If you are one of those people who think their first language is much richer than the target language, English, this post is for you. No, it’s not written to claim that English is “richer” or better than your mother tongue. In fact, comparing languages is hardly right because each language is fabulously rich and wonderful in its own way. It’s like comparing varieties of strawberries—they’re all different, but they’re all strawberries – sweet, juicy, and delicious.

What we want to do in this article is show you some things that English can do that some other languages may not be able to. Please don’t be too critical if you find some of these wonders less impressive. You might think, “So what? It’s the same in my language!” If that’s the case, chances are you speak a Germanic language. English, a West Germanic language, shares similarities with its “siblings” like German, Dutch, and Danish. Nevertheless, read on. We hope this post will encourage everyone to look at English from a new perspective and discover something they haven’t noticed before.

Wonder #1

The grammar of the English tense system is complex but extremely interesting. Consider the sentences below. What idea do they convey?

I work at Microsoft.

I am working at Microsoft.

A few days ago, one of my students, whose first language is Russian, said, “The sentences mean exactly the same.” No, they don’t. The first sentence refers to a permanent situation, while the second one describes a temporary situation.

So, when you say “I work at Microsoft,” you are stating a fact: Microsoft is your place of employment. On the other hand, if you say “I am working at Microsoft,” you imply that this employment is temporary or not permanent. Perhaps you are considering leaving the company or your contract is expiring. The exact reason for the temporary nature is not specified without more context, but the idea of a temporary situation is conveyed.

Wonder #2

This one is related to the tenses as well. Consider the following sentences:

He did a lot in his life.

He’s done a lot in his life.

Without mentioning death explicitly, saying “He did a lot in his life” implies that the man is no longer alive. In other words, he can’t do anything more in his life because his life has ended. Therefore, the Past Simple tense indicates a completed action in the past here.

However, if you say “He’s done a lot in his life,” you imply that he is still alive and capable of doing more. His life continues, and this usage reflects a very important and common meaning of the Present Perfect tense – an action that is unfinished and relevant to the present. This is an example of how powerful English tenses can be. English grammar encompasses much more than merely linking words in a sentence.

Wonder #3

In which of the following sentences does the speaker show that he doesn’t know the person waiting in the hall?

John Smith is waiting in the hall.

A John Smith is waiting in the hall.

Some think that articles are never used before people’s names, but this is not true. If you say “A John Smith is waiting,” it means “some John Smith is waiting.” In other words, I have no idea who he is, but he says he’s John Smith. On the other hand, “John Smith is waiting” implies that both the speaker and the listener know who John Smith is. It’s simply a piece of information or a report that doesn’t convey lack of understanding, surprise, or any other emotion.

Wonder #4

Some people think that English sentences are always very short. However, British author Jonathan Coe busts this myth in his novel The Rotter’s Club, where one sentence spans 13,955 words (source). While colloquial English tends to favor shorter sentences, this tendency is typical of any language. In literature, though, long sentences are quite common. For example:

Her plan for the morning thus settled, she sat quietly down to her book after breakfast, resolving to remain in the same place and the same employment till the clock struck one; and from habitude very little incommoded by the remarks and ejaculations of Mrs. Allen, whose vacancy of mind and incapacity for thinking were such, that as she never talked a great deal, so she could never be entirely silent; and, therefore, while she sat at her work, if she lost her needle or broke her thread, if she heard a carriage in the street, or saw a speck upon her gown, she must observe it aloud, whether there were anyone at leisure to answer her or not.

(from “Northanger Abbey” by Jane Austen (119 words))

Wonder #5

Intonation is another reason why robots cannot replace human interpreters. Consider these sentences:

Which one is a real question (or asking for information you don’t know), and which one is about seeking agreement? Sentence 1 is a real question. The speaker is uncertain and seeking confirmation from the listener. On the other hand, the falling intonation in sentence 2 is used to seek agreement. The speaker is fairly confident in their statement and is prompting the listener to agree, facilitating smoother conversation flow.

Wonder #6

Approximately 330 to 360 million people speak English as their first language (source). What’s interesting is that major English-speaking countries are geographically distant from each other (consider the UK, the USA, and Australia, for example). What does this fact imply? It means regional differences in the English language can be striking and intriguing:

✍️ Another example:

A British English speaker explains, “Mizzle is not exactly the same as drizzle. To me (from Western England), they are quite distinct, with mizzle consisting of finer drops than drizzle but not as fine as those that form mist or fog. The drops tend to hang in the air more than those in a drizzle, which fall more quickly but not as much as those that form mist.”

Another British English speaker adds, “We in the United Kingdom have many, many words for rain…”

An Australian English speaker responds, “I have never once heard the word ‘mizzle’ in my entire life, and I would have had absolutely no clue what it meant before today. This is why I need to travel.”

See the full discussion here.

And don’t even get me started on accents. Some people say that British accents change noticeably every 25 miles (within the UK)!

Wonder #7

Though it’s impossible to count the number of words in a language (one reason being that we can’t even be sure what a word is! Is “go,” “going,” and “gone” one word or three different words? Linguists do not unanimously agree), it is possible to count the number of entries in a dictionary. The Second Edition of the 20-volume Oxford English Dictionary contains full entries for 171,476 words in current use and 47,156 obsolete words. Additionally, there are around 9,500 derivative words included as subentries. This makes English one of the richest languages in terms of vocabulary.

Love your first language, English, and all the other languages you are fortunate to be learning! As Nelson Mandela said, “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.”

Which aspect (referred to as a wonder of the English language) from this article did you find most impressive? Are there similar “wonders” in your first language? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below, so please feel free to share your perspective. ❤️