Friday, November 18, 2016

Book Review: You're Saying it Wrong by Ross and Kathryn Petras

I like anything that makes me sound smarter than I am. You’re Saying it Wrong is a handy little pronunciation guide filled with all those pesky phrases that leave even the well-educated scratching their heads. Some of the words like plethora and niche have never given me trouble, but others, I’m sorry to say, I’ve been stumbling around for years. The book isn’t limited to English words. Common foreign ones are also include. I won’t tell you how many times I’ve butchered oeuvre until the Petras set me straight.

The book isn’t dull and dry. It includes a few surprises and interesting backstories on each puzzling word or phrase. My favorite is the correct pronunciation of Dr. Seuss. Yes, we’ve all been sounding like idiots for years. Theodor Geisel created his pen name in honor of his mother. Seuss is her maiden name and it rhymes with voice instead of goose, but English-speaking Americans went with a phonetic pronunciation instead of German.

There are interesting “How to Sound Like A…” side notes that list often mispronounced words associated with areas such as arts, business, travel, and others. Want to sound like a fashionista? The book has the top sixteen designer names so that the next time you’re in Paris for Fashion Week you won’t be mistaken for a dork.

This is a short book and a fast fun read. I recommend you take it to your next dinner party and annoy the hell out of everyone.

I received this from Blogging for Books in exchange for a review. 

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