Basic English

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Basic English (British American Scientific International Commercial) is a constructed (made-up) language to explain complex thoughts with 850 basic English words chosen by Charles Kay Ogden.

[change] Rules of word use

The word use of Basic English is much simpler and more regular than the word use of full English. Not all the meanings of each word are allowed.

Ogden's rules of grammar for Basic English help people use the 850 words to talk about things and events simply.^[1]

-s / -es / -ies change singular nouns into plural nouns.
-ing / -ed change verbs into adjectives.
-ing / -er change verbs into nouns.
-ly change adjectives into adverbs.
-er / -est or more / most describe amounts.
un- change the meanings of adjectives into their opposites.
The opposite word order with do makes questions.
Operators and pronouns conjugate as in normal English.
Make combined words (compounds) from two nouns (for example "milkman") or a noun and a direction (sundown).
Measures, numbers, money, days, months, years, clock time, and international words are in English forms. E.g. Date/Time: 20 May 1972 at 21:00
Use the words of an industry or science. For example, in this grammar, some special words are for teaching languages, and not part of Basic English: plural, conjugate, noun, adjective, adverb, qualifier, operator, pronoun, and directive.

Related resources
- E Prime - a changed type of English, without the verb 'to be'
- List of simple adjectives

Ogden, C. K. (1940). General Basic English Dictionary. London: Evans Brothers Limited. ISBN 0874713625.