By Fatskills Exam Guides Team — the exam nerds behind 28,500+ quizzes and 2.1M practice questions across 500+ global exams.
Pronunciation Perfecting Your Speech How you pronounce the words you choose to say can dramatically support—or undercut—the substance of what you’re saying. Incorrect pronunciation or slurred enunciation reflects poorly on one’s intelligence and ability. While this judgment may be unfair, it’s reality: First impressions count.
To make a favorable impression, try to perfect your speech.
Begin by carefully listening to the speech of others and comparing it with your own. What are the differences, especially between your speech and that of the people you most admire? Consult the dictionary when you hear differences to see whether you or the other person has made a mistake. This moment of truth will quickly improve your pronunciation and help you enlarge your vocabulary. It is one of the finest steps toward cultivation of improved speech patterns. Go to www.dictionary.com to listen to the correct pronounciation.
Following is a partial list of words often mispronounced; perhaps a vowel or a consonant sound is mispronounced, or a syllable is commonly dropped, added, or slurred. Sometimes letters that should be silent are sounded, or vice versa. Study the correct pronunciation carefully. You may be accustomed to pronouncing several of these words differently, but remember: Colloquial pronunciation is not preferable for business standards. Word List abject absolutely abstemious absurd accede accept accession accessories accidentally acclimate address admirable adult aerial ally applicable architect arctic area attack attitude attorney autopsy avenue aviation battery being beneficent bicycle biography breadth casualty champion chastisement chauffeur chestnut chocolate clique comment compromise concave concentrate concierge condolence conversant convex corps creek cruel data deaf decade decisive defect deficit demonstrable depot depths dessert detour diamond distribute divide doing drowned duly duty edition educate elm envelop envelope epitome equitable era err etiquette every exigency exponent exquisite extant extraordinary fact family fasten favorite figure film finance financial financier forehead forte formidable fragmentary friendship genuine gingham glisten gondola government grievous guardian hasten height heinous herculean heroism homeopathy horizon hostile hundred idea ignoramus immediate impious incognito incomparable indictment industry inexorable inexplicable infamous inquiry Iowa irrevocable Italian italics judiciary just knew lapel large latent length library lieu lightning long-lived longevity luxury lyceum manufacture maturity memorable mischievous municipal museum new oblique office often on ordeal osteopath osteopathy overalls parade partner patron pecan pecuniary peremptory piano picture pique plumber positively possess precedence preface preferable prescription presentation radiator radio rambling realm recognize recourse refutable reputable research resources respite revocable robust romance Roosevelt route sagacious schism simultaneous short-lived slippery solace solder sphere status strictly subpoena subtle suit superfluous surprise telegrapher temperament tenet theater tract trembling tremendous tribune tube Tuesday tumult umbrella usurp Utica vagary vehement vehicle verbose was water what wheel whether white wrestle
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