I didn't know that it actually had the title, "The Chaos," which is apt. Care to try reading it?????
"The Chaos"
Dearest creature in creation,
Study English pronunciation.
I will teach you in my verse
Sounds like corpse, corps, horse, and worse.
I will keep you, Suzy, busy,
Make your head with heat grow dizzy.
Tear in eye, your dress will tear.
So shall I! Oh hear my prayer.
Study English pronunciation.
I will teach you in my verse
Sounds like corpse, corps, horse, and worse.
I will keep you, Suzy, busy,
Make your head with heat grow dizzy.
Tear in eye, your dress will tear.
So shall I! Oh hear my prayer.
Just compare heart, beard, and heard,
Dies and diet, lord and word,
Sword and sward, retain and Britain.
(Mind the latter, how it’s written.)
Now I surely will not plague you
With such words as plaque and ague.
But be careful how you speak:
Say break and steak, but bleak and streak;
Cloven, oven, how and low,
Script, receipt, show, poem, and toe.
Hear me say, devoid of trickery,
Daughter, laughter, and Terpsichore,
Typhoid, measles, topsails, aisles,
Exiles, similes, and reviles;
Scholar, vicar, and cigar,
Solar, mica, war and far;
One, anemone, Balmoral,
Kitchen, lichen, laundry, laurel;
Gertrude, German, wind and mind,
Scene, Melpomene, mankind.
Billet does not rhyme with ballet,
Bouquet, wallet, mallet, chalet.
Blood and flood are not like food,
Nor is mould like should and would.
Viscous, viscount, load and broad,
Toward, to forward, to reward.
And your pronunciation’s OK
When you correctly say croquet,
Rounded, wounded, grieve and sieve,
Friend and fiend, alive and live.
Ivy, privy, famous; clamour
And enamour rhyme with hammer.
River, rival, tomb, bomb, comb,
Doll and roll and some and home.
Stranger does not rhyme with anger,
Neither does devour with clangour.
Souls but foul, haunt but aunt,
Font, front, wont, want, grand, and grant,
Shoes, goes, does. Now first say finger,
And then singer, ginger, linger,
Real, zeal, mauve, gauze, gouge and gauge,
Marriage, foliage, mirage, and age.
Query does not rhyme with very,
Nor does fury sound like bury.
Dost, lost, post and doth, cloth, loth.
Job, nob, bosom, transom, oath.
Though the differences seem little,
We say actual but victual.
Refer does not rhyme with deafer.
Fe0ffer does, and zephyr, heifer.
Mint, pint, senate and sedate;
Dull, bull, and George ate late.
Scenic, Arabic, Pacific,
Science, conscience, scientific.
Liberty, library, heave and heaven,
Rachel, ache, moustache, eleven.
We say hallowed, but allowed,
People, leopard, towed, but vowed.
Mark the differences, moreover,
Between mover, cover, clover;
Leeches, breeches, wise, precise,
Chalice, but police and lice;
Camel, constable, unstable,
Principle, disciple, label.
Petal, panel, and canal,
Wait, surprise, plait, promise, pal.
Worm and storm, chaise, chaos, chair,
Senator, spectator, mayor.
Tour, but our and succour, four.
Gas, alas, and Arkansas.
Sea, idea, Korea, area,
Psalm, Maria, but malaria.
Youth, south, southern, cleanse and clean.
Doctrine, turpentine, marine.
Compare alien with Italian,
Dandelion and battalion.
Sally with ally, yea, ye,
Eye, I, ay, aye, whey, and key.
Say aver, but ever, fever,
Neither, leisure, skein, deceiver.
Heron, granary, canary.
Crevice and device and aerie.
Face, but preface, not efface.
Phlegm, phlegmatic, ass, glass, bass.
Large, but target, gin, give, verging,
Ought, out, joust and scour, scourging.
Ear, but earn and wear and tear
Do not rhyme with here but ere.
