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Lesson 23: Learn the Language of Inflation

When prices go up, it is called inflation. In this video, comedian Victor Borge wonders what if language were "inflated" too! (Do you remember we saw Victor Borge in Lesson 20, "Spoken Punctuation"?)

Here are some examples:
Wonderful can become two-derful.
Before can become be-five.
Create can become cre-nine.
Tenderly can become eleven-derly.
Lieutenant (an officer in the army) can become lieu-eleven-ant!

In a sentence, this "inflationary language" would go like this:
"I ate a tenderloin (a cut of beef) with my fork" can become "I nined an eleven-derloin with my five-k"!
And so on, and so forth... (which can be "and so fifth"!)

See if you can follow his story as he reads it. If you have trouble, you may have to repeat the video a few times. Just do your best and enjoy. Good luck!

Click the "Start" button, then quickly hit "Pause"
to allow the video to load.

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