Whether it’s an adult learning a second language or it’s a child starting to learn the first few words, learning to speak any language is one of the most interesting challenges in the world. That’s doubly true of anyone trying to learn to speak English. While English is among the top languages spoken in the world, it’s one of the most confusing and complicated languages to learn. Dealing with words that have multiple meanings as well as slangs is one thing but when people consider its odd and wacky words, English can almost seem to be a foreign language, even to native speakers. Here are some links to help people who are having difficulty understanding the wacky words of the English language.

Anagrams

An anagram is a certain type of word play. It works like this: you take all of the letters in a certain word and then rearrange them to try and make a new word using only those specific letters. An example of an anagram would be: Year two thousand = a year to shut down. Some of the more common uses of anagrams include encryption, password generation, mnemonic generation, and even divination!

• Examples Of Anagrams
• Anagram FAQ Page
• Animal Anagram Activity Page

Oxymorons

An oxymoron is a figure of speech that combines two other terms that are completely contradictory and, if seen on paper, often would not go together because they mean the opposite of each other. Some examples of oxymorons would be “pretty ugly,” “falsely true,” “deafening silence” and “quiet riot.” Oxymorons can be used as puns, paradoxes, as well as theological symbols.

• List of Oxymorons
• The Biggest Little List of Oxymorons Online
• Oxymoron Activity

Similes

Similes are comparisons that try to express how two separate completely different things are actually similar. They usually include the word “like” or “as.” Some examples of similes would be “his temper was as explosive as a volcano,” she cries like a river,” “as proud as a peacock” and “as bulletproof as a spongecake.” Similes can be used to describe stereotypes and ironies.

• What Are Similes
• Simile Examples
• Simile Activity

Palindromes

Palindromes are words that can be read the same both forwards and backwards. Some examples of palindromes are level, deed, radar, rotor, and eye. There are also palindromic sentences or poems such as Demetri Martin’s “Dammit I’m Mad.”

• Palindrome Examples
• Palindromes
• Palindrome Words

Rhyming in the English Language

Rhyming words are words that sound the same even if they are spelled differently. “Dog” and “fog,” “tree” and “free” and “back” and “knack” are examples of this. Rhyming words can most commonly be found in poems. Rhyming is a great way to help people remember words easier. For some reason, children love rhyming words.

• Reggie's Rhyming Rhino
• Rhyming Word Families
• Rhyming Activities

For someone who may still need a Spanish translator to understand the English language, some information about these wacky words can be really helpful.