Seven is right, but so is even,
Hyphen, roughen, nephew Stephen,
Monkey, donkey, Turk and jerk,
Ask, grasp, wasp, and cork and work.
Pronunciation (think of Psyche!)
Is a paling stout and spikey?
Won’t it make you lose your wits,
Writing groats and saying grits?
It’s a dark abyss or tunnel:
Strewn with stones, stowed, solace, gunwale,
Islington and Isle of Wight,
Housewife, verdict and indict.
Finally, which rhymes with enough,
Though, through, plough, or dough, or cough?
Hiccough has the sound of cup.
My advice is to give up!!!
English Pronunciation by G. Nolst Trenité
(from www.i18nguy.com/chaos.html)
jose perez berroa 2 period 9-5-15
ReplyDeleteIt's very rhyming and depressing and if I'm going to learn this in your class i'll be looking foward to this. Rhythmatic is very confusing at time but learning the rhythem is understanable. All i'm saying is that this art is very informative and neat so I give it a 5 star. (don't show this to no one.)
This poem shows how complicated the English language can be. Many words look like they should sound the same, but don't. That sometimes makes it difficult for people just learning the English language to remember the pronunciation.
ReplyDeleteThis poem shows how hard it can be to understand the english language and how to pronounce even basic words. I do not think many people realize that because we are all so use to how these words are pronounced and we know how to say them. When reading this poem i realized how it could be confusing for one who does not know the language very well and i can see why it might be difficult to figure out the pronunciation of basic words.
ReplyDeleteSo true.
DeleteMarta Brodeur period 1
ReplyDeleteWhen I read this poem for the first time, I was so confused! It really goes to show how much we need to learn and improve our own language. I have learned that by taking a second language, such as French, helps me personally recognize and pronounce English words. Many of the root words in foreign languages have a similar meaning as English. By taking French I believe that my English pronunciation and writing have improved. This goes to prove why so many foreigners learning English as a second or third language, have such a hard time. The English language has so many irregular words with so many different meaning. Saying this I encourage everyone to learn a second language, no matter if it is French or not, and see if your English improves.
Such a good suggestion!
DeleteEveryone knows that English is a difficult language, but up until I read this poem, I had no idea how unsystematic the English Language actually is. This year will mark my 5th year taking Spanish, and although it's challenging to learn a new language, all that I have learned of Spanish has come from my ability to understand the rules of the language, and the format in which it relies on. Now that I have seen at the infinite amount of words in the English language that follow no particular pattern, I understand why it is one of the hardest languages to learn.
ReplyDeletePhil Malm
Period 1
While reading this poem it was very confusing, English is a difficult language. This poem made me relate to the time when my English was not very good, I always used Spanish words and fixed them around with English words, it would be frustrating to be corrected but at the end of the day it helped a lot. Now I do not have such problem, still to this day I learn new English pronunciations and I gain knowledge from this poem, even if I had to look some words up. I'll probably take G. Nolst Trenité advice and give up.
ReplyDeleteBiayanis Quinonez
Period 3
It's a challenge, that's for sure!
DeleteAs I scrolled through the page, I noticed the poem and thought to myself "I am not reading that" but something prompted me to read the first line and before I knew it, I found myself enjoying the poem. I thought of it as an eye opener when it comes to the English Language. I have had people from all walks of life tell me the English Language is difficult but I never really agreed with them because I grew up speaking it, i love speaking it, and I guess it just comes easy to me. But reading this peom made me look at the language in a different perspective and understand why they would think that. Maybe English is a hard subject for some people after all.
ReplyDeleteLouisa Odonkor
Deleteperiod 3
When you grow up speaking the language it doesn't seem too difficult, but there are some words in this poem that might stump even an English-speaker!
DeleteI have seen this poem before and it is almost as difficult to follow now as it was the first time I read it. People who learn English as a second language must get so frustrated because it has almost no pattern to it. Even people who speak English as their first language have trouble learning it. This poem also reminded me of this:
ReplyDeleteTwo students, James and John were given a grammar test by their teacher. The question was, “is it better to use “had” or “had had” in this example sentence?”
