Fun with Words: Ridiculosities September 27, 2010
Posted by nrhatch in Humor, Poetry, Word Play, Writing & Writers.trackback
English is ridiculous!
I don’t care what you say
The K in Knees, unnecessary
It just gets in the way
Why do we have silent Gs
In front of Gnome and Gnu?
Superfluous both, standing round
With nothing at all to do
The silent P in Psychiatrist
Seems so melancholy and blue
If we could not pronunciate
Would we be depressed too?
And . . .
What about the extraneous W
In Wrinkles, Wry, and Wring?
How sad to be employed silently
Unable to say a thing
No wonder the P in Psychosis
Can’t tell falsehoods from true
If we had no raison d’etre
We’d be dazed and conflicted too
Perhaps Webster was WUI
When he added a G to Gnat
Writing Under the Influence would explain
Peculiar spellings like that
Same goes for words like Ptomaine
Gnarled, Gnash, Gnaw, and Knotty
Writing While Intoxicated? Yup
Noah must have been quite sotty
Tomorrow’s post: Fun with Words: Gnome
Comments
Sorry comments are closed for this entry
Spirit Lights The Way 
Deliteful?
I had a blast writing this yesterday. The English language quacks me up!
I like a silent P myself 🙂
I know, right! Stop listening to my P. 😉
I new you’d come thru!
Your verse is good and true.
Good thing that it is not per verse
But that’s in the ‘language’ two.
What’s the converse of perverse? 🙂
Wonderful. . .have I had some influence on you. . .or is it the other way around? 😀
I now FULLY EXPECT some additions from you to my book of “Odes to the Everyday!” So get yourself over there, Lady, and start posting!!!
The two of you will probably be interested in my next Ode, to be posted this week called, “Ode to Homonyms.” Stay tuned!
Twin sons of different mothers.
I’ve written fun poetry since grade school. I’ve always loved playing with words.
I am definitely interested in reading your next Ode. 🙂
I’ll have to think. Oh dear! through verse, is per? Right? ad means (too!). Right? Hadn’t thought of the con-verse. (with?) But I’m writing a Menippean satire all about real cons, etc. And such a genre is supposed to have ‘verse’ in it. Maybe I’ll figure it out yet. Maybe a con-verse-sation with an adverse, perverse inmate. I have to stop! Control me!
Love it!
“Maybe a con-verse-sation with an adverse, perverse inmate. I have to stop! Control me!”
If my memory serves me…mnemonics. Ah yes, I was writing on Nancy’s blog.
Good one.
I expect this poem could be several (hundred) verses longer ~ we’ve got enough ammo in the English language.
Loreen – you left out obverse!
Paula’s got a brand new blog!!! WOOT!
Welcome to WP. 🙂
Wow. I was unfamliar with the word, but on checking it out with Webster, it seems you have, as could be expected, found a word that could, if used with cunning, serve within a legal indictment and prevent any future perversion!
Point. Counterpoint. 🙂
Also understand about Paula’s blog. Will just keep on the lookout for when the next ode is published.
Love Mr. Huxley. should have said ‘to prevent’. Love this kind of ‘fun’ with words. My irony! But, hopefully, it’s only on word use, not personal.
Playing with words is my passion. 😉
Not sure I understand your reference to Mr. Huxley.
Adous Huxley wrote a very good novel called Point Counterpoint. I was a great fan of his in the sixties.
Thanks.
The only Aldous Huxley book I’ve read is Brave New World.
Never heard of Point Counterpoint.