"I Hate English!"

A recent email from Robert J. Baumann included this:

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Keep in mind that some words have more than one meaning, even if they are spelled the same.

Also, these words do not always have the same pronunciation. If they did, then they would be homonyms. No, some of these are spoken differently, but are clearly spelled the same way. I will help you with the first one as an example. Try to understand the meaning of each sentence. Enjoy this? Let me know.

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.

There are times when a bandage needs to completely cover an injury. If you had to wrap the bandage around your arm, then you would have "wound" it around your arm. The pronunciation is something like WOWND. The injury itself is called a "wound". In this case the pronunciation is something close to WOOND. A small change in a vowel sound changes the meaning of two words spelled the same way.

Now look at the rest. If you have learned something from these, please share them with other friends of yours who are learning English.

2) The farm was used to produce produce.
3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4) We must polish the Polish furniture.
5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to  present the present.
8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10) I did not object to the object.
11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
13) They were too close to the door to close it.
14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
18) After a number of injections my jaw got number.
19) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
20) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
21) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

Ok. Now repeat after me. "I hate English!". Ha ha. How did such words come about? Who knows? It does remind me of times when I have seen Japanese and Chinese comparing words they write. Some alphabet letters are shared by both languages and are familiar. The only problem is that the meaning of these symbols is different in both languages.

Bob