The teacher collected the tests, and looked over their answers.
James, while John had had “had”, had had “had had.” “Had had” had had a better effect on the teacher.
The English language is riddled with inconsistencies and ridiculous rules.
Alana Landry
Period 3
WOW!
DeleteThis poem makes me realize exactly how hard the English language actually is. My dad learned English as his second language and even though he has lived in America since he was 20, he still questions himself when speaking, reading, and writing the English language. I understood that English was a harder language to learn because the rules are not similar to other languages but this poem helps me understand just how hard it is to understand. It has given me even more of a appreciation for people learning English, especially because I had difficulty reading this poem and English is my first language.
ReplyDeleteSivan Amir
Period 3
I agree!
DeleteI greatly enjoyed this poem as it depicts the English language in a way that accurately describes it for what it really is. My mom actually used this same poem to show to her ESL students just how confusing the English language can really be. I really enjoyed how it seemed to follow a set order of words that shows just how much thought the author put into it's creation.
ReplyDeleteAndrew Simpson
Period 1
I'll bet it was an eye-opener for your mom's students!
DeleteI really enjoyed reading this poem it brings to light that the english language is a very complex language to learn. This is especially difficult for people who are learning it as their second language. The way many words are so similar in spelling and pronunciation but mean completely different things is another way the language can be very difficult to comprehend.
ReplyDeleteMolly McGrail period 5
So true!
DeleteThis poem was a lot of fun to read, if only to see how many of the words I knew and was familiar with. I have been an extensive reader of novels for most of my life now, so I had seen many of the words used and knew what they meant and how they were pronounced. However, I still had to look up a couple dozen words for definitions and pronunciations. I was surprised at some of the pronunciations, especially those of words I had read many times before. Who decided that "chaise" was going to be said like "sheyz"? Learning the English language is a lifelong process because of these ridiculous exceptions in pronunciation, but I always feel a thrill of excitement when I learn a new word and how to use it.
ReplyDeletePeriod 1
Me too! I have a small story to tell about the word chaise, actually! Ask me sometime!
DeleteThis poem was kind of complicated to understand even though English is my first spoken language. I had to reread it to understand what some of the words were saying. The wording in this poem is going to be more difficult for people who learned English as a second language. I think it's fun to read because of the pronunciation of each word and it's interesting seeing the difference of how certain words were said in English back then compared to how they are now. It was much more difficult to understand back then, I believe the English has developed to become one of the more easier languages to learn.
ReplyDeleteLexy Wilson - Period 1
Very inconsistent pronunciations, though!
DeleteKeenor Anum-Sowah
ReplyDeletePeriod 3 - AP lit
I found the poem "Chaos" very interesting for many reasons. One reason being it describes how literature can sound to each of us. The quote is filled with tons of literary devices through each stanza. I also found interest in this reading due to the fact it included this quote "but be careful how you speak". This can be interpreted in different forms. One being, be careful what you say and how you say it because you never know what impact it can have on others around you. Another way would be, be careful of how you speak in literature. How the authors time might be viewed by others and how your message may come across to your audience. The most important thing is the author or speakers message.
True! This poet's message highlights the complexity of the English language.
DeleteThought this poem was quite hilarious. My German friend (Michelle Janus, she was an exchange student at burncoat) always comments on the absurdity of the English language. I always cringe when people read aloud in class and pronounce words incorrectly cause I forget how difficult and confusing some words in the English language hard to pronounce. I can't even fathom how difficult it would be to learn it as a second language, I can imagine it would feel quite tedious. I love poems and especially funny ones like this one that points out a humorous aspect of our everyday lives that we usually forget about.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to examine the complexity of the English language.
DeleteMadeline Hayman
ReplyDeletePeriod 3
AP Literature
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ReplyDeleteAs I read this poem, sometimes I found it hard to see how some words ryhme. I think this is because I grew up learning British English alongside my mother tounge Swahili. The diction is very different and I experience it in my day to day pronunciation of certain words. This poem serves as an eye opener to this profound meaning and understanding of the English language.
