# Mispronunciation/ Poor grammar that bothers you **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 7, 2005, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronunciation-poor-grammar-that-bothers-you/311475 "2005-07-07T17:02:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2005, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronunciation-poor-grammar-that-bothers-you/311475/41 "2005-07-07T20:56:55Z")
> [@Earl Snake-Hips Tucker](#): > > A Gaudere Daily Double! Bad spelling \*and \*incorrect info. Really? It’s pronounced that way? Egads, what a stupid word! ---
**Author:** ![Mint\_Julep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bc79bd/32.png) [@Mint\_Julep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mint_Julep)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2005, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronunciation-poor-grammar-that-bothers-you/311475/42 "2005-07-07T21:51:06Z")
Murk=Milk Axe=Ask ---
**Author:** ![MoodIndigo1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@MoodIndigo1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoodIndigo1)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2005, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronunciation-poor-grammar-that-bothers-you/311475/43 "2005-07-07T22:04:52Z")
My 2 pet peeves of the week: people who say “pronounciation” instead of “pronunciation”, and those who insist upon offering their congradulations. This one really irks me no end. They must say “congratulate”-- so where is the difficulty? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2005, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronunciation-poor-grammar-that-bothers-you/311475/44 "2005-07-07T22:38:48Z")
> [@Earl Snake-Hips Tucker](#): > > From [m-w.com](http://m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?va=inundate). Wait a minute–That link has it pronouncitized with the emPHAsis on the first syllABle. I had it right the first time. ---
**Author:** ![AllShookDown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d9b06d/32.png) [@AllShookDown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllShookDown)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2005, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronunciation-poor-grammar-that-bothers-you/311475/45 "2005-07-07T22:59:50Z")
It seems like more people than not in Wisconsin pronounce the “Un” prefix as “On”. Onbelieveable, onavailable, onnecessary, etc. One of those people is my boss but he’s from Minnesota so maybe it’s a Minnesota thing, too. It drives me nuts. Also see: Sorey (Sorry) ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronunciation-poor-grammar-that-bothers-you/311475/46 "2005-07-08T00:21:28Z")
For the past week or so, I’ve been getting really, unexplicably annoyed at “If I was…” There are bigger, more frequent mistakes out there. I _make_ bigger errors. But right now, when I hear or read “If I/she/he was…” and my mind starts screaming “‘WERE!’ it’s ‘were’ damnit!!!” and I become totally distracted from the point. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronunciation-poor-grammar-that-bothers-you/311475/47 "2005-07-08T00:30:37Z")
_VUNN-erable_ This mirning, a TV reporter was asking a railway union official if he thought Melbourne’s rail system wals vulnerable to terrorist attack. He used “VUNNerable” in the question, and he was answered the same way. There’s an ‘L’ in there, guys!!! ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronunciation-poor-grammar-that-bothers-you/311475/48 "2005-07-08T00:32:26Z")
And of course, “mirning” and “wals” were typos. I don’t pronounce them that way 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronunciation-poor-grammar-that-bothers-you/311475/49 "2005-07-08T02:10:25Z")
Don’t usually care about the regionalisms. I mean, I’m from Texas, talk like a Brit, and live in New England. But… I go absolutely **livid** when I hear “vice-a versa.” WTF does that mean? Vice-versa, people! ---
**Author:** ![nonacetone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonacetone/32/2819_2.png) [@nonacetone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonacetone)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronunciation-poor-grammar-that-bothers-you/311475/50 "2005-07-08T02:35:13Z")
I cannot stand it when people mean to say ‘prostate’ and actually say ‘prostrate’. That one just eats me up! ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronunciation-poor-grammar-that-bothers-you/311475/51 "2005-07-08T02:40:06Z")
> [@Hippy Hollow](#): > > Don’t usually care about the regionalisms. I mean, I’m from Texas, talk like a Brit, and live in New England. > > But… I go absolutely **livid** when I hear “vice-a versa.” > > WTF does that mean? Vice-versa, people! Um, that’s the _preferred_ pronunciation. [vice versa](http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=versa) It’s Latin and in Latin words you pronounce the final “e”. Like “carpe diem” is not “carp diem” (it’s also not “carpodium” which is what a friend of mine who was enamoured of \* The Dead Poet’s Society\* thought), it’s “carp-e diem”. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronunciation-poor-grammar-that-bothers-you/311475/52 "2005-07-08T02:51:53Z")
Oh, I’ve got some that will push me right over the edge: 1. The “Me and …” construction. “Me and Sharon went to the mall.” 2. People who “go”. “And so Sally is talking to Mark and she goes ‘What was that all about?’ and he goes ‘I dunno. What do you think?’ and she goes…” 3. People who “take”. This is one I have never figured out. “I’m gonna take and go down to the store. You want anything?”. What’s up with that? ---
**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronunciation-poor-grammar-that-bothers-you/311475/53 "2005-07-08T02:54:47Z")
> [@tremorviolet](#): > > Um, that’s the _preferred_ pronunciation. [vice versa](http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=versa) It’s Latin and in Latin words you pronounce the final “e”. Like “carpe diem” is not “carp diem” (it’s also not “carpodium” which is what a friend of mine who was enamoured of \* > The Dead Poet’s Society\* thought), it’s “carp-e diem”. Nope. If we were pronouncing it in Latin, we’d say either “weekay wairsa” (classical) or “veechay vairsa” (medieval/church). But of course, we’re speaking English. “Vice” (like smoking) “vrsa.” You’re right about _carpe diem_, though. ---
**Author:** ![E.Thorp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronunciation-poor-grammar-that-bothers-you/311475/54 "2005-07-08T02:57:31Z")
Aw, jeez, I forgot to say what bothers _me_. I’m impatient with people who (1) accent _applicable_ on the second syllable instead of the first, or (2) don’t know the meaning of _comprise_. ---
**Author:** ![surrotobeinMD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@surrotobeinMD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/surrotobeinMD)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronunciation-poor-grammar-that-bothers-you/311475/55 "2005-07-08T03:04:46Z")
> [@nonacetone](#): > > I cannot stand it when people mean to say ‘prostate’ and actually say ‘prostrate’. That one just eats me up! That is EXACTLY what I was going to post. I HATE that one!!! There’s another one and it’s killing me I can’t remember it. I rant about it to DH every time I hear the woman say it. ---
**Author:** ![surrotobeinMD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@surrotobeinMD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/surrotobeinMD)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronunciation-poor-grammar-that-bothers-you/311475/56 "2005-07-08T03:07:42Z")
> [@surrotobeinMD](#): > > There’s another one and it’s killing me I can’t remember it. I rant about it to DH every time I hear the woman say it. I GOT IT… She says " flustrated " instead of frustrated. This, as she’s teaching our adult sunday school class. ---
**Author:** ![flamingbananas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f4b2a3/32.png) [@flamingbananas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flamingbananas)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronunciation-poor-grammar-that-bothers-you/311475/57 "2005-07-08T03:11:20Z")
Heigth instead of height. My dance teacher says it all the time and it drives me mad. ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronunciation-poor-grammar-that-bothers-you/311475/58 "2005-07-08T03:12:27Z")
> [@E. Thorp](#): > > Nope. > > If we were pronouncing it in Latin, we’d say either “weekay wairsa” (classical) or “veechay vairsa” (medieval/church). But of course, we’re speaking English. “Vice” (like smoking) “vrsa.” You’re right about _carpe diem_, though. How would you explain the difference? Not that I agree with you on vice versa tho’, you’ll see in the Merriam Webster entry I linked, “vis-a versa” is the first, more preferred pronunciation. I don’t think it’s incorrect to not pronounce the final “e”, that’s become a commonly accepted variation, it’s just not wrong to pronounce it. ---
**Author:** ![Odinoneeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/97f17d/32.png) [@Odinoneeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odinoneeye)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronunciation-poor-grammar-that-bothers-you/311475/59 "2005-07-08T03:13:18Z")
I suppose most of you would yell at me for my use of the words “videate” and “audiate” instead of “watch” and “listen”. Although this isn’t wrong, the only thing that really gets on my nerves is when my in-laws say “deer meat” instead of “venison”. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2005, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronunciation-poor-grammar-that-bothers-you/311475/60 "2005-07-08T03:31:30Z")
Irregardless. Nukular. Real-a-tor. “I could care less.” (I COULDN’T CARE LESS, you mean. You DON’T care. If you could care less, that means you care SOMEWHAT.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronunciation-poor-grammar-that-bothers-you/311475.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mispronunciation-poor-grammar-that-bothers-you/311475.md?page=4)