English language inconsistencies

rants about the English language and its inconsistencies

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

When you demean someone, you're being mean.
When you demoralize someone, are you being moral?

Posted by Chamberlain at 12:06 PM

The situation is irreparable and irrevocable

irreparable and irrevocable are strange words. Their root words are "repair" and "revoke", respectively. Somehow, add...
Dissimilarity

dissimilar = not similar dispirited = not spirited How come there are two 's' in dissimilar and only one in dispirited? other d...
Adjectively: adjectives that end with Ly

Some adjectives that end with Ly are also adverbs, but not all. heavenly miserly beastly costly cowardly deadly friendly likely ...
Demeaning

When you demean someone, you're being mean. When you demoralize someone, are you being moral?
Non-negative prefixes

The prefix "in", "im", "dis", and "de" usually negate a word, but not necessarily synonyms: flamm...
Words that are both adjectives and adverbs

(a.k.a. adjerbs) Ending with Ly early slovenly gingerly hourly daily weekly monthly yearly quarterly timely Not Ending wi...
mismisnomers

If nomer is not a word, then the opposite of misnomer should be mismisnomer. Likewise, the opposite of dishevelled is disdishevelled ...
Pronunciation twisters

Some phrases that show pronunciation inconsistencies in English: avarice for rice charred character charisma chassis in stasis chore...
massage sabotage

action: massage male practioner: masseur female practioner: masseuse action: sabotage male practioner: saboteur female practioner: wh...

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