The English language is the third most spoken today, but the most spoken internationally, in the seas and in the air by international pilots. It is the language most international internet users read, and has given the world some of the most magnificent works of art. How well do you know this language you speak?
English is classified as a _________language.
In fact, eighty of the hundred most used words in English are of Germanic origin.
Latin
Semitic
Romantic
Germanic
What is the most commonly used letter in the English language?
In fact, as many as one in eight of all the letters written in English is ‘e’.
E
A
H
M
The sentence above contains ______ different spellings of the sound “ee”:
The ee sound is written, by order, as 'he', 'ie', 'ae', 'ee', 'pe', 'ei' and 'ea'
Seven
Six
Five
Four
The _________ period dates from the 11th century (Normans invade England) to the 15th century AD.
Old English
Middle English
Early Modern English
Elizabethan English
Words such as “Actually”, “like”, “basically” and “anyway” are known as ________.
Crutch Words
Connectives
Sentence Reroutes
False Starts
Which of these words still used today is the most ancient?
The word I is one of the oldest words in the English language, and has changed very little if at all.
Money
I
White
Father
The most commonly used adjective in the English language is ________.
Good
Bad
Beautiful
Big
The sentence above is a famous example of a pangram. Which words are missing?
Quick, Lazy
Fast, Large
Nimble, Sleeping
Tiny, Large
More English words begin with the letter ___ than any other letter of the alphabet.
A
S
I
Z
An ambigram is a word that...
A good example is the word SWIMS (in caps)
Looks the same upside down
Is the same left to right as right to left
Mimics the sound of the thing they describe
Words that have multiple and different definitions
The English word "AND" comes from the Latin word ______.
An example of the word still being used today is "et. all" which means 'and others'.
Und
Andes
Et
Endes
While the English language has more than _________ words, the average English speaker knows about __________ English words.
When it comes to writing, the number drops to an average of 5,000.
A million | 20,000-40,000
100,000 | 10,000-15,000
50,000 | 5,000-10,000
100 million | 100,000-250,000
According to a study by the University of Warwick, the following word is one of the '10 funniest words in English'.
Nitwit
Bladder
Brainiac
Jiggy
There used to be an informal word/phrase for "The day after tomorrow" in English. It was _______.
It was used in middle English but fell out of use. It is still used in German as übermorgen.
Overmorrow
The third morrow
The second tomorrow
The good morrow
What is the most misused word in the English Language?
The song 'Ironic' by Alanis Morrissette is famous for misusing it the whole song through.
Ironic
Paradox
Ambivalent
Sarcasm
English is an Enigma Wrapped in a Riddle...
Unfortunately you didn't get a high score. English is a complicated language with an incredible history. One does not need too much about it to use it well or indeed even write the best novel ever written. If you'd like you can try again. Alternatively, check your mistakes, the answers and some additional information by clicking on 'Show Mistakes'.
You have answered a goodly number of questions correctly and have achieved a higher-than-average level of knowledge about the actual language you use every day. It's amazing how little most of us know about it. Good for you! If you'd like to know where you went wrong, click on 'Show Mistakes'.
My my, aren't we brilliant? You've trashed our quiz and made us look like amateurs! Oh well, we congratulate you, with nary a muttered complaint, on your incredibly impressive knowledge of the English language. Keep it up and share your results with others!
Subscribe and REMOVE ALL ADS
LOVE our articles but HATE our ads? For only $3.89 per month, enjoy a seamless, ad-free experience that lets you focus on what matters most — enjoying all of our content, uninterrupted. 🔒 100% Secure Payment 📅 Cancel Anytime, No Strings Attached Unlock a cleaner, faster browsing experience today and gain the freedom to navigate without visual clutter.
Ready for a Ad-Free experience? Upgrade now for just $3.89/month!
To enable your Ad-Free Subscription, please fill the fields below
Thank you for your subscription!
Your subscription was successful, now you can enjoy an ad-free experience!! Note: To make sure you get no ads, please make sure to log in to your account. If you are logged in already, then refresh the page. The subscription can be cancelled at any time.
This content is reserved for our members
Join Our Community for FREE and Enjoy:
Full and free access to ALL content.
The 'Daily Mail' service sends the highest quality and the most fascinating content directly to your inbox.
Shai K.
11/17/2020
Go to BabaMail
