5 Unofficial Rules Native English Speakers Don’t Realize They Know

We may be supposed to realize that we are able to follow rules The rules that no one taught us explicitly. But this is more than language It is – not the little things that tell us textbooks that we are wrong, but the solid books that we always get. However, the indigenous speakers may make them mistake, and this gives us a good opportunity to take a peek on the rules that we do not notice.

1. Why “Great Green Dragon” and not “Great Green Dragments”

In 2016, Matthew Anderson from BBC Tweet About a base known to the English speakers, but we do not know that we know. ”It was a screen to seize a corridor from Mark Forseth Rhetoric elements Clarify that the cause of “Great Green Dragon” seems better than “Great Green Dragon” is that Follow the rule unconsciously This states that the arrangement of qualities in the English language goes to the sizes of opinion of the first -original flowers. The size comes before the color, so no “big dragon”.

2. Why do we say “my brother’s car” and not “my brother’s car”

There are two main ways to express his possession in the English language, one that has a customer (my brother’s car) and one with the phrase “from” (my brother’s car). Teachers and evidence of use do not give you rules that usually tell you why my brother’s car looks bad, but “my home door” looks good, because no one believes that he says “my brother’s car” in the first place. But why not? After all, languages ​​such as Spanish and French are used this type of construction (My brother’s carand My brother’s car). Why does my “brother’s car” look much better than “my brother’s car”, but “my home door” looks itself or worse than “my home door”?

We do not know that, but we do these phrases by referring to something called the hierarchy of animation. The hierarchical sequence in this case is basically a measure of a decrease in human arrangement from transition from humans to animal to non -living things. The higher the owner in the animation is the worst type of phrase “from the sounds of construction”. So,

My brother’s car looks better than “my brother’s car”, “my parrot cage” is a little better than “my parrot” “my home door” looks itself or worse than “my home door”

Of course, there are considerations such as the context of conversation and rhetorical influence that lead to exceptions to this rule, but it explains a lot of difference in the relative acceptance of these two grammatical options. For example, the “City Hall” can be imagined as an unlimited building (“” City Hall Steps “) or a group of people (” City Hall Declaration “).

3. Why is “ABSO-FREAKIN’LY-LUTELY” and not “absolute free’-ly”

There is a way to emphasize a word in English that includes introducing an obscene word in the middle of the word – but not only anywhere in the middle. while Abso-Freakin’ly-LUTELY It looks correct, Ab-makin’lyly and The divorced virkin It looks terrible. There is a base in work here, and to learn about the structure of a verbal syllable of the word. Basically, you find a verbal syllable with the greatest focus inside the word and put the word before it. KAALAMAI-FREAKIN ‘Zooms. IM-Bloody-Lorperand La-FREAKIN’-SAGNA.

Things become difficult when the only stress is in the first syllable (Yesterday’s day? Ele-Boody Phant?) Or when there are other boundaries that are more detrimental in the word such as and- or Repeat- ((UN-FREAKIN’-BELECRIBE and Re-FREAKIN’-POSS-PossiletBetter than Unreasonable and Repo-FREAKIN’-Section), But these exceptions can be classified and explained. The important thing is that there is a rule, we already know how to apply it, even if we cannot determine it.

4. Why do we say, “What did you say?” And not “what is mine that he ate?”

In the English language, when we ask from/where/where/when/why the question, usually there is an opening in the sentence that will fit the answer if you are not a question. For “What did you eat?” The corresponding sentence is “I ate __ (potatoes/apple/breakfast …).” For “Where did they go?” The corresponding sentence is “Gold __ (to the beach/to lunch/basement …).

Linguists talk about these types of questions in terms of movement; It seems as if the word “who” has moved from the unseen hole to the beginning of the sentence. Whovement can also happen out of the phrases a long way from the beginning of the sentence. “What did you say that the beginning of the movie reminded you?” It corresponds to “I have said that the beginning of the movie reminded you of __ (on the day of the transition/weather report/ancient Greece …).”

But there are many cases where you cannot do this type of movement. For example, for these complex situations, long distances, the main action in the sentence must belong to a specific group of verbs that require verbs. He says Did the bridge (“What did you say that he ate _____?”) But the actions that include the way in which something was said (mumbleand He shoutsand Whisperand sigh) Not. So, “What did you miss to eat ___?” It looks terrible. We do not make these types of sentences because we know the rule, even if we do not know that there is a rule.

5. Why did you rejoice, my friend, “and not” you rejoiced with it “

The English language has a set of verbs known as the aforementioned actions that give language learners a great headache. These are made of multiple words that give together a different meaning than you expect through a simple group. For example blow up It is the action of the aforementioned because it means “the explosion” and not “a blow in the direction of my rise.” You just have to learn what this means. They are verbs like Call (Cancels), Go (Review), and situation (Cursed). There are hundreds of them.

Summary verbs are not all work according to the same rules. Some do not allow an object to come between the parts of the verb: You can say “No Select Your sister “but not” does not do that He chooses Your sister onBut other actions can be separated: You can say, “Let’s Call Meeting “or” Let’s Call Meeting on“The original speakers know any of them are separate, which is not without the book of the rules of the indigenous speakers.

But this is not all. Even detamable verbs have restrictions on them never learn the original loudspeakers. rejoice Decisive. You can say, “I am Chant my friend higherOr “I Chant My friend. ”But if you want to replace my friend With a conscience, it is He should It was placed between the parts of the verb. You cannot say, “I am Chant Her “only” I am Chant Ha higherFor inseparable actions, there is no problem with pronouns: “No Select Ha.

In the rest of the English grammar, you can replace the conscience anywhere you have a name. Not in this case. But you already knew it, even if you didn’t know you know that.