You read that sentence rightit reads buffalo eight times. Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.-Sren Kierkegaard, 12. One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. Try another search, and we'll give it our best shot. You see, buffalo is a noun that refers to the large, shaggy-maned North American bison, a city in upstate New York, and a verb that means, to intimidate. First devised by professor William J. Rapaport in 1972, this notorious sentence plays on reduced relative clauses, different part-of-speech readings of the same word, and center embedding. Top 80 of the best weird quotes about real life. Tongue twisters are typically alliterative. I expected as much. Why it's smart-sounding: It suggests that the current market . In this one, we think we've reached the main verb when we get to "raced," but instead we are still inside a reduced relative clause. In English, we can typically put one clause inside of another without any problem. Here is a collection of such funny, nonsensical quotes and sayings. Here are some of the most common one-liners that make no sense at all. Did you know using quotes in your presentations or meetings has a benefit beyond simply filling that extra slide you didnt know what to do with? I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because, uh, some, uh, people out there in our nation don't have maps and, uh, I believe that our education like such as in South Africa and, uh, the Iraq, everywhere like such as, and, I believe that they . Common sense is like a deodorant. The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function. -F. Scott Fitzgerald. I tried being normal. A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song. -Maya Angelou, 19. You look like you might die of french fries, senora. "It's not that I'm so smart. there was never meant to be clarity." - Charles Bukowski "So weenybeenyveenyteeny." - James Joyce "Take life seriously but none of the people in it." - Kurt Vonnegut r/AskReddit is the place to ask and answer thought-provoking questions. You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. We can take the man studies Rome and add a bunch of additional information between the noun and the verb. 13. This is a ghost story, not because it involves a haunted house, but because it contains a different kind of haunting: a linguistic poltergeist. 12. The first sentence can be read in two distinct ways: A) The man shot an elephant while he was wearing his pajamas or B) The man shot an elephant that was wearing his pajamas. This sentence is what we know as tongue twisters or difficult-to-pronounce sentences. Actions may speak louder than words, but some words speak louder than others. Sometimes the questions are complicated, and the answers are simple. -Dr. Seuss, 7. And you can settle on the one you desire to communicate your message effectively. A pit in a peach is worth six in a bucket., Theres never enough time to chew all the ice.. Fact checked:Content is rigorously reviewed by a team of qualified and experienced fact checkers. In actuality, complex is the noun, houses is the verb, and married is the adjective. Are there any other convoluted, unnecessarily bizarre sentences that exist in the English language? Happiness never decreases by being shared. -Buddha, 4. You don't need cocaine in order to stay young. Wait, fruit can fly? Free and premium plans, Operations software. The first use of had. It was the worst two minutes of my life. It's a verb (meaning "to intimidate")! But what I think is really obvious obviously isn't obvious. In the second part, "flies" is a noun: it denotes a plural form of flying insects. Live for the nights you'll never remember with the. I construct houses out of legs, but my fingernails ache still. But this is just the beginning. Entertaining and motivating original stories to help move your visions forward. And show us how dynamic the English language can be. What's a sentence that sounds intelligent but really makes no sense at Brain damage caused by a severe head injury, a tumor, an infection or a degenerative process also can cause . The English language can be so confusing. 125 Questions that make no sense (Funny but you find them very deep and There is no such thing as a stupid question, only stupid people. Want to sound more confident? Avoid these 11 words and phrases - CNBC Confusing Sentences That Actually Make Sense - Grammarly There are two possible meanings of the first sentence One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas: I shot an elephant in the morning while wearing pajamas, I shot an elephant who was wearing my pajamas. Fruit flies like a banana, that is, fruit flies (insects) like bananas. Pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism an inherited thyroid disorder, 57. Take life seriously, but none of the people in it. If it was good enough for Irish workers during the 18th century, it's good enough for you. Chomsky & Miller (1963); 5. Wow. With savage quotes for girls or boys, you will always have something to boost your ego and give you the confidence you yearn for. Without it, we would have this: I know, English is already hard enough. 4. More commonly used big words are several syllables long, and often make people feel smart when they say them out loud. What's a really smart sounding sentence or paragraph that doesn't make any sense? Copyright 2022 GrammarBrain All rights reserved , 1. Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana. To put it bluntly, what the hell? Privacy Policy. It doesn't seem so complicated once you realize it means, "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.". It usually melts away before you can crack your teeth good. Buffalo! PresentationLoad CEO Tom Becker-Schweitzer says, The brain automatically links our existing experience with other experiences, thus actively engaging the brain with new content. But as strange as this sentence might sound, it is actually grammatically correct. How he got into my . The first use of had had is a modifier, and the second instance serves as the main verb of the sentence. My name is-A CHICKEN I DON'T BELIEVE IT!!!!!!!! There are three meanings of the word buffalo used here: I suppose the buffalo in Buffalo caused me to do some real thinking. We see them the way we are. -Talmud, 23. You cant live long enough to make them all yourself. -Eleanor Roosevelt, 28. more pictures of the baby ducks and updates on the names. The above sentence is a garden-path sentence. Lots of totally random stuff. By. It feels like were walking towards Cleveland with this one.. Garden-path sentences are sentences that deliberately being in a confusing way, leading the reader to misinterpret their meaning. Its also a pretty prime example of how homonyms (words that share spelling and pronunciation but have different meanings) can really confuse things. -. 1) "It makes no/little sense to do smth" - it is not reasonable to do smth. Make a garden path sentence. Whoever is listening to you or reading what you've written knows that it's . Cookie Notice The author of a 19th century grammar guide lamented the fact that one could "run to great excess" in the use of ing participles "without violating any rule of our common grammars," and constructed this sentence to prove it. The universe is under no obligation to make sense to you. I believe there would be many people alive today if there were a death penalty. Behoove something that is a personal duty. If you incorporate a captivating quote with a powerful image in your presentation, your audience will make connections automatically.. and our Reduced relative clauses let us say, "the speech given this morning" instead of "the speech that was given this morning" or, in this case "the horse raced past the barn" instead of "the horse that was raced past the barn.". I did not trip and fall. This famous joke from Groucho Marx assumes that most people expect the structure of the first part to be. Here's a list of some of the words and phrases in the English language that have never made any sense and never will. Anagnorisis the moment in a story when the main character realizes something that leads to a resolution, 10. The first and second part of the sentence talks about different things. See pricing, Marketing automation software. Aphasia - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic It doesn't make sense to dwell on things you can't do anything about. Life without liberty is like a body without a spirit. As a copy editor, my task is to correct mistakes in grammar and style. The brilliant performance he had had had had no effect on the performance of the team, 4. buffalo: a verb meaning "to bully" or "to harass.". You have heard these quotes so much that you just accept them as truth. It doesn't make sense to dwell on things you can't do anything about. When will you stop eating so that you can stop living? The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits. Its redder than a blueberry riding a giraffe. 6 sentences that literally make no sense but are still correct. Snacks are really just a filler for pillows. Its just that I stay with problems longer. -Albert Einstein, 13. Readers are immediately confused upon reading that the complex houses married, interpreting married as the verb. HubSpot uses the information you provide to us to contact you about our relevant content, products, and services. -Albert Einstein, 9. The plural of ox is oxen while the plural of box is boxes, rough rhymes with gruff even though the two words only have two letters in common, and there are actually more than nine hundred exceptions to the infamous i before e except after c rule. Though grammatically correct, the readers initial interpretation of the sentence may be nonsensical. "The two most important days of your life are the day that you're born and the day that you find out why." -Mark Twain. But it seems that Carly Rae Jepsens song has filled up the internet with memes and parodies. Do what really matters to you in life. No emotional attitude is shown. I don't mean to brag, but I put together a puzzle in 1 day, and the box stayed 2-4 years. Books say: She did this because. Fascinating, isnt it? As right as rain Im not surprised some people prefer books. -Julian Barnes, 3. One morning [I shot] [an elephant in my pajamas]. This sentence makes strategic use of the past perfect, two times. This is important, more so, when dealing with haters. Make sure to wipe off your shoes on the dog, but not the cat. Most people interpret the sentence the first way and are subsequently startled to read the second part of the joke. "Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated." -Confucius. I was feeling under the weather ." 2. Oxford Dictionaries defines this meaning of sense as. Saxicolous something that lives on rocks, 63. You cant trade shoes with a barefoot monkey.. They say marriages are made in heaven. Its not that Im so smart. Copyright 2023 The Daily Californian, The Independent Berkeley Student Publishing Co., Inc. All rights reserved. Dalia has featured articles on Forbes, Inc, Fast Company, Grammarly, and many more. We've discussed the notorious buffalo sentence before, but it never stops being fun. You can use badass savage quotes to bring out the vibe. English sentences that don't make sense | Lingoda This sentence is relatively easier to unravel with a fair understanding of sentence structures. Privacy Policy. 10. Groucho Marx; 2. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. The above sentence uses what linguists call center embedding. I thought it would fun to take a look today at some stupid quotes that make no sense. Either marriage is a destiny, I believe, or there is no sense in it at all, it's a piece of humbug. Big Words (B-C) 12. Simply press one of the generation buttons below. Stand out from your peers by spicing up your speech with these archaic words, briefly defined and used in UC Berkeley-related example sentences. Euouae a medieval musical term; the longest word in a major dictionary entirely composed of vowels, 37. Feeling under the weather Despite what it says, this phrase has nothing to do with the weather. A ship-shipping ship ships shipping-ships, 3. Ah, the difference a comma makes in this sentence. 