Some words have different meanings,
and yet they’re spelt the same.
A cricket is an insect,
to play it — it’s a game.
On every hand, in every land,
it’s thoroughly agreed,
the English language to explain
is very hard indeed.
Some people say that you’re a dear,
yet dear is far from cheap.
A jumper is a thing you wear,
yet a jumper has to leap.
It’s very clear, it’s very queer,
and pray who is to blame
for different meanings to some words,
pronounced and spelt, the same?
A little journey is a trip,
a trip is when you fall.
It doesn’t mean you have to dance
whene’er you hold a ball.
Now here’s a thing that puzzles me:
musicians of good taste
will very often form a band —
I’ve one around my waist!
You spin a top, go for a spin,
or spin a yarn may be —
yet every spin’s a different spin,
as you can plainly see.
Now here’s a most peculiar thing —
’twas told me as a joke —
a dumb man wouldn’t speak a word,
yet seized a wheel and spoke.
A door may often be ajar,
but give the door a slam,
and then your nerves receive a jar —
and then there’s jars of jam.
You’ve heard, of course, of traffic jams,
and jams you give your thumbs.
And adders, too, one is a snake,
the other adds up sums.
A policeman is a copper,
it’s a nickname (impolite!)
yet a copper in the kitchen
is an article you light.
On every hand, in every land,
it’s thoroughly agreed —
the English language to explain
is very hard indeed!
Written by Harry Hemsley
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Apr 7th, 2007 at 9:39 pm
English is hard to explain too by United States lights. Politesse.
jb says: Interesting, though, isn’t it, that English novels are quite often translated into American; whereas American novels are never translated into English. I’ve never been given a really good reason for this.
Apr 8th, 2007 at 7:05 am
Lovely poem.
I don’t think we’ve ever forgiven the Americans for Dick Van Dyke’s “cockney” accent in “Mary Poppins.”
I also wonder if there is such a thing as a uniform American accent/language/way of speaking?
I was once talking to an American in Florida who observed that I did not speak like a local and asked, not if I was British, but if I was from New York, a place I’ve never visited in my life.
Apr 9th, 2007 at 5:29 pm
American novels aren’t translated into English because English novels aren’t could be, but I wouldn’t disparage my mother tongue.
Floridians are backward as hosts methinks.
jb says: Say what, Brian?
Jul 5th, 2007 at 2:39 pm
Wonderful!! I have been looking for this poem for eons. I learnt it from a literature book when I was a kid and could remember only a few lines. Thank you for publishing and thanks to google for finding it!!
Dec 10th, 2007 at 4:37 am
Ever wonder all “Question” words in English begin with “Wh”?
What, Why, Whom, Which, When, Who, Whether, Where, Whither?
jb says: Does? How? Could? Are?
Dec 11th, 2007 at 6:26 pm
Except “How”, Others cannot be accepted as “Question” words in the proper sense of the word. They can be used both ways - Questions and answers.
Does it? It does. Could you? You could. Are you? You are.
Another Wh - Whose
Jul 5th, 2008 at 3:15 am
Dic Van Dyck didn’t do to well but Meryl Streep sounds authentic in any accent she uses. I guess some people can do it better than others. But not only actors, why do some people conquer their foreign accent and others hang on to it throughout their life no matter how much and at what level they use their new language?