Many people learning English find it a very difficult language to pronounce and spell. Many writers, too, complain about this very same thing, since a sound can be spelled by several different letters, and a letter can have several different sounds.
One very famous English writer, George Bernard Shaw, felt very strongly about this. One day, to amuse himself and his audience, Shaw pointed out that “g-h-o-t-i” can spell fish, and spell it logically.
He showed that if you took:
gh as in “enough,” you get the f sound
o as in “women,” you get the i sound
ti as in “nation,” you get the sh sound.
So the letters “g-h-o-t-i” can logically be used to spell fish. But we wouldn’t suggest trying this on your next composition at school!
Related Posts
-
Who Was Oisin In Irish Mythology and How Did Finn MacCool Break the Spell Sadb Was Under?
Oisin was one of the sons of Finn MacCool in Irish mythology. While on a hunt with his companions, Finn and his dogs chased a deer through the woods, excited at the chance…
-
Do Fish Have Blood and Hearts, What Color Is Fish Blood, and Why Don’t Fish In Stores Have Blood?
Fish do have blood, and it is red. Other cold-blooded animals, like amphibians and reptiles, also have red blood. Fish have a circulatory system with blood and a heart as the pump just…
-
How Do Fish Eggs Change Into Fish?
Some fish, like guppies, give birth to live young, but most fish lay eggs. In spring and summer, when the water is warm enough for eggs to hatch, the male and female fish…
-
What Fish Catches Other Fish with Its Own Built-In Rod and Reel?
The frogfish is an unusual creature because of the way it catches its food. Long threads that look like fishing lines grow out of the frogfish's head. At the end of these threads…
-
Do large fish like tuna have mercury and should I stop eating tuna fish sandwiches?
There is both concern and controversy over mercury in fish, but an occasional tuna fish sandwich for an adult who is not going to become pregnant is not the main worry. The biggest…
-
How Deep in the Ocean do Deep Sea Fish Live and What is the Deepest Depth a Fish Can Live?
Deep sea fish are fish that live below the photic zone of the ocean. The most common deep sea fish is the lanternfish, and others include the flashlight fish, bristlemouths, anglerfish, viperfish, and…
