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Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsA Tough Question
If con is the opposite of pro, then isnt Congress the opposite of progress? Jon Stewart
dubyadiprecession
(5,737 posts)-George Carlin
syringis
(5,101 posts)Good one
The answer forbids logic
PJMcK
(22,067 posts)Why do we park in driveways and drive on parkways?
Why do "read" and "read" have different tenses?
Why do people say "scan" when they mean "skim" and vice versa?
Strange.
We have a few nice ones in French too
"Les poules du couvent couvent"
A typical one which gave countless headaches to the foreigners learning French.
Pronunciation and meaning are not the same .
1st one : noun "couvent" (convent)
2nd : verb "couver" (to hatch) conjugated, 3rd person plural. It is pronunced "couve". "nt" is silent.
English conjugation is much more simple.
No need to say how painful it can be in French, especially for verbs of the 3rd group. Is it needed to talk about different tenses ??
An example : "vivre" (living)
PJMcK
(22,067 posts)Thanks, syringis!
syringis
(5,101 posts)Another one :
"La couturière a des problèmes avec ses fils" 2 possibilities depending on the context :
1- the dressmaker has trouble with her sons. In this case, "fils" is pronounced "fiss", "l" is silent.
2- the dressmaker has trouble with the wire. "Fils" is the plural of "fil" (wire) it is pronounced "fil", generally, the "s" to form the plural, is silent.
Wounded Bear
(58,765 posts)but when it goes by train it's a "ship-ment?"
Caliman73
(11,760 posts)Why is it that you can prick your finger, but if you finger your prick its a bad thing?
yagotme
(3,018 posts)and you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friend's nose.
Capitalization also makes a big difference. Like, when I helped my Uncle Jack off a horse...