English has the annoying habit of taking words from other languages and twisting their meaning, usually in a subtle but drastic way. As a result, if you actually speak any of those languages, you can’t rely on this knowledge to make any assumptions about the English clone.
French is a frequent victim of this kind of word plunder. When a totally boring and mundane French word pops up in English, it suddenly takes on an intellectual and pretentious allure.
| word |
simple meaning in French |
new meaning in English |
| facile |
easy |
overly easy, superficial |
| noir |
black, dark |
characterized by a bleak urban gangster setting, cynical characters and contrasty lighting |
| auteur |
author, writer |
a filmmaker who has creative control over their movies |
| soirée |
evening, night |
a fancy social gathering at a private residence |
| chauffeur |
driver |
a person hired to drive a privately owned car |
| chaise |
chair |
a long chair for reclining |
July 4, 2009 | 3 comments
In English, the spelling patterns ei and ie can both represent an "ee" sound. So how do you know which one to use? For decades, English teachers have repeated the adage, ‘When the sound is "ee", it’s I before E, except after C.’
But oops, that’s not quite true. You also have to memorize the following list of exceptions:
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June 20, 2009 | 3 comments
Say that ten times fast. 
Ed had edited it. Ed had edited it. Ed had edited it…
June 13, 2009 | no comments
The late American comedian George Carlin ranked motherf*cker in the top 7 most obscene words of the English language. Along with its derivative, motherf*cking, it’s become a trademark for actors like Samuel L. Jackson who portray aggressive badasses.
Of course, when a TV edit comes out, interesting changes suddenly happen:
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May 25, 2009 | 2 comments
Be careful. Some English words and phrases can mean the exact opposite of themselves!
anxious
- worried, nervous, full of dread for — I’m so anxious about the economy!
- eager, looking forward, full of excitement for — I’m so anxious for spring!
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May 19, 2009 | 4 comments
For a long time, I’ve had trouble spelling English words that end in -ought and -aught.
So I made a big list. Most of these words are past participles.
-ought
- buy > bought
- bring > brought
- fight > fought
- seek > sought
- think > thought
- work > wrought†
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May 8, 2009 | 3 comments
