The scientific study of language sounds, structure, and meaning. English-specific grammar retains English Grammar.
Test your knowledge with these top questions!
French "cocorico" matches which English animal sound?
French speakers also use "cocorico" to express national pride, much like a boastful rooster.
What term describes words such as "buzz" and "clang" that imitate sounds?
Comic books use these sound words to let readers imagine noises on a silent page.
Which bird's English name imitates its two-note call?
The familiar two-note call comes from the male common cuckoo; females make a bubbling call.
Which sound word describes food frying in a hot pan?
Writers can use "sizzle" as both a noun for the sound and a verb for the action.
Which languages alternate in the everyday speech often called "Spanglish"?
Spanglish has no single fixed grammar or vocabulary; the label covers varied ways bilingual communities use both languages.
In the word "reread", what does "re-" tell you to do?
English can add "re-" to verbs to create new words, letting speakers describe a repeated action without inventing a new root.
In "singer" and "swimmer", what does the ending "-er" identify?
Adding "-er" can turn a verb into a noun, so "teach" names an activity while "teacher" names a person.
In Southern American English, "y'all" usually addresses whom?
English once used "thou" for one person and "you" for more than one, a distinction many modern varieties replace.
Why might a bilingual speaker switch languages when a new listener joins a conversation?
Bilingual speakers can also switch languages to express a shared cultural identity, even when everyone understands both.
What does adding "-less" to "hope" do to the meaning?
The ending also appears in "sleeveless", where a garment lacks sleeves rather than having fewer of them.