ReplyDeleteAbigael Maina
Per. 5
This poem makes it so obvious why the English language is so hard to learn. The pronunciation does not follow any consistent pattern!
DeleteInteresting! I like the homonyms choice . Apart from that i did not get the information the poem was trying to give out and it was a little challenging trying to pronounce these words that sound alike continuously.
ReplyDeleteIrena Yankey
Period 5
English IV.
The point is that most of them DON'T sound alike! That's what is so challenging about the English language. Just because English words are spelled similarly does not mean that they are pronounced similarly. Take, for example, the third to the last line. The words listed are though, through, plough, dough, and cough. All of them end in "ough" so logically they should sound alike. But the fact is each of them is pronounced completely differently from all the others. So there are 5 different sounds for the same "ough" group of letters.
DeleteInteresting! I like the homonyms choice . Apart from that i did not get the information the poem was trying to give out and it was a little challenging trying to pronounce these words that sound alike continuously.
ReplyDeleteIrena Yankey
Period 5
English IV.
looking at the length of this poem one may refuse to read it but as i read along ,I was surprised about how it really rhymes and how it will be hard to read it out loud . It really showed how English was not just a common ,easy language but a very complicated one .Above all i enjoyed reading it and learning new things
ReplyDeleteIrene Yankey
English IV
Period 4
Good girl for making the attempt! It takes concentration!
DeleteMolly Roach
ReplyDeletePeriod 1
English 4
I really enjoyed reading this poem because I love the English language. It really puts into perspective how difficult this language actually is to learn because of how similar the words look and how different their pronunciations are. I sympathize to such an extent with people who are going to school and working while also trying to learn this extremely hard language. Languages like French and Spanish have patterns and rules to make it easier to learn while in English those things don't exist, you just have to jump in and memorize. I am extremely glad that English is my first language because I'm not sure if I could learn it again. Whenever anyone asks me why English is required subject in schools I'm going to show them this poem and hope that answers that question.
My favorite line is the 3rd from the last; 5 "ough" words and 5 different pronunciations!
DeleteNatalie Darko
ReplyDeleteMrs. Henrion
AP English Lit, Period 3
8 September 2015
By reading the Poem “Choas” in my perspective it was very engaging. I enjoyed it because i believe it represented the many different forms of literature. Throughout the stanzas there were many literary techniques that were being used. I believe that it provided the reader with interesting quotes which made it more easier to understand and very fun to read.
Not so much the literary techniques but the complexity of the English language! So many pronunciations for similarly spelled words!
DeleteThe Poem "The Chaos" was a smack towards my knowledge of the english language. The use of so many words with similiar soundings and meanings juggled my mind and made me think of how easily one can be confused by the english language. The poem also makes me think of how it would feel to learn english as a second language because of how mind-boggling it can be.
ReplyDeleteBryon Castillo
Period 1
English 4
That's a good way to describe it--"mind-boggling."
DeleteWhile reading the poem "The Chaos" it becomes quite clear that the author is trying to make a certain point. The poem emphasizes the intricate rules of pronunciation in the english language. The author does this by pairing words that have similar spelling, yet completely different pronunciation, and all while rhyming. I enjoyed this poem because I felt that it was simply more meaningful than most other poetic works.
ReplyDeleteConnor Pasquale
Period 5
English IV
It highlights the complexity of the English language, that's for sure!
DeleteThe word choice in this poem showed the complexities of the English language. Not only did it display a wide range of different words but it also used words that had similar spellings as a way of emphasizing how the rules for speaking change. This is also a good example of why it is so hard for non-English speaking to learn the English Language
ReplyDeleteDefinitely a challenging language!
DeleteDivina Tavarez
ReplyDeleteI find chaos to be a very interesting poem because of the comparison it contains. I like this poem because its really challenging to pronounce every word in it correctly. I also enjoyed the rhymes in it as well as the alliteration. Reading this poem to me is like trying to read a tongue twister really fast even though I don't know it.
