English is such a weird language...

[Oneironaut]

I've been wondering for a while why English doesn't allow you to create adverbs out of adjectives that happen to end with "ly". In German, there is no problem using "heilig", "freundlich" or "brüderlich" as adverbs, but in English there is no way to make adverbs out of the corresponding words "holy", "friendly" or "brotherly". You can't say "He friendlyly gave me a present." or "The priest performed the ceremony most holyly." You can't even say "He weaselyly cheated me out of five dollars."

Also, what's up with the fact that some verbs just don't work in certain tenses? The words "can", "must" and "should" primarily. You can't say "I will can..." or "I don't want to must..." or "Yesterday I shoulded..." Instead, we're forced to use odd circumlocutions like "I will be able to...", "I don't want to have to..." and "Yesterday I was supposed to..."

Someday I'm going to must fix this screwy language and it will be lovelyly more logical...

Oneironaut Reviewed by Oneironaut on 02-16-2007. English is such a weird language... I've been wondering for a while why English doesn't allow you to create adverbs out of adjectives that happen to end with "ly". In German, there is no problem using "heilig", "freundlich" or "brüderlich" as adverbs, but in English there is no way to make adverbs out of the corresponding words "holy", "friendly" or "brotherly". You can't say "He friendlyly gave me a present." or "The priest performed the ceremony most holyly." You can't even say "He weaselyly cheated me out of five dollars." Rating: 5

[iStaaHi]

I've been wondering for a while why English doesn't allow you to create adverbs out of adjectives that happen to end with "ly". In German, there is no problem using "heilig", "freundlich" or "brüderlich" as adverbs, but in English there is no way to make adverbs out of the corresponding words "holy", "friendly" or "brotherly". You can't say "He friendlyly gave me a present." or "The priest performed the ceremony most holyly." You can't even say "He weaselyly cheated me out of five dollars."

Also, what's up with the fact that some verbs just don't work in certain tenses? The words "can", "must" and "should" primarily. You can't say "I will can..." or "I don't want to must..." or "Yesterday I shoulded..." Instead, we're forced to use odd circumlocutions like "I will be able to...", "I don't want to have to..." and "Yesterday I was supposed to..."

Someday I'm going to must fix this screwy language and it will be lovelyly more logical...

maybe cuz it makes no fucking sense to ad ly where its nnot needed???

[Oneironaut]

But it is needed. "Friendlyly", "holyly", "lovelyly", etc. would be really useful words in my opinion, but we just don't have any way of expressing those concepts in single words like you can in other languages.

[halo]

Yah english is wierd for sure. After studying spanish for a while as well as a basic understanding of latin based languages i just think english is wierd. Other languages are so much simpler (maybe not asian ones. I have no idea how to say or write anything in any asian language.) than english. English is so wierd and messed up no wonder its so hard to learn unless your born in an english speaking country like USA, Canada or UK

[slipknotpsycho]

i think you need to put down the pipe....

"if the pluaral of goose is geese, then shouldn't the pluaral of moose be meese?"

[ToDrunkToFish]

I dont really get it. Whats the point of adding the extra ly? To make it extra 'holy'? Like you really mean that its super holy its holyly. Not quite sure what your sayin here.

[halo]

No its changing an adverb to an adjective. There is no adjective for of holy. You cant describe an action using the word holy.
i.e.
"The priest raised the eucharist in a holy way"
you cannot say
"The priest raised the eucharist holyly"

[Polymirize]

so? figure out a new suffix and spread it as slang. And watch it become official in 5 years or so. that's the beauty of a living language, its still somewhat flexible.

I'm down. I'll smoke a bowl in a manner most holy... holyly? holyic? holiah?

hmmm...

[Skink]

incidentlyly I think this is precariouslyly thought out...

[LIP]

It's the most difficult langauge in the world to learn, and it's also the best.

Just be glad you havnt got to learn Cockney Rhyming Slang.