The Word Nerd on the Letter ‘E’
contributed by Connie Kent
The letter ‘e’ is the most common vowel in the English language.
Challenged to make a sentence without once using the letter ‘e,’ Michael Madhusudan Dutt, a nineteenth century Bengali poet and playwright responded:
“I doubt I can. It’s a major part of many words. Omitting it is as hard as making muffins without flour. It’s as hard as spitting without saliva, napping without a pillow, driving a train without tracks, sailing to Russia without a boat, washing your hands without soap. And anyway, what would I gain? An award? A cash bonus? Bragging rights? Why should I strain my brain? It’s not worth it.”
I want to talk with you about this situation. Stop bugging us with this conundrum.
Very slick! This one tickled me, Connie. As they usually do!
Madge