11 fascinating facts about English

Steffanie Zazulak
A woman sat on a sofa smiling reading a book
Reading time: 3 minutes

English is one of the most widely-spoken languages in the world, but how much do you know about the language? Here are 11 facts about EnglishÌýthat you might not know.

Facts about English
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1. English is the language of the skies

You might know that English is the language of many lands (it’s the official language of 67 countries) but did you know it’s the language of the skies, too? That’s right, English is spoken by all pilots to identify themselves on flights, regardless of where they are from – yet another way in which learning English improves employability.

2. You or me?

We use the words "you" and "me" all the time, but which of the two do you think is the most widely used? You might be surprised to learn that while "you" is the 18th most commonly-used word in the English language; "me" is way back at number 50. So what is the most used English word? Exactly that: ‘the’.

3. One in a billion

If you were to write out every number in order as words (that is, one, two, three, four…) you wouldn’t use the letter "b" until you reached one billion.

4. No repeats

"Subdermatoglyphic" is the longest English word that can be written without repeating any letters. It has 17 letters in it, and it’s the medical name for the layer of skin beneath the fingertips. Slightly easier to guess the meaning of is the word "uncopyrightable", which has 15 letters without any being repeated, and refers to something that can’t be copyrighted or owned.

5. Shakespeare was an architect of the English language

The legendary playwright was responsible for many of the things we say and write today. These include the words "fashionable", "advertising" and "laughable", and the phrase "fight fire with fire", which means to respond to attack with a similar form of attack.

6. New arrivals to the dictionary

A new word is added to the every two hours. Some include "nerdjacking" (to hijack a conversation with detailed explanations), "undorse" (to reverse a policy) and "Mx" (a gender-neutral form of address instead of using "Mr" or "Ms").

7. Historic word, new meaning

You may know a "twerk" to be a popular, thrusting dance but in the 19th century "twirk" (spelt with an "i" not an "e") it refered to a twisting or jerking movement or twitch.Ìý

8. The origins of English

English originates from Old English, which is its earliest historical form from the 5th century. There was no punctuation until the 15th century. The oldest Old English word still used today that has the same direct meaning is "town". Town has kept the same meaning as its original Old English word "tun" meaning area of dwelling.

9. Time to move

There is a debate about the shortest grammatically correct sentence in English. "Go!" is often mentioned because it has an understood subject "you" and the predicateÌý(the part of the sentence that tells what the subject does) is "go." However, some believe that "I am." is the shortest complete sentence because it includes both a subject and a predicate.

10. The enemies of poets

What do the words "month", "silver", "marathon" and "purple" have in common? They're just some of the words that don't have a "".

11. What's an "Aegilops"?

The longest word in English with its letters in alphabetical order is "Aegilops", which is a type of plant.

Read our blog posts 'Slang terms from across the UK' and 'Commonly misspelled English words'.

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    Exploring the four Cs: Using future skills to unlock young learners’ potential

    By Annie Altamirano
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    What do we mean by future skills?Ìý

    The skills students will need in their future studies and careers are dramatically different from those required previously. Times are changing rapidly and educational institutions and teachers have a critical role to play in developing those skills in our young learners so that they are able to fulfill their potential and have bright futures ahead of them.Ìý

    These skills are referred to as future skills. There is no common consensus on how to define these skills but, broadly speaking, they can be grouped into four categories:Ìý

    1. Ways of thinking

    Skills in this category include critical thinking, creativity, innovation, problem solving, metacognition and learning skills.

    2. Ways of working

    Here, we’re talking about the skills of communication and collaboration.

    3. Tools for working

    Information literacy is an important 21st-century skill, as well as ICT literacy and citizenship, both global and local.Ìý

    4. Life skills

    The final category covers life and career skills, and is all about personal and social responsibility.Ìý

    One way you can encourage young learners to build these skills is through STEAM subjects (that’s science, technology, engineering, arts and math), which will equip them with functional skills such as organizing, planning, cognitive flexibility and self-regulation.Ìý

    The four CsÌý

    The four Cs refer to four important skills for young learners to master: communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity. These are essential, not just in an educational context, but in everyday life.Ìý

    Falling into the first two categories of future skills (ways of thinking and ways of working), these can help children build confidence and self-esteem. They also encourage healthy emotional development.ÌýÌý

    So let’s take a closer look at the theory behind them.

    1. Communication

    We usually think of communication as speaking and listening, but it’s actually much broader than that. Communication encapsulates telling stories, reading, sharing ideas and experiences, body language, facial expression, eye contact and tone. Children learn to decipher the world around them by learning and practicing these skills.

    Strong communication skills, developed early, are directly related to their literacy success. These skills allow children to articulate their thoughts and ideas effectively, and listen to decode meaning. Students then begin to use communication for a range of purposes, and communicate effectively in diverse environments. Furthermore, developing strong patterns of verbal and non-verbal communication also fosters self-esteem and social skills.Ìý

    2. Collaboration

    Collaboration is how young children begin to build friendships with others. At first, young children will watch what others do and say, before moving on to playing together. As they get older, they become aware of other children’s feelings and ideas. Friendships become motivating and they learn how to make compromises and respect each other’s perspectives and skills.Ìý

    Collaboration is enhanced through group work and project-based activities, sharing time with peers. Children thrive when they feel valued by the people around them, not just adults but their peers too.Ìý