This lesson has 2 versions. 1) A video version and 2) A written version.
I advise you to watch / listen to the video to hear the correct pronunciation of the important English words. The written version is below the video.
Photo credit: stockimages | FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Fact 1
The longest word in English has 45 letters:
pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis
It is a type of lung disease.
Fact 2
“The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.”
This sentence uses every letter of the alphabet. This type of sentence is called a “pangram”. We often use this sentence to practise handwriting or to test a new pen or keyboard.
Fact 3
“I am.”
This is the shortest complete sentence in the English language. (The verb “to be” is a linking verb. It does not take a direct object.)
Example of correct use with context:
Jane: “Who is hungry?”
Mark: “I am.”
Fact 4
The letter “e” is the most commonly used letter in English. It represents approximately 11% of the language!
Fact 5
The letter “r” is the most commonly used consonant.
The second most commonly used consonant is the letter “t”.
Fact 6
More English words begin with the letter “s” than any other letter of the alphabet.
Fact 7
rhythm /ˈrɪð.əm/
“rhythm” is the longest English word without a real vowel (a, e, i, o or u).
It means: a strong pattern of sounds used in music.
Example:
He plays the drums with good rhythm.
Fact 8
queueing
This is the only English word with 5 consecutive vowels.
“to queue” means to wait in line.
Example:
They are queueing to go into the museum.
There is an alternative spelling with only 4 consecutive vowels:
queuing
Fact 9
There are 7 different ways to pronounce the letters “ough”:
rough /rʌf/
dough /dəʊ/
thought /θɔːt/
plough /plaʊ/
through /θruː/
borough /ˈbʌr.ə/
cough /kɒf/
(I advise you to watch and listen to the video at the top of this article to listen to the pronunciation.)
This is a common cause of confusion for English learners.
Fact 10
Can you think of an English word ending in -mt ?
There is only 1 word:
dreamt /dremt/
(past simple form of dream)
Example:
Last night, Jane dreamt about a new house.
What interesting facts are there in your language?
Tell me in the comments below.
Solo says
24th June 2017 at 5:05 pmHello,
I’m Solo
I’m from Ivory Coast West Africa
I’m a student of literature Arabic.
So I speak Arabic, French English and little of Spanish
Now, I want to keep studying English with you