What's a "Gnat Gninja"?

Earlier this week, I was a bit concerned about a friend's use of the word "ninja" that I wrote this post on what the word ninjameans in Asia and how words have taken on different meanings in different parts of the world.

Today, I was pleasantly surprised to see this photo with the comment: "So......we have a gnat infestation at work. Thankfully one of my I.T. Colleagues is especially adept at swatting the little buggers......earning him the title of: — 'Gnat Gninja'" I had a good laugh. So creative! Made my day!

In this particular case, I have to agree with the use of "ninja" as someone who is skilled at something. This "Gninja" is an expert at swatting gnats!

The curious thing about the English language is that it's full of quirks and pronunciations that just don't make any sense to the foreign learner. Why is "gn" pronounced with only the "n" sound? Why is the "G" silent? I don't know. I'm not an expert in English linguistics. I just learned that "gnat" is pronounced "nat" and that the "g" is silent. If you want to find out more, go do a Google search. All I want to point out here is that this is a wonderful example of being creative with English words. Since "gn" is pronounced as "n", then let's add a "g" in front of "ninja" to create a new title for this expert at swatting gnats. Hence "Gnat Gninja"!

Yes, English is strange and full of exceptions to the rule. But, we can still have fun with English words. Keep on working on getting to know the English language better. You could well be the next creative writer on the internet!

Happy learning!

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