The 20 Strangest Sentences in the English Language

English can be confusing and this 20 sentences show just how confusing the language can be. The English language is incredibly confusing and undeniably complex. Anyone who has studied more than one language can attest that English is not the easiest to understand at times and these strange sentences are proof that words can

(*20*) will also be confusing — and this 20 sentences display simply how confusing the language can be.

The (*20*) language is amazingly confusing and undeniably complicated. Anyone who has studied a couple of language can attest that (*20*) is not the very best to know from time to time — and these unusual sentences are evidence that phrases can take on different meanings depending on simple things like commas, words with more than one meanings, and which phrase is emphasised. Just ask anyone who is trying to be informed the (*20*) language for the first time. 

However, that also is why (*20*) is the coolest and craziest language at the same time. 

1. I never said she stole my cash.

This amusing sentence takes on seven different meanings depending on which word is emphasized: 

[I] never stated she stole my money. — Someone else said it. 

I [never] stated she stole my money. — I did not say it. 

I by no means [mentioned] she stole my cash. — I handiest implied it. 

I by no means mentioned [she] stole my money. — I stated somebody did, now not essentially her. 

I never said she [stole] my money. — I considered it borrowed. 

I never said she stole [my] money. — Only that she stole money,  not necessarily my own. 

I by no means mentioned she stole my [money]. — She stole something of mine, not my cash. 

While this trick works for a variety of different sentences as well, this one’s short and simple to understand. 

2. All the faith he had had had had no effect on the end result of his lifestyles.

While it should look like anyone copied “had” and pressed the paste button a few too repeatedly, that is in fact an instance of what occurs when the previous absolute best tense will get used back-to-back. The first and third “hads” are the auxiliary verbs, while the second and fourth ones are the major verbs. Stylistically talking, the sentence would probably be much less confusing if written, “He had had a lot of religion, but it had had no effect on the end result of his lifestyles,” however what a laugh is that? 

3. The complex homes married and unmarried soldiers and their households.

Source: istock

The fun factor about this sentence is that “complex,” “homes,” and “married” can all serve as different portions of speech. We robotically have a tendency to think that “houses” is a noun, “complex” is an adjective, and “married” is a verb, but when you realize that “advanced” is a housing complicated and that infantrymen who're married are staying there, things make a lot more sense. 

4. The horse raced past the barn fell.

You don’t really recognize little phrases like “who,” “which,” or “that” till you come across a sentence like this one. The headache you’re experiencing trying to determine this out is due to the presence of a reductive relative clause, which may also be noticed in sentences like, “The music heard on the radio was gorgeous,” instead of, “The music that was heard on the radio was once beautiful.” All we need to do to make this a bit of extra simple is trade the first a part of the sentence: “The horse that was raced past the barn fell.” 

5. A coarse-coated, dough-faced, considerate ploughman strode through the streets of Scarborough; after falling right into a slough, he coughed and hiccoughed

The letter combination “-ough” has nine conceivable pronunciations in (*20*) (relying on regional dialect), and this delightful sentence comprises all of them: “uff,” “oh,” “auh,” “ow,” “uh,” “oo,” “off,” and “uhp.” How’s that for a tongue-twister? 

6. Pack my field with 5 dozen liquor jugs.

Source: istock

It’s no longer just required baggage for surviving the weekend at the in-laws’ house--- this sentence accommodates each unmarried letter of the alphabet, whilst using the smallest choice of letters to do so. Go ahead and test; they’re all there. 

7. This exceeding trifling witling, bearing in mind ranting criticizing concerning adopting becoming wording being exhibiting transcending learning, was showing, however ridiculing, surpassing boasting swelling reasoning, respecting correcting erring writing, and touching detecting deceiving arguing all the way through debating.

Ending a phrase with “ing” could make it a noun, verb, or adjective, relying on how you utilize it. This sentence, found in a 19th century grammar book, explores just how far we can take the flexible “ing” if we put our minds to it. If you are taking the time to in reality dissect this sentence, it’s not as crazy because it to start with seems: "This very superficial grammatist, supposing empty criticism about the adoption of proper phraseology to be a show of extraordinary erudition, was displaying, in spite of ridicule, a very boastful turgid argument concerning the correction of false syntax, and about the detection of false logic in debate." Well, I assume it’s simply moderately less confusing. 

8. A woman without her guy is nothing.

This has made the rounds on the internet for a while now, but it’s still an enchanting have a look at how punctuation can totally alternate the meaning of a sentence. As the story is going, a professor advised his class to as it should be punctuate the sentence. The males in the lecture room wrote, “A lady, without her man, is nothing.” The ladies in the elegance wrote, “A girl: without her, guy is not anything.” With only a simple alternate in punctuation, the complete which means of the sentence used to be modified in an instant. 

