Youre Saying It Wrong, Ross Petras
Youre Saying It Wrong, Ross Petras
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You're Saying It Wrong
A Pronunciation Guide to the 150 Most Commonly Mispronounced Words--and Their Tangled Histories of Misuse

Author: Ross Petras, Kathryn Petras

Narrator: Ross Petras, Kathryn Petras

Unabridged: 4 hr 23 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/17/2023

Includes: Bonus Material Bonus Material Included

Synopsis

For word nerds and grammar geeks, a witty guide to the most commonly mispronounced words, along with their correct pronunciations and pithy forays into their fascinating etymologies and histories of use and misuse.

With wit and good humor, this handy little book not only saves us from sticky linguistic situations but also provides fascinating cocktail-party-ready anecdotes. Entries reveal how to pronounce boatswain like an old salt on the deck of a ship, trompe l'oeil like a bona fide art expert, and haricot vert like a foodie, while arming us with the knowledge of why certain words are correctly pronounced the "slangy" way (they came about before dictionaries), what stalks of grain have to do with pronunciation, and more. With bonus sidebars like "How to Sound like a Seasoned Traveler" and "How to Sound Cultured," readers will be able to speak about foreign foods and places, fashion, philosophy, and literature with authority.

*Includes a downloadable PDF of the complete “How To Sound Like” sections from the book

Reviews

Goodreads review by PattyMacDotComma on October 22, 2016

4.5★ What an entertaining, embarrassingly informative resource this is! When you read it, you’ll understand why I say embarrassing. I can almost guarantee that there will be at least ONE word in here that you’ve either been avoiding or worse, you’ve been saying wrong. There’s a long list of names that......more

Goodreads review by Kristina on September 08, 2016

You're Saying It Wrong is an excellent collection of the most commonly mispronounced words in the English language. Not only does the book give the correct pronunciations but it also gives the incorrect ones and pithy explanations as to why they are so widely mispronounced. It's a great book for rea......more

Goodreads review by Monnie on September 13, 2016

Note: I finished this one in not much more than a couple of hours on Sept. 9. The publisher asked that reviews be held till the week of release. When I first heard about this book, I knew right away it was perfect for me. As a long-time writer, news reporter and copy editor (and now that I've pretty......more

Goodreads review by Chessa on September 20, 2016

Five stars! As a casual word nerd and a lifelong reader, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The entry for each word is only a page, which is enough for a bit of etymology and pronunciation explanation but not too much to get bogged down or boring. The authors really know how to appeal to the reader's s......more

Goodreads review by Jean on October 05, 2016

The book is written by a brother sister combo Ross and Kathryn Petras, who say they are word nuts. I have been fascinated with words for a long time but I have a problem with pronunciation so thought this book might help me. I purchased it as an e-book as no audiobook was available. This book would......more

Quotes

". . . the latest book from Ross and Kathryn Petras, a brother-and-sister writing team. . . .[contains] instructions ostensibly designed to make pronunciation a forte. (It’s pronounced “fort,” by the way.) And designed, too, to spare you the particular strain of embarrassment that results when you learn that you have been pretentiously mispronouncing the name of your already-pretentious sparkling water. You’re Saying It Wrong acknowledges that most modern of problems: the fact that so many of us learn words not by hearing them, but by reading them."
-- The Atlantic

". . . the small tome packs 150 of the most irritating words American-English speakers fail to get right. From gourmet terms borrowed from French to colloquialisms born in the United States to the names of characters endemic to H. P. Lovecraft’s fictional universes (admit it, you’ve always wanted to know how to pronounce Cthulhu), they help readers master both the perplexing and perplexingly simple expressions that make ordering braised endive anxiety-inducing."
-- The Huffington Post

". . . The best way to consume this book is in a room full of people who are from different parts of the country and have good senses of humor. Ask them how they pronounce each word that doesn’t seem obvious. Let the frustration and laughter and discussion ensue."
-- The Awl 

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