50+ best African proverbs about life, hard times, and death. Updated: William Rapaport; 7. It makes no sense | WordReference Forums Oops! We usually have no problem putting one clause inside another in English. Remember, sometimes, a big word works better. And as I have seen from your reply, no judgment on the correctness of the sentence is made. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Thats about as political as were going to get on this website. Books are where things are explained to you; life is where things arent. Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana, Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. After that it was killed by a cat. In simple words, it means using a phrase within another phrase. 7. -Albert Einstein, 5. Life gives the test first and then the lesson. Sometimes I'm confused by what I think is really obvious. This is an example of a garden-path sentence, which is a sentence that starts in a way such that a readers most likely interpretation will be incorrect; the reader is lured into a dead end. 130+ Literature Trivia Questions ForBookworms, 250+ Cool Short Words To EnhanceVocabulary, 10 Twisty, Surprising Books Unlike Anything Youve ReadBefore, Youre Going To Feel Stupid For Not Realizing These 30 ThingsSooner. I'm not superstitious, but I can be a bit stitious at times. 7 Sentences That Sound Crazy But Are Still Grammatical Consanguineous of the same blood or same ancestor, 21. (The chicken eats corn) My feet gallop along the race track, the ice frozen in my eyebrows. The two instances of "had had" play different grammatical roles in the sentencesthe first is a modifier while the second is the main verb of the sentence. In a professional setting, you need those automatic connections to move your audience to action. Loss of blood to the brain leads to brain cell death or damage in areas that control language. This is where the loopholes and tricky trickeries of the English language come into play. Many people make the mistake of using corporate phrases in natural conversation because they believe it sounds smart. It is never too late to be who you might have been. Well, these are the weird and confusing quotes that make no sense at all. 11. Quotes, in general, can have a positive impact on your life. "Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new." 14. Time genuinely flies in a fashion similar to that of anarrow, but the second instance of flies is an actual group of insects. The biggest word in the English language is 189,819 letters long, and takes three hours to pronounce! I was going to take on the world today, but I overslept again. Anachronistic a story that didnt actually happen, 5. Tat makes no sense" "The exception that proves the rule. The first independent clause is there to deceive the reader. Learn more. I'm sick of following my dreams, man. Read the directions, and directly you will be directed in the right direction. Every girl is beautiful. #random This is a ghost story about ghost stories. Each noun corresponds to a verb (the man studies, the student has). What are more examples of strange sentences that are confusing? Free and premium plans, Customer service software. Dalia Y.: Dalia is an English Major and linguistics expert with an additional degree in Psychology. Robust, real-time communication assistance, Write, rewrite, get ideas, and quickly reply with GrammarlyGO, Features to polish, grammar, tone, clarity, team consistency, and more, Writing assistance on 500,000+ apps and sites across your devices, For desktop apps and websites like Word and Gmail, For sites like Google Docs, Gmail, and LinkedIn, Check for grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes, Format citations in APA, MLA, and Chicago. War is God's way of teaching Americans geography. 1. But so is thunder and lightning. Check out this post of 70 motivational quotes, these quotes by great female leaders, and this list of motivational songs to get you pumped to present. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(53, '1a96cc63-82e2-4f95-ae03-6c4d281e0e91', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); Get expert sales tips straight to your inbox, and become a better seller. You may unsubscribe from these communications at any time. Squirrelled put away; the longest one-syllable word in the English language, 67. The people who need it most never use it. I write because I dont know what I think until I read what I say. -Flannery OConnor, 27. Desideratum something needed or wanted, 28. Dumbness is the deliberate cultivation of ignorance. The rat the cat killed ate the malt (refers to the rat in relation to what the cat did to it), The rat the cat the dog chased killed (the dog chased the cat, the cat killed the rat) ate the malt. Writing, grammar, and communication tips for your inbox. 8. Read world-renowned marketing content to help grow your audience, Read best practices and examples of how to sell smarter, Read expert tips on how to build a customer-first organization, Read tips and tutorials on how to build better websites, Get the latest business and tech news in five minutes or less, Learn everything you need to know about HubSpot and our products, Stay on top of the latest marketing trends and tips, Join us as we brainstorm new business ideas based on current market trends. August 10, 2012 12:00 pm. No, it doesn't. If it's an exception, then you have just disproven it!" "Keep crying or I will give you something to cry about could never get my head around it. One morning [I shot an elephant] [in my pajamas]. "Yeah but the corporations and the conglomerate societal impact of the cranial quantum physical examination of the human mind is fuckin dumb dude LOL". I attacked the floor, and I believe I am winning. One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. Sources