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katarina
21-Feb-06, 10:47
What is the most used word in the english language? I think it's up.

Let's face it - English is a crazy language.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------You lovers of the English language might enjoy this . . . There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that is "UP."

It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP? At a meeting, why does a topic come UP? Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report?

We call UP our friends. And we use it to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver, we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car. At other times the little word has real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses. To be dressed is one thing but to be dressed UP is special.

And this UP is confusing: A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP. We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night.

We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP! To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look the word UP in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4th of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions. If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more. When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP. When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP.

When it rains, it wets the earth and often messes things UP.

When it doesn't rain for awhile, things dry UP.

One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP, for now my time is UP, so............ Time to shut UP.....!

Oh...one more thing:


What is the first thing you do in the morning & the last thing you do at night? U-P

brandy
21-Feb-06, 10:51
nahh its O.K.

brandy
21-Feb-06, 10:52
or if you are my 3 year old it NO!

Rheghead
21-Feb-06, 10:53
'charge' has a lot of diverse meanings as well.

there is a mixture here, 'charge up' ones batteries.

willowbankbear
21-Feb-06, 11:35
Aye is most used here:Razz

caithnessgirl
21-Feb-06, 12:02
isn't it "the"?

paris
21-Feb-06, 12:04
Most used words in our house are...shut up. That goes to my dogs when they bark, kids when im on the boards, hubby when ever he winds me up, to anyone when i feel like it, so SHUT-UP !!! lol

scorrie
21-Feb-06, 12:39
I remember a dictionary that had 74 definitions for the word TAKE

Of course Sunday Post readers will know of one with more ;o)

Mamabear
21-Feb-06, 12:42
NO seems to be the word here, chasing round after the 2 cubs shouting no all the time

Saveman
21-Feb-06, 12:55
Nice one Katarina, that made me laugh. :lol:

So are we all feeling on the UP this morning?

Alice in Blunderland
21-Feb-06, 14:51
If you are im my house there are two words.The younger two children use NO the older girls everything is COOL. Im going out COOL Im coming home COOL your dinners ready COOL change the channel COOL I have offered to buy them another dictionary and they replied.....COOL.

obiron
21-Feb-06, 14:55
in our hoosee its can (kids) and no (us). with an ach thrown in.

Alice in Blunderland
21-Feb-06, 15:00
in our hoosee its can (kids) and no (us). with an ach thrown in.

AHHH our houses differ there if I say no its immediately followed with WHY even if I have already explained why in my response I think its their automatic reaction to hearing the word no

cuddlepop
21-Feb-06, 18:54
Wasn't me, springs to mind but thats too or three
in a minute,another favourite
skint
why me
not my turn
ah uh...
does that count as one word,:lol:

grantyg
21-Feb-06, 19:20
Yep I agree Katrina I`m from yorkshire so my usual greeting is Aye UP! or trouble at mill!

laguna2
21-Feb-06, 19:45
or if you are my 3 year old it NO!

.. or perhaps "why"?

neepnipper
21-Feb-06, 20:16
I believe the word that has most meanings ( and I suppose therefore is used a lot) is "set" ( this is according to the tv prog "Balderdash & Piffle").

You can have a set of something, you can set the table, set something down, game, set and match, tv set, set to music etc etc....

Shalom
21-Feb-06, 21:27
If we are just talking of the most USED rather than the one with most meanings, then it has to be "I".

JAWS
21-Feb-06, 22:07
I want to know why it is that I'm "Down in the Dumps." when I'm feeling really "Fed up!"? :confused:

And we have the cheek to think Foreign Languages are strange! :eek:

And which evil swine thought up using "OUGH" in any words at all, never mind half the words in English Language.

katarina
22-Feb-06, 16:54
Can you read these right the first time?

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.

2) The farm was used to produce produce.

3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.

4) We must polish the Polish furniture.

5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.

6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.

7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.

8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum

9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

10) I did not object to the object.

11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.

13) They were too close to the door to close it.

14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.

15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.

16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.

17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.

18) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.

19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?


Let's face it - English is a crazy language

caithnessgirl
22-Feb-06, 18:20
If we are just talking of the most USED rather than the one with most meanings, then it has to be "I".

Sorry Shalom, i still think its "the" look in every post and you'll see it in pretty much every one. the refers to everything! (IMHO!) lol :)

caithnessgirl
22-Feb-06, 18:26
Rank Word Reference Rank Word Reference
1 -the Definite and Indefinite Articles 126 name
2 -of Preposition Help 127 very
3 -to Preposition Help 128 through Preposition Help
4 -and 129 just
5 -a Definite and Indefinite Articles 130 form Preposition Help
6 -in Preposition Help 131 sentence
7 -is 132 great Adjective or Adverb?
8 -it 133 think
9 -you 134 say
10 -that 135 help
http://esl.about.com/library/vocabulary/bl1000_list1.htm

Just googled it and found this table, heres the top 10!! i feel so knowledgable! :)

molly dolly
22-Feb-06, 19:31
why, but,no,i want,mum most used word in my house

Geoff
23-Feb-06, 00:01
Interesting thread folks but the most commonly used word is a swear word I can't type here. It can be used in a wide variety of different ways , and often is.
It was once said that the only kids who did not use this word were the ones in Grange Hill................................