It is! Proof that the English language is one of the most difficult languages to learn because it doesn't follow a pattern of pronunciation.
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ReplyDeleteAdalberto Cruz
ReplyDeletePeriod 1
I think that this poem has more to it than just rhyming words at the end of every line. I think this poem shows how complex and confusing the English language can be when it is used in the right way. I just find this to be a very in depth poem with a lot of elaboration.
It emphasizes the complexity of the language, as you say.
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ReplyDeleteBy reading the Poem “Choas” in my perspective it was very werid for me because i dont read that type of way. The poem also makes me think of how it would feel to learn english the proper way. Reading this poem is like reading a tongue twister.
ReplyDeleteIt is like a tongue twister because so many words in the English language look the same but sound completely different.
DeleteI assume this is Derek Gibbs. In the future, please put your last name so I know for sure!
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ReplyDeleteMarco Gutierrez
ReplyDeletePeriod2
I think that this poem has more to it than just rhyming words at the end of every line. I think this poem shows how confusing the English language can be when it is used in the right way but if you really focus can make sense as well . I just find this to be a very deep poem and I'm excited to learn more about these types of poems and read more as well.
You're right. Marco, please make sure your response to my post is entirely your own and not a repetition of someone else's comment. Your response is suspiciously similar to Adalberto's. Is that just a coincidence.......?
DeleteBy reading this poem , It Was very weird for me because I don't read that type of way this poem was right. I think that this poem show how weird and confusing English language could be use , but if you really focus you could understand what you reading. I'm relly want to keep reading this type of poem because I want to improve how to learn and write in English.
ReplyDeleteThe poem is a challenge to read! Jan, please make sure your response to my post is entirely your own thoughts! Your comment sound suspiciously similar to a couple of other posts I've received. Why is that????
DeleteJustine Perez
ReplyDeleteperiod: 2
This poem has a little style and attitude to it, for example how the poem was like not rhyme with theses words but this word. i also like it cause there was random words rhyming with other words that i feel dont really go but kinda sound the same. It had a little taste of fun in it well speaking of english.
I'm not sure what you mean by "style and attitude." The lines do rhyme, for the most part, but the challenge is in pronouncing the words correctly.
DeleteThis poem is amazing - the person who wrote this did great. I like how they grouped the word's together - also how they had the words rhyming. It's a bit catchy but confusing - it definitely has me thinking about how so many words sound alike but are completely different in multiple ways .
ReplyDeleteImagine the challenge of learning English!
DeleteAfter reading this poem It became more clear to me why English is considered one of the hardest languages to learn. Some of the rules about how to pronounce words are very inconsistent, and some of the conjugations are also tricky. It really makes a lot of sense why some people who learn English as a second language will struggle with a lot of words even after leaning it for years.
ReplyDeleteEven we, who speak the language, stumble over some of the words!
Deletei really enjoyed this poem, it made me apreciate the english language alot more. Being born into this language you never really think about how difficult the language really is and all the complex parts that go into it. ive always wondered what made it so difficult for ppeople who dont know English to learn it. This poem helps me to understand why.
ReplyDeleteThe pronunciation rules certainly do not follow a set pattern!
Deleteafter i read this poem it made me think a lot about the language we speak now compared to how hard it used to seem. it seemed to have a big impact in developing a new more sophisticated way to communicated with one and other. the little word seemed to be the hardest because if you don't pronounce it correctly , the sentence is not said correctly . very well written poem stumped me a couple times . - Daniel romero
ReplyDeleteSo true!
DeleteWhile reading this poem i felt very confused. As i kept on reading, the reading started to get more and more complex. English Language is way more diffucult than i thought it was. what people speak today is like a slang type of english, and theirs alot more to learn than what i know.
ReplyDeleteThe poem really demonstrates how confusing the English language must be to someone learning the language. There is no pattern for the pronunciation.
Delete