Why I miss teaching English

Let’s face it: English is a strange language. I loved learning what caused all of the following.

There is no egg in the eggplant, no ham in the hamburger and neither pine nor apple in the pineapple.

English muffins were not invented in England; French fries were not invented in France. We sometimes take English for granted. But if we examine its paradoxes we find that quicksand takes you down slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

If the plural of tooth is teeth, shouldn't the plural of phone booth be phone beeth? If the teacher taught, why didn't the preacher praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what the heck does humanitarian eat!? Why do people recite at a play yet play at a recital? Park on driveways and drive on parkways? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language where a house can burn up as it burns down and in which you fill in a form by filling it out.

English frustrates people because it is rich in ambiguity. English reflects the creativity of the human race (which of course isn't a race at all). That is why when the stars are out they are visible, but when the lights are out they are invisible. And why it is that when I wind up my watch it starts but when I wind up this post it ends?