The English language can be pretty darn confusing sometimes. With the same words having different meanings, different words being pronounced the same, and ever-changing slang, the English language is no stranger to bendy laws, but we have measures, like I before E except after C (except when your foreign neighbor Keith receives eight counterfeit beige sleighs seized from feisty weightlifters in a caffeinated heist. Weird.)

As such, strange sentences can pop up now and then. So, for example, what if I told you that

“Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo”

is a grammatically correct sentence?

You’d be shocked. If you aren’t, please act like you are.

As strange as it is, it is true! This is because “buffalo” in this case has three meanings:

• a bison
• a city in New York
• a verb meaning to “outwit, confuse, deceive, intimidate, or baffle”

So, when we use that, the sentence comes out as

“Buffalo bison Buffalo bison intimidate intimidate Buffalo bison”

Confusing? It isn’t. Rewrite it as this:

“Bison from Buffalo, New York, which intimidate other bison from Buffalo, New York, both in turn intimidate other bison from Buffalo, New York.”

Got it?

The English language has more of these sentences than you think. With different meanings of different words, the English language is never consistent, but that’s what I love about it. It’s always changing, leaving room for incredible facts about linguistics.

Now, if you don’t mind me, I’m headed to the Buffalo zoo to watch some Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo!