The English farce

Author: Zheng Huimou
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-11-01
Features: The phenomenon of scholars belittling each other has long been a tradition. Mark Twain (Mark Twain), this literary giant, was once criticized for frequently misspelling words. But he paid no heed, as he had his own convictions. He believed that just like life, language should be diverse to be colorful. He said, "I don’t see any use in having a uniform way of spelling a word. We might as well make all clothes the same and cook all dishes the same." (I don’t see any benefit in spelling a word only one way. Why not make all clothes the same and eat the same dishes all year round?) Andrew Jackson (Andrew Jackson) was the seventh U.S. President and the only one in American history without a formal education. Andrew Jackson was also criticized for frequently misspelling words, which deeply offended him. Once, he couldn’t help but roar in public, "It is a damned small mind that can think of only one way to spell a word!" (Only those petty-minded people would insist on spelling a word in only one way!) And let’s talk about our "Iron Teeth and Copper Jaw" Ji Xiaolan! This gentleman once inscribed a couplet, with each side containing a misspelled character: he placed the vertical stroke of the character "" under the horizontal stroke of "," and omitted the top dot of the character "." The tour guide said it was a deliberate hint by the Grand Scholar Ji to imply "the power of literature reaching the heavens" and "boundless wealth," a stroke of genius! This couplet is hanging above a main gate of the Confucius Mansion in Qufu. Without a doubt, these three people who made spelling mistakes were all great figures in history. Whether they also made spelling mistakes before becoming great figures remains unknown. However, to be fair, it’s naturally acceptable for great figures to make spelling mistakes, and they often come across as "quite amusing." But what about us ordinary people? If we misread, miswrite, mishear, or make grammatical errors, what then? You may wait and see! This book aims to convey a message to readers: Making occasional mistakes in English is not a secret weapon exclusive to Asian compatriots; Europeans and Americans are no exception. Moreover, who can guarantee that they can use their mother tongue perfectly without any flaws?