I hate brain teasers

[Platypus]

I actually don't enjoy "brain teasers" much, but I do like playing with language, so this amuses me.

Think of an equivalent grammatically acceptable English sentence to the one below, the equivalent containing five words only, all the same word:

"Small fish that had previously had their odor detected, detected the odor of other small fish that had previously had their odor detected."

[CCT]

A smelt smelt a smelt.

[Platypus]

All five words have to be the same.

[CCT]

Smelt, smelt smelt, smelt smelt.

[Platypus]

Yep, that's it, but no commas...

Seems strange that "Smelt smelt smelt smelt smelt" can be a proper sentence, but it is.

[CCT]

I think the commas work OK - their use meets the requirements and in this case breaks up the repetition.

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_comma.html

[Platypus]

It isn't whether the commas work, the specification was five words only.

[CCT]

'grammatically acceptable English sentence';

If the commas have to go, so does the period, and then that breaks the 'English sentence' component. Rules are such taudry things!

:)