9. “I have no idea where circle of relatives doctors acquired illegibly perplexing handwriting; nevertheless, unusual pharmaceutical intellectuality, counterbalancing indecipherability, transcendentalizes intercommunications’ incomprehensibleness.”

Source: istock

Author and leisure linguist Dmitri Borgmann came up with this sentence, in which every word is precisely one letter longer than the one earlier than it. The sentence contains twenty phrases, and even supposing it’s a bit of complicated to read, if you're taking the time to research it, you’ll realize that it in truth makes entire sense. 

10. “I see,” said the blind man as he picked up the hammer and noticed.

This sentence plays off the indisputable fact that ‘noticed’ is both a noun and the past anxious of the verb ‘to peer.’ It could mean that the hammer allowed the blind man to regain his eyesight, or that he uttered the word whilst selecting up two equipment. 

11. Read rhymes with lead, and browse rhymes with lead, however learn and lead don’t rhyme, and neither do read and lead.

Isn’t it complicated when one phrase has two other pronunciations? For this (totally true) sentence to make sense, check out studying it like this: “Reed rhymes with leed, and purple rhymes with led, however reed and led don’t rhyme, and neither do pink and leed.” 

12. The outdated guy the boats.

Source: istock

It seems like something an excessively inebriated sailor might say, but this sentence actually isn’t lacking a verb. In this case, the phrase ‘man’ is a verb meaning to take one’s place for service, and ‘outdated’ is used to imply a collective crew of previous other folks 

13. You have just begun studying the sentence you've gotten just finished studying.

This choice of words is a simple one, but its sole objective is to take you on a chronological journey of phrases while making you uncomfortably self-aware. I think like this belongs someplace in The Matrix. 

14. Time flies like an arrow, but fruit flies like a banana.

Is there a new breed of insect referred to as a Time Fly that enjoys arrows? Or does fruit have the skill to leap as bananas do? 

15. One morning, I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he were given into my pajamas, I’ll never know.

Source: istock

Groucho Marx got here up with this witty comic story, and whilst it may well be dishonest since it calls for two sentences for the humor to come back via, the first sentence is the one we want to be aware of. The modifier ‘in my pajamas’ is thought to mean that the topic was in his pjs when he shot an elephant, but when Groucho clarifies himself, we be informed that the reality is in reality much more ordinary. This is a smart instance of how a sentence can utterly trade its meaning in response to how we group the phrases in combination in our thoughts. 

16. When I let you know select up the left rock, it will be the right one, after which best the right rock will probably be left.

If you imagine a scenario in which you may have a rock to either side of you, this sentence makes absolute best sense. The first example of ‘left’ and the second instance of ‘proper’ point out the location of the rocks. The first example of ‘right’ approach ‘correct,’ and the second instance of ‘left’ is speaking about the rock that is still. 

17. Will Will Smith smith? / Will Smith will smith.

As it turns out, the well-known actor and rapper’s name is made up of 2 verbs. The first imaginable mixture asks if the Fresh Prince goes to soak up forging armor as a interest, while the 2nd one affirms it. 

18. I chopped a tree down, and then I chopped it up.

Source: istock

Ah, the magic of phrasal verbs. To a non-native (*20*) speaker, “to cut down” and “to cut up” look like they'd be direct opposites (and may encourage some fascinating mental photographs). Those who actually know the language are aware that chopping one thing down method to hack at it till it falls, whilst slicing it up means to cut it into smaller items. 

19. Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.

Noam Chomsky got here up with this grammatically right kind, however nonsensical sentence in order to end up that syntax and semantics are two very distinct things. You’d almost certainly by no means hear those words spoken in this order in precise conversation, but all of the words are used appropriately. This attention-grabbing video makes use of this strategy to display us how (*20*) sounds to those who don’t speak the language--- it sounds adore it is smart as a result of the construction is the identical as what we’re used to, however because the words would never be found in that order, we don’t understand what’s being mentioned. 

20. Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

This is a fully grammatically proper sentence, and it makes a bit of more sense whilst you be told that ‘buffalo’ is not only an animal and a city in New York, but also a verb which means ‘to bully or intimidate.’ If you still can’t wrap your brain round it, here’s an explanation: Buffalo buffalo (bison from Buffalo NY) [that] Buffalo buffalo buffalo (that the bison from Buffalo NY bully) buffalo Buffalo buffalo (are bullying bison from Buffalo NY). 

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