# Apart from "that that", are there other words that ever make sense repeated? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 30, 2012, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apart-from-that-that-are-there-other-words-that-ever-make-sense-repeated/611212 "2012-01-30T18:06:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apart-from-that-that-are-there-other-words-that-ever-make-sense-repeated/611212/101 "2012-01-31T16:25:16Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > You’re a few buffalo short of the max: > > [Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_buffalo_Buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_buffalo_Buffalo_buffalo) And Polish polish polishers polish Polish polish. ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apart-from-that-that-are-there-other-words-that-ever-make-sense-repeated/611212/102 "2012-01-31T16:27:19Z")
Martha Washington was the first First Lady. Cosmologists now think they know what happened during the Universe’s second second. Joe got the first third of the pie, Mary got the second third, and I got the third third. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apart-from-that-that-are-there-other-words-that-ever-make-sense-repeated/611212/103 "2012-01-31T16:28:59Z")
What what? [sub]in the butt[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2012, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apart-from-that-that-are-there-other-words-that-ever-make-sense-repeated/611212/104 "2012-01-31T18:15:05Z")
“[Whatever is, is right](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Essay_on_Man)”. Right? Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![TATG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/50afbb/32.png) [@TATG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TATG)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apart-from-that-that-are-there-other-words-that-ever-make-sense-repeated/611212/105 "2012-02-03T03:57:47Z")
Not, never, cannot, possibly, neccessarily. “Red”, as in, “That is a red red”, “That is a red red red” and so on (and so on for similar words). I’d like to know if “all”, or “every” works. The most plausible examples I can get are the sentences “All all round things” and “All all”. ---
**Author:** ![Pine\_Fresh\_Scent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/43a26b/32.png) [@Pine\_Fresh\_Scent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pine_Fresh_Scent)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apart-from-that-that-are-there-other-words-that-ever-make-sense-repeated/611212/106 "2012-02-03T05:56:34Z")
“Tut-tut, don’t pooh-pooh ‘unknown unknowns’”, Mr. Rumsfeld chided the press corps. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apart-from-that-that-are-there-other-words-that-ever-make-sense-repeated/611212/107 "2012-02-03T08:57:38Z")
You would need a word that, like the _thats_ of the OP and the _buffaloes_ of the classic example, can function as two or more parts of speech that work well together: [ul] [li]Hampton Roads’ roads and bridges are congested during rush hour.[/li][li]After it leaves Manasses, where does Bull Run run?[/li][li]The committee bases bases’ viability not on political pull but on defense needs.[/li][li]Leave the foam rubber pillows up there; get the down down.[/li][li]The law prohibiting left turns turns ten tomorrow.[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apart-from-that-that-are-there-other-words-that-ever-make-sense-repeated/611212/108 "2012-02-03T09:55:53Z")
Is dick a dick or dick Dick or Dick a dick? Okay that one is a rerun from [another thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=14094822&postcount=29). - Etcetera, etcetera. - “Fuck, fuck.” or “Shit, shit.” or “Why, why.” and so on. - You do do it too. - It did, did it? - I done done it. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apart-from-that-that-are-there-other-words-that-ever-make-sense-repeated/611212/109 "2012-02-03T10:19:11Z")
When Elmer Fudd shoots his shotgun, watch the duck duck. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apart-from-that-that-are-there-other-words-that-ever-make-sense-repeated/611212/110 "2012-02-03T10:30:26Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > When Elmer Fudd shoots his shotgun, watch the duck duck. One could argue that those are actually different words which happen to share the same spelling in modern English. The noun and verb come to us through different etymological paths (albeit with the same origin). ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apart-from-that-that-are-there-other-words-that-ever-make-sense-repeated/611212/111 "2012-02-03T10:56:05Z")
William is a lawyer who intends to encourage people write up documents pertaining to your property after death. Will will will wills. When he does his own, Will will will Will’s will. A number of tennis losses in one tournament were bad for Sharpova. That set set set her back. Though those kinds of examples, fun as they are, don’t really count, since the “wills” and “sets” have different meanings and aren’t really the same word. ---
**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apart-from-that-that-are-there-other-words-that-ever-make-sense-repeated/611212/112 "2012-02-03T10:57:43Z")
“Never, never underestimate the power of desire.” ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apart-from-that-that-are-there-other-words-that-ever-make-sense-repeated/611212/113 "2012-02-03T11:26:43Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Though those kinds of examples, fun as they are, don’t really count, since the “wills” and “sets” have different meanings and aren’t really the same word. That’s true. But you could argue that the OP’s example also employs different words. “That that” uses the conjunction \*that \*and the pronoun _that_. Different parts of speech, different meanings (to the extent that a conjunction has any meaning). Likewise, with “had had” and “do do”, the other examples that have satisfied the OP, the first \*had \*is an auxiliary verb that has nothing to do with having something, like the second _had_ does. And the first \*do \*is also an auxiliary verb rather than meaning to act in some way. Probably the only cases where it really is the same word twice are when a word is repeated for emphasis, but then there’s usually a comma between them. ---
**Author:** ![brittekland](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@brittekland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittekland)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apart-from-that-that-are-there-other-words-that-ever-make-sense-repeated/611212/114 "2012-02-03T13:05:59Z")
Oh, details details… ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apart-from-that-that-are-there-other-words-that-ever-make-sense-repeated/611212/115 "2012-02-03T13:44:43Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > One could argue that those are actually different words which happen to share the same spelling in modern English. The noun and verb come to us through different etymological paths (albeit with the same origin). Yeah, yeah. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apart-from-that-that-are-there-other-words-that-ever-make-sense-repeated/611212/116 "2012-02-03T13:55:28Z")
You want to see what people are up to, to see if they can come up with sentences that make sense? ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apart-from-that-that-are-there-other-words-that-ever-make-sense-repeated/611212/117 "2012-02-03T15:00:42Z")
Should you use a preposition to end a phrase with, with the wide choice of words available in English? ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apart-from-that-that-are-there-other-words-that-ever-make-sense-repeated/611212/118 "2012-02-03T15:43:16Z")
The ancient rocks of the Australian Shield may be found down under Down Under. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apart-from-that-that-are-there-other-words-that-ever-make-sense-repeated/611212/119 "2012-02-03T15:56:17Z")
> [@Ximenean](#): > > Probably the only cases where it really is the same word twice are when a word is repeated for emphasis, but then there’s usually a comma between them. No, there’s the one I mentioned back in [post 77](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=14723136&postcount=77) of this thread: Great great grandfather. Great great great great grandfather. And so on back as far as records go. Same word, same meaning, and as many recurrences of it as you can stand. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apart-from-that-that-are-there-other-words-that-ever-make-sense-repeated/611212/120 "2012-02-03T16:10:27Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > No, there’s the one I mentioned back in [post 77](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=14723136&postcount=77) of this thread: > > Great great grandfather. Great great great great grandfather. And so on back as far as records go. Same word, same meaning, and as many recurrences of it as you can stand. Well OK, but it ought to be hyphenated, so not exactly separate words. Not sure if that meets the OP’s criterion. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apart-from-that-that-are-there-other-words-that-ever-make-sense-repeated/611212.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apart-from-that-that-are-there-other-words-that-ever-make-sense-repeated/611212.md?page=7)