written for the 75th Anniversary Bulletin of:-
The Rotary Club of Rushden 23rd February 1980.
The Queen's English?
"We'll begin with box, the plural is boxes,
But the plural of ox is oxen, not oxes.
One fowl is a goose, but two are called geese,
Yet the plural of a mouse, is never meese.
You may find a lone mouse, or a whole nest of mice,
But the plural of house is houses, not hice.
If the plural of man is always men, Why shouldn't the plural of pan be called pen?
If I speak of a foot and you show me two feet,
And if I give you a boot, would a pair be called beet?
If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth, Why shouldn't the plural of booth be called beeth?
If the singular's this and the plural these,
Should the plural of kiss ever be keese?
We speak of a Brother and also of brethren,
But though we say Mother, we never say Mothren.
Then the masculine pronouns are he, his and him,
But imagine the feminine - she, shis and shim."
By Past President Rotarian Sidney Hawkes.
It makes one appreciate the comments made by people from other lands when they say how difficult the English language is to learn.
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