Word pairs

Why we say "black and white"—and never the other way around

Credit: Matteo Di Iorio

Ever wondered why we say "black and white" instead of "white and black"? Some word pairs have a fixed order due to rhythm, history, or phonetics. Though not all common word pairings have a fixed order, many do, and in most cases, this order is irreversible—at least without making it sound weird! From "salt and pepper" to "thunder and lightning," here’s why some words always take the lead.

Credit: Filippo Andolfatto

"Black and white" follows a common pattern where darker colors come before lighter ones. This phrase dates back to the 14th century, referring to ink on paper. It also follows the natural English preference for short, strong sounds first.

Credit: Phillip Flores

Salt grains are smaller than peppercorns, and in English, we tend to list things from small to large. The phrase likely became standard because salt, being essential for survival, was more familiar and historically more valuable.

Credit: Neetu Laddha

Bread is the base, and butter is the topping. This reflects the natural sequence of how we prepare and consume food. The phrase has also become synonymous with livelihood, reinforcing its established order in speech.

Credit: Johannes Plenio

Even though lightning comes first in nature—and we see it before we hear thunder—the phrase "thunder and lightning" feels more intuitive, likely because English tends to favor short, strong sounds first.

Credit: Eduardo Barrios

"Give" represents an outward action, while "take" is a response. Many word pairs follow this active-passive pattern, emphasizing initiative first. The phrase has been used metaphorically since the 1700s to describe balanced exchanges.

Credit: JP Desvigne

The human experience begins with daylight, making "day and night" the intuitive sequence. This ordering appears in multiple languages, reinforcing that our perception of time influences linguistic patterns.

Credit: Michael Dziedzic

This phrase follows the standard English structure of presenting the problem before the solution. "Lost" sets the stage, while "found" is the resolution, making it easier for listeners to process.

Credit: Timo Strüker

"Odds" has a shorter, punchier sound than "ends," following the linguistic preference for short-first phrasing. The phrase has been in use since the 18th century to describe miscellaneous, leftover items.

Credit: Al Elmes

This order dates back to chivalric traditions, where ladies were introduced first out of courtesy. The phrasing became a formal standard in speeches and announcements, reinforcing its place in common usage.

Credit: Ana Grave

"Rock" has a sharper, percussive sound than "roll," making it more suitable as the lead. The phrase originated from African American slang in the early 20th century before defining a genre.

Credit: Piret Ilver

The phrase follows a natural scale from an increase to a decrease. English often favors sequences that rise before they fall, making "more or less" the preferred order.

Credit: Ilse Orsel

People react more strongly to heat than cold, so "hot" comes first. The phrase aligns with the body's instinctive sensitivity, which prioritizes heat as a survival concern.

Credit: BĀBI

"Sick" implies a physical state, while "tired" suggests exhaustion. English often places more urgent conditions before milder ones, cementing this order.

Credit: Austin Neill

"This" refers to something immediate, while "that" points to something further away. English naturally prioritizes what is closer to the speaker in sequence.

Have you seen them?

The world’s a stage: 11 Shakespearean film adaptations

Credit: Jeremy Yap

William Shakespeare’s plays are among the most represented and reimagined literary works in history and have been viewed through many different cultural lenses and adapted to multiple formats. Today, let’s have a look at 11 Shakespeare adaptations to film!

Romeo + Juliet (1996)

Credit: Max Kleinen

Let’s start with a well-known modern classic. Baz Luhrmann's 1996 adaptation of Romeo and Juliet sets this beloved play in modern-day Verona Beach, New York, instead of the Italian city of Verona, with Montagues and Capulets as mobsters instead of noble families.

What makes this version so attractive? Besides Luhrmann’s colorful cinematography, the original script is unchanged (only a few characters are given first names), which creates a sharp contrast between the modern scenarios and the Shakespearean vocabulary.

The Hollow Crown (2012)

Credit: Carlos N. Cuatzo Meza

The only TV series on this list, The Hollow Crown takes on the huge task of faithfully adapting Shakespeare’s two historical tetralogies (a group of four works). The first series follows the events depicted by Shakespeare in Richard II, Henry IV (part 1), Henry IV (part 2), and Henry V.

The second series, The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses, follows Shakespeare’s account of the 15th-century Civil War, depicted in Henry VI (parts 1, 2, and 3), and Richard III.

Cymbeline (2014)

Credit: Tony Pham

This modern adaptation of the Shakespearean tragedy of Cymbeline changes the original setting from Ancient Britain to the contemporary U.S., with the feud between Britons and Romans transforming into turf wars between biker gangs and dirty cops.

10 things I hate about you (1999)

Credit: Jonas Jacobsson

This teen romantic comedy has become a cult classic, but did you know it was based on a Shakespearean play? 10 Things I Hate About You gets its storyline from The Taming of the Shrew, where the suitors of young Bianca, unable to get married until her headstrong sister Kate does first, convince Petrucchio to marry and ‘tame’ the elder sister.

In the 1999 rom-com, the Italian setting transforms into a Seattle high school, and the prize is being Bianca’s date to prom.

The Lion King (1994)

Credit: Brianna R.

The literary origins of this children’s classic should not be too hard to discover: A beloved king is murdered by his greedy brother, who then usurps the throne that should go to his young son? This is, obviously, the main plot of Hamlet, with some changes made to make it suitable for children.

But what many people don’t know is that the sequel to The Lion King is also inspired by a Shakespeare play: the love story between Simba’s daughter and Scar’s son loosely follows the plot of Romeo and Juliet.

Ran (1985)

Credit: Gaku Suyama

Akira Kurosawa is regarded as one of the most influential filmmakers not only in Japan but in film history. His final film, Ran (meaning ‘chaos’), is a transposition of Shakespeare’s King Lear to medieval Japan, with the king and his daughters transformed into a warlord and his three sons.

This is not Kurosawa’s only encounter with Shakespeare’s works: before Ran, he had already directed Throne of Blood, a period piece based on Macbeth, and The Bad Sleep Well, a crime film based on Hamlet.

China Girl (1987)

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Several modern adaptations of Romeo and _Julie_t transform the family feud into racially motivated gang wars, one of the better-known being West Side Story. China Girl is also set in Manhattan, but it shows us the love story between Tony, a teenager from Little Italy, and Tye, a young girl from Chinatown.

Get over it (2001)

Credit: Dima Shishkov

This rom-com is a loose adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, where ancient Greece and the forests ruled by fairies transform into a high school, and the quarreling lovers are instead young teens experiencing dating problems.

As an ode to the original, Get Over It also uses the motif of ‘the-play-within-the-play’, with the main characters representing a musical version of Shakespeare’s original play.

Much Ado About Nothing (1993)

Credit: Anton Sulsky

This adaptation by Kenneth Branagh, known for his love of the Bard, may initially look out of place in this list, as it is neither a monumental production nor a different interpretation of the original play.

What makes this version remarkable, besides the talented cast and their interpretation, is how the original Shakespeare becomes accessible and entertaining, making this film one of the most successful Shakespeare film adaptations to date.

Men of Respect (1991)

Credit: Aaron Chavez

This mobster film follows the storyline of one of Shakespeare’s most well-known plays, Macbeth, but reimagines the Scottish original in a modern setting, showing us how the greed of a crime family’s lieutenant leads him to assassinate his boss and seize control of the business.

She’s the Man (2006)

Credit: Darya Tryfanava

Like many of Shakespeare’s comedies, Twelfth Night includes entanglements and women disguised as men. She’s the Man gives us a rom-com modern version of the play, with teenage Viola dressing up as her twin brother and taking his place in a boys’ boarding school.