India, Oct. 4 -- A friend of mine, Kris Srinivasan, a former foreign secretary who went on to become deputy secretary general of the Commonwealth, once sent me an email I want to share with you.

It's about the English language. In part it's a test of your ability to handle it and in part an expose of the idiosyncratic rules that govern this delightful language. But it's also great fun.

To start with, can you read the following sentences correctly the first time round? This is both a check on your pronunciation and also your vocabulary.

Here goes: "The bandage was wound around the wound", "The farm was used to produce produce", "We must polish the Polish furniture", "When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes", "There was a row among t...