiom is often accompanied by “What’s the matter” at the beginning of it.

·   What’s the matter, cat got your tongue?

(What’s the matter? = What is the problem?)

This idiom can also be used as a normal sentence and not just as a question.

·   I think the cat has his tongue.

Why do people say Cat got your tongue?

Origin

Well, nobody really knows the true origin of this idiom though if you think about it, if a cat has run away with your tongue, you probably wouldn’t be able to say anything. It would be a reason why you are not speaking or quiet.

Cat got your thumbs?

With the more digital generation that communicates a lot via the internet, they have modified this expression and sometimes say: Cat got your thumbs? It is used when someone doesn’t respond to a message or text via chat or other forms of instant written communication, especially when they suddenly stop replying in a text-based conversation.

The meaning is also similar:

Has the cat got your tongue = Why have you stopped talking? Why don’t you say something?
Has the cat got your thumbs = Why have you stopped writing? Why don’t you write something?