English is the most widely used language in the history of our planet.One in every seven human beings around the globe can speak English.And more than half of the world's books and three-quarters of international mail are written in this crazy tongue .Of all languages,English has the largest vocabulary----perhaps as many as two million words.
However,let's face it!English is a crazy language!For example,there is no egg in the eggplant,and you will find neither pine nor apple in a pineapple and no ham in a hamburger,Sweetmeats are candies,while sweetbreads which are not sweet,are meat.
We take English for granted.But when we explore its paraboxes(矛盾),we find that quicksand can work slowly,boxing rings are square and public athrooms have no baths in them.
And why is it that a writer writes,but fingers do not fing,grocers don't groce,and hammers don't ham?If the plural(复数) of tooth is teeth,shouldn't the plural of booth be beeth?One goose,two geese----so one moose,two meese?
How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same,while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?How can overlook and oversee be opposites,while quite a lot and quite a few are alike How can the weather be hot as hell one day and cold as hell the next?
English was invented by people ,not by computers,and it reflects the creativity of the human race (which,of course,is not really a race at all）.That is why,when stars are out they are visible,but when the lights are out they are invisible.And why,when I wind up my watch I start it,but when I wind up this essay I end it."