5 Annoying Aspects about the English Language You Must Know

English is one of the most beautiful languages used worldwide and acts as a common medium for people with linguistic differences. Like any other language, one has to abide by certain conventions in order to write a paper, document, or converse. But, there are exceptions to these rules, and one should be familiar with them. If you are learning the language, it is wise you use grammar checker tools initially to rectify yourself.  

In this blog, we will take a look at some of the most confusing aspects of the English language. 

• Plural Nouns Do Not Necessarily End is ‘s’ 

When it comes to irregular plural nouns, the English language fails miserably so Learn English. Adding an “s” to a noun makes it plural, as in plants(s), shirt(s), and spider(s). Many words, on the other hand, have their own plural forms. For example, the transformation of fungus to fungi can be attributed to English’s Greek and Latin roots.

Irregular plural nouns are difficult to detect when writing, but you can usually hear the difference between the correct form and one with an “s” tacked on at the end. The plural of a child, for example, is children. When you hear “children,” it sounds ‘wrong.’ Your word processor can mistake it for “child’s” (possessive). If you’re unsure about something, verify the spelling.

• Confusing Words and Meanings 

Online assignment help suggests that there are certain confusing words in English. Advice (spelled with an s) is a recommendation for a course of action. Advise (with a z-sound) means to recommend a course of action or to provide guidance. Let us consider another case. An uninterested person is someone who is not interested in anything, but the one who does not take sides in a debate is disinterested.

Similarly, anyone would be perplexed with the use of every day and every day. Every day is an adjective that refers to something that is normal or unexceptional. Every day refers to something that occurs on a daily basis. Finally, the ‘it’s and its’ conundrum. You should know ‘it’s’ is the contraction of it is, and ‘its’ is the possessive form of it.

Space makes a lot of difference. A lot defines the quantity, and, as a bonus, it can be used for both countable and uncountable nouns (such as people, tables, or cups of coffee, water, rice, hair, money). On the other hand, Allot is a regular verb that refers to the act of distributing something.

• Usage of Silent Letters 

Although spoken English stopped pronouncing those p’s, b’s, g’s, and other letters, written English declined to adjust its spelling. As a result, terms like “debt,” “receipt,” and “plan” have become bewildering. 

It can be challenging to remember how to pronounce these words when their associated words have the same spelling but a different pronunciation in which the silent letter is no longer silent. The b, for example, is silent in “crumb,” but it is audible in “crumble.”

Next, you should consider another case where English phonology doesn’t agree with certain sound combinations. For instance, the Greek word “psychology” and the French word “cologne.” Since English lacks a sound for consonant combinations like “gn” or “ps,” the “g” and “p” are dropped from the phonology, respectively.

• Misuse of Prepositions 

There are certain instances when you should not use a preposition. It can be best understood from the examples mentioned below. 

Case 1: go is followed by to

• I’m going to the show.

But not in: I’m going home.

Case 2: Typically, we use on+ a day and in+ month 

• I have a meeting on Friday.
• The concert is in June.

But, this is not applicable for this, last, next, yesterday, tomorrow. 

• I have a meeting tomorrow.
• The concert is this June.

There are other cases as well. Moreover, we say, “get on a bus, and not get in a car.” We rather say, “get in a car.” 

• Exceptions Where Past Participles Do Not Have a Clear Ending 

Past participles are used as adjectives or in verb phrases, and they usually end in -ed, as in “the cobra hissed” or “The cooked meal.” Despite the fact that there are several exceptions to this convention, some irregular past participles follow a similar trend. Consider the following irregular past participles, all of which end in -en:

• The swollen wrist needed to be treated. 
• The girl had given her most treasured possession to her friend.

The majority of irregular past participles (such as written and rang) end in -en or -ng, but not all of them. Some irregular past participles, on the other hand, don’t shift at all from the infinitive verb, defying the “rules.” “To cut,” for example, does not take an ending and remains unchanged: “I had cut some guavas.” “He had put the guitar back in the case.” 

As you can see, these are some of the exceptions that you have to keep in mind all the time when you speak or write in English. Thus, it is imperative that you brush up on your grammatical knowledge once in a while. 

Author Bio: Kyle Westfall is a former English professor at a reputed university in the USA. Following his retirement, he offered English lessons online. At present, Kyle is associated with MyAssignmenthelp.com, where he is the managing head.