Friday, November 6, 2009

Buffalo

While I was wasting time today I came across this sentence which, by the way, is grammatically correct and is meaningful:

Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.

If you have seen this before, it is awesome, huh? If you have not seen it before, try and figure it out for a while.

Hint #1: Buffalo is used as the city, bison, and bully here.
Hint#2: I don't have any more hints now. Here is another way of writing it:

The bison from Buffalo that bison from Buffalo bully also bully bison from Buffalo. Cool huh?


I also found another sentence that looked crazy. This one is not punctuated correctly, but it is still pretty neat:

James while John had had had had had had had had had had had a better effect on the teacher.

If you haven't seen it before, I think it is impossible to decipher.
With punctuation the sentence reads:

James, while John had had "had", had had "had had"; "had had" had had a better effect on the teacher.


Another sentence without correct punctuation:

That that is is that that is not is not is that it it is

with punctuation it would read:

That that is, is. That that is not, is not. Is that it? It is.


And then I found some garden path sentences. I already knew this one:

The horse ran past the barn fell

meaning, the horse fell and the horse ran past the barn, but I hadn't seen some of these others, and I thought they were cool:

The farmer threw the cow over the fence some hay


The old man the boat


Very busy day at the jail today...

6 comments:

Kathy Haynie said...

I tried, I really did, but you made my brain hurt. I don't quite get these. Considering all the punctuation-less sentences I read from my high school students on a regular basis that's really saying something. (Hah-serves you right-I left the punctuation out there, too.)

Lisa Lou said...

Yeah, my head hurts too. I finally got the Buffalo one. crazy times. I still don't understand the horse and barn falling or the old man and the boat one.
I think I need some more hints.
I have a feeling Mom will really like these.

Patricia said...

I thought I would like them, but, even before I read the other comments, I thought, "These make my head hurt". I do get the last ones, though. But not Buffalo buffalo. These are you, Chris.

Anna said...

This is chris but i don't want to have to sign out and back in again.
I kind of messed up the horse one. It is supposed to be "the horse raced past the barn fell" meaning the horse that was raced past the barn fell down. That is the horse fell down.
The old man the boat could be rewritten as "The elderly are in charge of the boat."
the buffalo one is easier after you hear someone say it aloud- the inflection is the key.

Bridget said...

I love that Buffalo one. It is fun to say out loud.

Becky said...

I am adequately confused and yet satisfied. I'm glad that we all have different talents...grammar IS NOT my talent. I'm glad I found your blog! And I'm glad you are posting everyday...at least for awhile, right?