I have made a list of phrases that are simply nonsense. Here you go:
Silverware – it is not even made of silver, unless you live in a mansion, it is actually aluminum or plastic.
Heart burn – not part of the heart, but the stomach, unless your heart lowered itself down your torso
Dry mouth- your mouth will never be dry, unless you are dead
Buffalo wings- since when do buffalos fly?
Dirty rice- if this were the case, I would not eat it
Pretty ugly- which one is it?
Black coffee/white milk – unless you add something, their color is obvious
Slow down- what would be slowing up?
Stand up- as opposed to stand down?
Soft drink- it is liquid, period.
Dragon fly/ cat fish/ spider monkey- which one is it?
pair of pants- this is really just one
TV set – what else does this set have besides the TV itself?
hot fever – it would not be fever if it weren’t hot
hard water – again, it is liquid
Do you have any additional phrases that simply make no sense?
There is a list of commonly mispronounced words in the English language. English is my second language, so I find myself having extra difficulty pronouncing some words. People used to make fun of my accent while growing up. So I have become more conscious of the way I pronounce some words. But at the same time, I have heard many English speaking people also having a hard time pronouncing some themselves, not to mention how to spell them. But my struggle has been steady, some words I manage to master, but others remain a challenge. For instance, the words “refrigerator“, “evaluation”, and “focusing” (the latter almost sounding like a curse word when I utter it) have been interesting to pronounce. Also the words “awkward“, which I prefer to say “strange”, “veterinarian” which I prefer to simply call “animal doctor”, and “food” which I prefer to say “meal”. The latter one I tend to pronounce it like “fool” or “feud”. Still not right. How about “lasagna”, “piranha”, and “coercion”? So many times I find myself rehearsing or simply trying to avoid uttering these words. In my profession, I struggle with pronouncing common terms such as “methamphetamine”, “dopamine”, “marijuana”, “somatoform” , “enuresis”, and “trichotillomania”. So my dilemma has been trying to “fit in” and pronounce these words the way most people, or the way the dictionary mandates. I wonder if this is the same for all those whose English is also the second language or is it also common with those who grew up speaking English. Sometimes I just say to myself “the heck with it, I will just pronounce it any way I feel like it. People should know what I mean!”. But other times I think I should conform to how the majority pronounce words. Nevertheless, I thought I could share some of my experiences in this world of languages. To end, let me share with you some commonly mispronounced words. Enjoy trying to pronounce them out loud. Ready?
Let us be Frank 