Why English Makes No Sense (And Fun Tricks to Master It )

All Geese and No Meese !

| Credit: Freepik |

English isn’t my mother tongue. However, it’s been my primary language in school since day one. I even learned to write my name in English before I could do so in my native language. As a kid, I was constantly puzzled by all the exceptions.

Thankfully, my mom taught me some easy tricks to remember the exceptions of English, turning these confusing rules into fun stories. This made studying them super easy—and even enjoyable.

Photo by Alexandra Fuller on Unsplash

But seriously, why is “read” pronounced differently depending on whether it’s past or present?

Here’s a fun way to remember: Society always judges “read” based on its past, so they call it “red” (like the color) when it’s in the past tense.

And why do we *drive* on a *parkway* but *park* in a driveway? I think English was designed to confuse us all. That’s why I’ve come up with some tricks to help you navigate this chaotic language.

The Crazy World of Homophones

Let’s start with homophones—the words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings.

For example, *there*, *their*, and *they’re* are like the mischievous triplets of the English language—they are similar, but each with a personality that’s just different enough to trip you up. And then there’s *too*, *two*, and *to*.

Trick : The key to mastering these is context. Train your brain to recognize the scenario in which each word makes sense. For example, “their” is always possessive, while “they’re” is a contraction of “they are.” Got it?

Practice makes perfect—or at least lets you make fewer mistakes!

Photo by Marie-Michèle Bouchard on Unsplash | "There"|

The Plural Family

Plurals—the bane of many English learners. While adding an “s” or “es” seems straightforward, English has to throw in some curveballs anyway.

Why is the plural of *goose* *geese*, but the plural of *moose* is still *moose*? And don’t forget that *cactus* becomes *cacti*—because why stick to one rule when you can have three?

Trick: Memorization is your best friend here. Keep a list of irregular plurals handy, and here’s an easy way to do that:

Goose → Geese : This form uses a vowel change rather than an ending. Remember: Goose is wealthy, so she purchased “ee” and swapped out the “oo.”

Mouse → Mice : Like Goose, Mouse is wealthy and follows the same path.

Tooth → Teeth : Teeth are like a gang—they stick together, so they double up on vowels.

Ox → Oxen : Now, consider that Ox is poor. So instead of buying extra “ee,” he picked up some “en” at cheap and became Oxen.

Photo by Ave Calvar on Unsplash

The Spelling Madness

English spelling is its own brand of madness. Consider *knight* and *night*—one fights dragons, the latter brings darkness.

But who decided we needed a silent “k” in there? And don’t even get me started on *colonel*, pronounced “kernel.” Apparently, English decided to mix things up just for fun.

Trick: The more you see exceptions like these, the more likely you are to remember their spellings. Just think of the silent “k” as a knight who lost his voice after too many battles!

Photo by Oleg Moroz on Unsplash

Embrace the Madness

So, what do we understand from this? English is a beautifully bizarre language that refuses to play by the rules.

It’s a bit of a mess, but that’s part of its charm. With a few tricks and a sense of humor, you’ll be navigating this language like a pro.

Got any other exceptions in English you’re curious about? Drop a comment below, and let’s tackle them together in a fun way.

Photo by Hannah Tasker on Unsplash

Jokes apart, if you really want to know the actual reason for these exceptions in english, I have attached links that explain the reasons.

The part that you try to skip :

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