I don’t really know how
to go about this blog because I don’t want to throw anybody under the bus, so
here goes. We all know somebody that
pronounces words wrong without realizing it.
Or maybe they do realize it but they don’t care. And so they keep saying it wrong over and
over and over again. I have been inundated
with people like this recently, but not wanting to sell anyone out, I won’t
mention any names. Except this one, because she doesn’t count. My US History teacher in High School couldn’t pronounce the word Massachusetts. She called it “Mass-a-too-sis.” I think it’s funny that I can’t remember her name, but I can remember this about her.
The question I face in
these situations is what to do. I know
that there are probably things that I say incorrectly and I don’t have the authority
to really speak as an expert on grammar or pronunciation. I know that when I write I use to many
commas, and sometimes I say “to,” when I really mean “too”. And so do I let my friends continue to go on,
blissfully ignorant of the way they say things incorrectly? Or do I correct them and run the risk of
making them mad and experiencing a backlash of all the things I don’t do right?
I’ve always said that a
true friend will tell you when you have a booger in your nose. It’s uncomfortable and slightly embarrassing,
but if I really care about you I will tell you.
Nobody likes being told their wrong, but if it’s done in love correction
is not about telling someone that they are wrong but rather about helping them
to get it right. As a pastor, I don’t
enjoy speaking messages that tell people things they are doing wrong, but that’s
not why I do it. I love my students so
much that I want them to have the opportunity to get it right.
So if I correct your
grammar, pronunciation, or anything else, know that it is out of love and a
desire to see you get it right and not to point out that you are wrong.
Also (and I can’t
believe I am saying this) feel free to add a comment regarding the words I
pronounce wrong, grammar that I butcher, or anything else I may not know about. I would like to stop getting it wrong and
start getting it right (wince).
Apparently if it's misused often enough for long enough we'll just change the dictionary to match it. (See "moot" as in "moot point" for an example: http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/moot)
ReplyDeleteP.S. If you use the Google Chrome browser it spell checks for you just like in Word.
"Nobody likes being told their wrong" should be they're.
ReplyDeleteBut this is a legitimate concern, I worked with someone who pronounced a word wrong every time (apparently everytime isn't a word b t dubs), and I never corrected them on it for fear of embarrassing them. One day a newer employee did correct them, and made a point of doing it in as insulting a way as they could, so I wish now that I had corrected them in a more loving fashion to avoid that.
Also, your title made me lol.
Actually, it should be "Nobody likes being told that he or she is wrong." Nobody is a singular pronoun, thus takes a singular antecedent.
ReplyDeleteEric, as your sister and an English teacher, I must say there are things to correct; however, on a blog, who cares about comma usage (and yes, there are several misused or missing commas...)? I care more about the thoughts here.
My favourite thing was this, though:
“to,” when I really mean “too”.
If it's a period, comma, question mark, or exclamation point, it goes inside the quote, which you got right the first time, but not the second. Haha. :-)