English is a very hard language to teach so I can only imagine how hard it is for the boys to learn! It is a very complicated language.  Did you know that there are more words in the English language than any other comparable language in the world?  According to Oxford Dictionaries, it’s true (or at least probable)

We have many words that sound the exact same but are spelled different and have totally different meanings.  Nose, Knows.  Through, Threw.  Here, Hear.  Aloud, Allowed. This is confusing and I can’t explain why it’s this way because I don’t know!

We also have words that are spelled the exact same but have totally different meanings.  Present.  Means here but it also means gift. Bar. It means a rod but it also means a place to get a drink. Lie. It means to tell a false statement but it also means to rest horizontally.

We have words that mean almost the exact same thing.  Huge, Giant, Enormous.  Boast, Brag. Destroy, Ruin. Clever, Smart.

We have sayings like “give him a hand” with multiple meanings.  That can mean to help someone out, but it can also mean to give applause to someone.

Then we have silent letters like GH.  GH together is almost always silent.  So why put GH in the word?  Through, Thought, Although.

Ever think about the sounds P, B and V?  Well, they sound very similar when you think about it.  To a non-English speaker it is difficult to make these letters sound different.

What about the letter C.  Sometimes it sounds like an S.  Other times it sounds like a K. Success has two C’s in a row and they each make a different sound.  Confusing!

None of this even addresses grammar. I’ve barely touched past, present and future tenses, superlatives or gerunds.  For example, why is the past tense of teach taught and not teached?  I can’t explain why.  And who remembers what a gerund is??

Until trying to teach English to these boys I never gave much thought to how complicated my native tongue is. The conversations and questions that come up in my classes due to the irregularities about the English language are fascinating and really keep me on my toes!

I sure hope I’m helping and not confusing these boys even more!