of sentences: 1. The above quotes that make no sense are quite funny, and they can make you laugh. You don't need to actual phrases to sound smart. However, the more information that is added, the harder it is to interpret the sentence. Time flies like an arrow, that is, time goes fast. #everything I own the world, cause i'm a big deal. Our hearts make no sense. Your conflict is my new years resolution. Telling a pal "your leather shoes are boss" makes you sound like a frat dude. Here are five more of them: The photographic memory he had had had had no effect on how well he did on his chemistry midterm. Cwtch from the Welsh word for hiding place; the longest word in English to be entirely composed of consonants, 24. Complex Sentence Generator - Paraphrase Sentences By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Nurture and grow your business with customer relationship management software. Subscribe to the Sales Blog below. The sentence relies on a double use of the past perfect. Get the news that matters from one of the leading news sites in Kenya, East Pokot Residents Have No Share in Our Gov't, Rigathi Gachagua Declares, Pretty Teacher Squares off with Her Student in TikTok Dance Challenge, Peeps Declare Winner, Zari Hassan Shows Off Sleek Chrysler, Mercedes Benz Outside Her Lavish 2-Storey House: "Home Sweet Home", Man Shares Picture of Rotten Food, Says He Needs a Girlfriend to Take Care of Him, Loise Kim Says Sister Lost a Lot of Blood, Had Cardiac Arrest Before She Died, 100+ cutest couple Instagram names ideas that are so cool, Who is Adam Lambert's partner? Instead, it's used as a way to say you're sick. 12 Phrases That Sound Smart But Actually Mean Nothing. You know it's a bad day when you jump out of bed and miss the floor. The first and second part of the sentence talks about different things. Lets face it: Sometimes the English language can be downright bizarre. Read More: stupid quotes that make no sense. Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. -Confucius, 14. Privacy Policy. Doing nothing is hard, you never know when you're done. The sentence sounds extremely awkward, but if we had a copy editor named Ed here at the Daily Cal, wed probably hear this sentence in real life. How can houses get married? This famous Groucho Marx joke takes advantage of the fact that the same sentence can often be interpreted in more than one way. Here is a list of sayings that make no sense but are funny: 100 random things to say in a group chat to make members laugh. Go beyond words when generative AI comes to Grammarly. At MemesMonkey.com find thousands of memes categorized into thousands of categories. El pollo come masa. You might need a pencil and paper. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars". The grammar of the sentence is fine. 14. I would like to apologize to anyone whom I haven't offended yet. Here are some big words that you can use to sound smart around your family and friends, along with their meaning so you use them in the correct way: Self-restraining; also the longest word in the English language to use all five vowels in order once, 4. Utterly Bizarre and Confusing Quotes That Will Leave You Baffled A confusing sentence has any of the following features: Despite being grammatically correct, a garden-path sentence begins in a way that an error in interpretation is very likely to happen. If you want your children to listen, try talking softly to someone else. Let's not look at grammar as a cold, harsh mistress. Auspicious signaling a positive future, 12. How can "makes sense" make sense and "nonsense" make no sense? Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars. Bellwether the first sheep in a flock, wearing a bell around its neck. So, in conclusion: English is weird. Here, complex may be interpreted as an adjective and houses may be interpreted as a noun. 20 Sentence that makes no sense Memes ranked in order of popularity and relevancy. Do you see the sky? Circumlocution the act of using too many words. Be the first to get hottest news from our Editor-in-Chief, Check your email and confirm your subscription. This awkward but grammatically correct sentence is a product of what is known as center embedding. had is a modifier, and the second instance serves as the main verb of the sentence. If you want sense, you'll have to make it yourself. Can two men make a woman? We can see the sentence makes perfect sense and is grammatically correct. The persistent specter of fiction creeps into our reality through the language we use to describe it. No one ever loved anyone the way that person wanted to be loved. It's just that I stay with problems longer." -Albert Einstein. 2) "It makes no sense (to me)" - it may also mean "I don't understand it". The bounds of proper English are virtually endlesstest them in your writing today! "I'm sorry I couldn't make it to your party. The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. @laniemeier book character for all you need is love competition! "Shoot for the moon. EXAMPLE: "I like your brogues, bro." Copyright 2023 Walyou. Goold Brown (1851). Every man is a damn fool for at least five minutes every day; wisdom consists in not exceeding the limit. -Elbert Hubbard, 21. "Tit for tat. My feet gallop along the race track, the ice frozen in my eyebrows. If you surrender to the wind, you can ride it. -Toni Morrison, 22. Understand words, phrases, slang terms, and all other variations of the English language. The jackrabbit tap dances at half past pizza time. The truth is that such phrases are off-putting, not to mention unclear. The keyboard swims, gasping for air, it can only be pink though. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Some sentences are short, and some are too long. Supercilious when a person is arrogant, 68. The shoe swallows the horse, which is German for potatoes. Definitely not. There is a time and a place for big words. When you're in love, make sure you really are in love and not just in love with the idea of being in love.