The English Language

Perspective / Prospective is a common error. Also, it's "statute" of limitations, not "statue." Remember on "Seinfeld" when Elaine said "Svenjolly" instead of "Svengali"? :rotfl:
 
Want to laugh....I just wrote the word weird in a post...and then laughed, remembering Muzzaman's post here about i before e, except after c (and then he writes the word society, lol)
but that little rhyme goes on.....or pronounced as A, as in neighbor or weigh.

And there was the word weird, staring at me, not following any rules. Ha.

It is true that hard c, and soft c, become a problem for some. On America's Got Talent last night, Heidi Klum and Mel B were both having trouble saying ventriloquist. LOL
 
I have to watch myself on that one, gramcracker. I know better but it's an easy slip for me.

"Different than" drives me crazy. We had it drilled into us to say "different from."

I just saw a thing about a young man who lost a chance to try for one million dollars on Wheel of Fortune because he mispronounced "curio" in curio cabinet. In talking about it later, he said he had never seen or heard the word "curio."
 
Oh, my gosh. It would have driven me there as well. But then, I know people who say heighth instead of height. And EYEtalian.

I know it is easier to learn to speak a language than to read and write it. I guess other languages have there problems as well. Local dialects, phrases, etc. When we watch movies or TV series made in England, there are definitely different accents, depending on where the person was raised, or lived, I guess. No different that the U.S. Sometimes we talk of a "drawl", but South Carolina sounds different than Alabama, Texas different than Montana, etc.
 
Yeah, I say EYE-talian. Well, not so much anymore but it's how I learned it. Also EYE-ran. And EYE-rack. And WES-consin.

I was taught to leave the "w" silent in toward, and definitely NO "s" at the end!

And it is never correct to say "in back of."
 
LOL, JS. My dad would always correct us when we said "where are you at?" He would say "behind the at"!
 
I remembered this from a long time ago, so I looked it up online.

I cnduo't bvleiee taht I culod aulaclty uesdtannrd waht I was rdnaieg. Unisg the icndeblire pweor of the hmuan mnid, aocdcrnig to rseecrah at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mttaer in waht oderr the lterets in a wrod are, the olny irpoamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rhgit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whoutit a pboerlm. Tihs is bucseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey ltteer by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Aaznmig, huh? Yaeh and I awlyas tghhuot slelinpg was ipmorantt! See if yuor fdreins can raed tihs too.
 
LOL, yes, I have seen that, too, and admit I could read it. However, it is disconcerting to see that gibberish appearing jumble of letters making up words. However, it is amazing that one is able to translate it....but the only reason one can do that, is because one knows the correct spelling of all the words. And what they mean.
 
I cnduo't bvleiee taht I culod aulaclty uesdtannrd waht I was rdnaieg. Unisg the icndeblire pweor of the hmuan mnid, aocdcrnig to rseecrah at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mttaer in waht oderr the lterets in a wrod are, the olny irpoamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rhgit pclae.
Click to expand...

Amazingly enough, I can read that too ! I guess I'm better than I thought in English ! Though we do have that same kind of test in French. Works the same way, really. The human brain is an amazing thing, isn't it ? Well, as long as one uses it... contrary to many of our Salemites. :)
 
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