English Trivia
What do the British call an 'eggplant'?
Aubergine
Generally speaking, when do we use the article "the"?
When we talk about specific stuff, one of a kind, that both we and our interlocutor know about
What are 'computer programs' sometimes called that is related to nature?
Bugs. In 1947 a Doctor from Harvard was trying to fix a malfunctioning computer and found a moth inside that caused the problems.
Why do we have to 'kick back the time' while using Reported Speech?
Because the events we are talking about happened in the past - we do not know if they are true anymore
Which word in English has the most meanings?
Set - 65 different definitions
45. Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis -lung disease caused by the inhalation of ash and sand dust, mostly coming from volcanoes
What is an 'adjective'?
Type of word used for descriptions of nouns (people, things, animals etc. - tall, noisy, heavy)
What is a bird with a very big beak?
Pelican, toucan
What do we use the 3rd Conditional for?
Talking about past regrets, events that we cannot change anymore
What's the world's biggest island?
Greenland
The USA, the UK, the Czech Republic but Japan and Marocco - why is that?
'States', 'kingdoms', 'republics' - there's many of them, however there's only one Japan or Marocco
"By 2025 I will have achieved all my goals" - what tense is that?
Future Perfect
True or false - an ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain
True
What is a 'verb'?
The name of an activity - walk, play, bungee-jump
What does a Scoville unit measure?
Pain, spiciness
Why did the Americans get rid off the letter 'u' in some words? (e.g. honor, color, favorite)
It was cheaper to telegram messages - every letter cost something
Generally speaking, what are the Continuous tenses used for?
Emphasizing the duration of the process - "I was cleaning my room for 5 hours!"
What does 'thorough' mean?
With attention to detail, great care, does things carefully and completely
What tense doesn't change in Reported Speech?
Past Perfect
What is a male duck called?
A drake
Half of the English language is of French origin - why is that?
England was under French rule from 1066 (the Norman Conquest of England) up until 1204. French became the language of elites and English wasn't widely used until ages after
What is an 'adverb'?
Type of word answering the question "how?"; describes a verb ("loudly"), adjective ("very"), another adverb ("too quickly")
Why do we call a pattern with squares "checked"?
Connected to the game of chess - it derives from the Persian expression "shah mat" ("the king is dead"), that nowadays is translated to "check-mate"
When do we use Passive Voice?
When the subject is not important or uncomfortable to speak of for some reason
Which country has the most vending machines per capita?
Japan (2022: about 23/person)