Fun Facts About the English Language

Reading comprehension

 Pre-Reading Tasks.

1. Discussion Questions:

   - What languages do you know or are learning? Why did you choose them?

   - Can you think of any English words that might come from other languages?

2. Vocabulary Preview:

   - Vocabulary Words: vocabulary, influence, official, inconsistent, lung disease, borrowed, palindrome, anagram, unchanged.

   - Match the words with their meanings:

     1. Vocabulary

     2. Influence

     3. Official

     4. Inconsistent

     5. Lung Disease

     6. Borrowed

     7. Palindrome

     8. Anagram

     9. Unchanged

     A. A medical condition affecting the lungs

     B. Not staying the same throughout

     C. Words used in a language

     D. Staying the same over time

     E. Having formal authority

     F. Taken from another source

     G. The ability to affect something

     H. A word that reads the same backward and forward

     I. A word formed by rearranging the letters of another word

Reading Text

Fun Facts About the English Language

1. Largest Vocabulary. Did you know that English has one of the largest vocabularies of any language? It has over a million words, and new words are always being added, especially with new technology and social media.

2. Shakespeare’s Influence. William Shakespeare invented over 1,700 words that we still use today, like "bedroom," "fashionable," and "lonely." He also popularized phrases like "break the ice" and "heart of gold."

3. Global Reach. English is the official language of the skies. All pilots must speak English when communicating with international flights, making it essential for global travel.

4. Unique Spelling Rules. English spelling can be tricky and inconsistent. There is a playful word "ghoti," which uses sounds from "enough," "women," and "nation" to spell "fish." This shows how quirky English can be.

5. Longest Word. The longest word in English is "pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis," a type of lung disease. It's a very long word and shows how complex English can be!

6. Most Borrowed Words. English borrows many words from other languages. Words like "café" from French, "tsunami" from Japanese, and "yoga" from Sanskrit show how English absorbs words from other cultures.

7. Palindromes and Ambigrams. Some words are palindromes, which means they read the same backward and forward, like "racecar" and "level." Ambigrams are words that look the same when rotated 180 degrees, though they’re rare in English.

8. Oxford Comma Debate. The Oxford comma is a comma before the word 'and' in a list. Some people love it for clarity, while others think it’s unnecessary. This shows how English is always changing.

9. Wordplay with Anagrams. An anagram is a word or phrase made by rearranging the letters of another word, like how "listen" can become "silent."

10. Oldest Words. Some of the oldest words in English, like "I," "we," "two," and "three," have stayed the same for thousands of years. They connect us to ancient civilizations.

Comprehension Tasks

1. True or False

   - English has one of the smallest vocabularies of any language. (False)

   - Shakespeare invented over 1,700 words we still use today. (True)

   - All pilots must speak French when communicating with international flights. (False)

   - The word "ghoti" uses sounds from "enough," "women," and "nation" to spell "fish." (True)

   - The Oxford comma is used before the word 'and' in a list. (True)

2. Short Answer Questions

   - How many words does English have?

   - Who invented over 1,700 words that we still use today?

   - What is the longest word in English mentioned in the text?

   - Give an example of a borrowed word from another language.

   - What is an anagram? Give an example.

3. Matching

   - Match the words with their descriptions:

     - Shakespeare: Invented over 1,700 words

     - Oxford comma: Used before 'and' in a list

     - Palindrome: Reads the same backward and forward

     - Borrowed word: Taken from another language

     - Longest word: Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis

Post-Reading Tasks

1. Group Discussion

   - Why do you think English borrows so many words from other languages?

   - Do you use any words in your language that come from English?

2. Creative Task

   - Create your own anagram from the word "student."

   - Write a short story using at least five borrowed words from other languages.