Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo

“Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.”

This sentence is grammatically correct because it uses the word “buffalo” in three distinct ways:

• “Buffalo” (proper noun): Refers to the town of Buffalo, New York.

• “buffalo” (noun): Refers to the animal, a type of bison.

• “buffalo” (verb): Means to bully, confuse, or intimidate.

Quick Sentence Breakdown:

• “Buffalo buffalo”: Buffalo (the animals) from Buffalo (the town).

• “Buffalo buffalo buffalo”: Buffalo (the animals) from Buffalo (the town) who are bullied (verb) by other buffalo (the animals).

• “buffalo Buffalo buffalo”: Bully (verb) other buffalo (the animals) from Buffalo (the town).

What the Sentence Means

The buffalo from Buffalo who are bullied by buffalo from Buffalo bully buffalo from Buffalo.

OR

The bison from Buffalo (New York) that are bullied by other bison from Buffalo (New York) go on to bully yet more bison from Buffalo.

Let’s Break It Down Step by Step

• First part: “Buffalo buffalo” — Bison that live in Buffalo, New York.

• Middle part: “Buffalo buffalo buffalo” — These bison are bullied (verb) by other bison from Buffalo.

• Last part: “buffalo Buffalo buffalo” — These bullied bison, in turn, bully other bison from Buffalo.

Another Way to Understand It

Let’s rephrase it with explanations:

• “Buffalo (the animals) from Buffalo (the city) who are buffaloed (bullied) by Buffalo buffalo (other animals from Buffalo) buffalo (bully) Buffalo buffalo (other animals from Buffalo).”

Even though it looks confusing, it follows all grammar rules. It’s a good example of how one word can have different roles (noun, verb, proper noun) in a single sentence.

A Fun Comparison

Here’s a simpler sentence with the same idea:

• “Dogs dogs dog dog dogs.”
  This means: “The kind of dogs that other dogs bother also bother other dogs.”

Want More Help?

Still scratching your head? Check out Emma Bryce’s explanation in this video.