English is perhaps the first or second (with the Chinese) most-used language in the world nowadays for many purposes. A lot of schools teaching English as a second language (ESL) survive in many areas for the non-English who want to study it. A portion of the normal curriculum are vocabulary quizzes on English words that become more complex as the lessons go on, especially with the countless exemptions to the norms and different regulations that apply to syntax, spelling, figures of speech and many other articles specific to the tongue. And once in a while the rules get somewhat contradictory.
There was a joke once upon a time on what kind of animal is a ghoce. No one can tell. Then the right reply given was fish, which did go this manner: the gh is f’ from enough (pronounced enuf); i is o from women (wimmen) and the ce is sh from malice (maliz). Hence the word fish may also be spelled ghoce if we follow the English way of articulation from this lone example; and there are many, actually. This is one cause why English is not an easy language to study.
A different basis is that English originated from many languages. There are English terms and root words that were from Latin, Scotch, Greek, French, Irish, Spanish, Germanic and very many more, even Sanskrit and aborigine. The ratios of adaptation are naturally in wide differences, not considering even the differences in terms of districts, lands and peoples. What is right for one derivation language might be incorrect for another in many instances, so it can get to be very confusing at times. Open up any big dictionary and read the opening pages and you will see how English came about as a modern language.
The third reason is continental dissimilarities. In World War II an American bomber fell near an island in the Pacific so the crew was able to swim ashore. There they were met by a crowd led by a big Polynesian. The pilot asked him, Do you speak English? The Polynesian replied, No. Aghast, the pilot queried again, But you speak American? For which the smiling retort was, Oh yes, and rather good at it, too. British and American English have certain essential variations. In England, to state some, the American apartment will be flat, and the elevator will be a lift. The color is French colour and the center will move the latter e to the ultimate position.
Next is that many English words have many definitions even if of a lone spelling. Take the word great, for example. It means diversely as wide, large, big, numerous, significant, important, powerful, influential, eminent, well-known, genealogic, enthusiastic, chief, principal, skillful and even pregnant as in ‘great with child’. If you are just trying to know the language, how would you define each of them in a lone word? Until you become well-versed in English, you would not be able to.
English is a great language: vibrant, adaptable and masculine. It is the tongue of business and worldwide deals. And it is not an easy language to master.