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Linguistic fun

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I have mentioned this previously in another thread, but it is interesting, and worthy of repetition, I believe. Perhaps it might inspire other members to provide other linguistic conundrums (conundra?)

A sentence, making complete sense, with eleven consecutive ‘hads’:

James, where John had had ‘had had’ had had ‘had’; ‘had had’ had had the teacher’s approval.


@pianoman1 said
I have mentioned this previously in another thread, but it is interesting, and worthy of repetition, I believe. Perhaps it might inspire other members to provide other linguistic conundrums (conundra?)

A sentence, making complete sense, with eleven consecutive ‘hads’:

James, where John had had ‘had had’ had had ‘had’; ‘had had’ had had the teacher’s approval.
WTF

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@badradger
I presume you are flummoxed?
James and John had both written essays. James had used ‘had’, while John had used ‘had had’. The teacher preferred John’s ‘had had’.


Another one in th same vein. Five consecutive ‘ands’:
A publican disliked the sign for his pub ‘Crown And Anchor’ because there was too much space between ‘Crown’ and ‘And’ and ‘And’ and ‘Anchor’.


@pianoman1 said
I have mentioned this previously in another thread, but it is interesting, and worthy of repetition, I believe. Perhaps it might inspire other members to provide other linguistic conundrums (conundra?)

A sentence, making complete sense, with eleven consecutive ‘hads’:

James, where John had had ‘had had’ had had ‘had’; ‘had had’ had had the teacher’s approval.
what happens when one more 'had' is used'?


@lemondrop said
what happens when one more 'had' is used'?
You get a lot of had usage! 😉

-VR


Can you punctuate this so it makes complete sense? (There are four sentences):

that that is is that that is not is not is not that it it is


@pianoman1 said
Can you punctuate this so it makes complete sense? (There are four sentences):

that that is is that that is not is not is not that it it is
That, that is, is.
That, that is not, is not.
Is not that it?
It is.

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@Kewpie
Bingo! Except I would not place commas after the first ‘thats’ in lines 1 and 2:

That that is, is.
That that is not, is not.
Is not that it?
It is!

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As palindromes get longer, sense tends to be left behind, although this is a good example of a relatively long one:

Doc, note, I dissent. A fast never prevents a fatness. I diet on cod.

1 edit

One for those of you who can read Dutch:

Er was een bij te 's Gravenhage
die antwoord wist op alle vragen.
Toen men hem moeielijk genoeg
"Wat was was eer was was was?" vroeg
werd hij de winnaar van de quiz
met "Eer was was was was was is."

(Trijntje Fop alias Kees Stip, "Op een bij" )

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An old schoolboy favourite:

YYUR
YYUB
ICUR
YY4me

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@pianoman1 said
An old schoolboy favourite:

YYUR
YYUB
ICUR
YY4me
AB, CD Goldfish?
L,MNO Goldfish!
OSAR!

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@badradger said
WTF
Lmao

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A Univocal is a piece of writing using only one vowel. The following, which is also a palindrome, is a conversation between two owls:

“Too hot to hoot!”
“Too hot to woo!”
“Too wot?”
“Too hot to hoot!”
“To woo!”
“Too wot?”
“To hoot! Too hot to hoot!”