Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
"To air on the side of caution"
Would this mean being careful about what you disclose?
Or to be careful about leaving one's fly open.
That reminds me of recently hearing "To err is human . . . " But pronouncing "err" like the first syllable of ermine, [UR-min] instead of the first syllable of error, [ER-er] or "AIR-er" the obvious noun form of the same stem. Though they are both acceptable for "err" I suspect [ur] like ermine is based on a misunderstood spelling pronunciation.
I wish I could say that this mispronunciation is of recent vintage.
When I was in 1st grade, my teacher used to do a daily current events & weather update with us, noting the information on the chalkboard. It was titled "Our News", but she pronounced it as, "Are News".
Because my mother was a fanatic on proper enunciation, I knew (somehow) that my teacher's pronunciation must be incorrect, but...Who was I to question the voice of authority in the classroom?
When did this scenario take place?
In 1954!
While I have not observed people substituting "are" for "our" in their writing, I guess that what you observed is just the next step in modern day language-slaughtering.
This may not make me sound like the most intelligent person, but, how, exactly, do you pronounce "our" so that it doesn't sound like "hour" if you don't pronounce it as "are?" I'm from a region of the United States where this error is committed quite frequently, and I'm not even sure I pronounce it right one-hundred percent of the time. A mnemonic trick would be nice. I will join the proud grammar Nazis (or is it grammar police?) one of these days; just wait and see!
This may not make me sound like the most intelligent person, but, how, exactly, do you pronounce "our" so that it doesn't sound like "hour" if you don't pronounce it as "are?" I'm from a region of the United States where this error is committed quite frequently, and I'm not even sure I pronounce it right one-hundred percent of the time. A mnemonic trick would be nice. I will join the proud grammar Nazis (or is it grammar police?) one of these days; just wait and see!
"Our" is pronounced the same as "hour" is pronounced.
Ah, you're so sweet! I hope you had a Mary Christmas, too!
And two the too of you as we'll !
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
