Aug 07
Attention: not to be a snob or English major or anything, but here are ten words that make you sound stupid when you mispronounce them. Also see these.
I have a few to add to this list that I hear regularly:
axe: An axe is something you chop wood with. You do not “axe” someone a question.
kindly: This sounds great in a Faulkner novel, but what you mean to say is “kind of”.
laxidasical: The actual word is lackadaisical. I know it is tempting to throw the “lax” in there as if a form of “relaxed”. But no.
supposably: This is a popular one. It’s supposedly.
Again, I’m learning this stuff too. I only recently learned that instead of “for all intensive purposes” it’s actually pronounced “For all intents and purposes”. Who knew?
August 8th, 2008 at 7:14 am
I realize it may be a mute point, but if everybody pronounced things the same way, how would we tell where people are from? My point is, many of these are regional dialects — neither right nor wrong, just different. Still, one should know the proper pronounciation, even if one decides to speak comfterbly, er, comfortably. Maybe then we can have a little Laura Norder. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must go perform a Heineken remover.
August 9th, 2008 at 8:36 am
I agree with Adam.
August 13th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
ugh, i HATE it when people say “for all intensive purposes!”
but i think joey from friends had a better one for “moot point.” he said it’s a “moo point, like a cow’s opinion - it doesn’t matter.”
August 17th, 2008 at 7:32 pm
Adam, since this is your first presidentiary, I’ll let you slide. But your stretgery is questionable, especially since it is obvious our nation must come together to unite.
August 18th, 2008 at 10:48 am
Our children IS learning!