You can express yourself better if you learn the proper words to use for each situation.
You can pick up these words by reading good books and articles. Just be careful you don’t pronounce something incorrectly in your head, and then speak that way in public. People will think you’re ignorant.
I remember listening to a radio talk show one time when a man called in and mispronounced a word. The guest, who disagreed with him, attacked his mispronunciation, and the host was clearly embarrassed for him. All in all, it was just an awkward moment. And you definitely don’t want to be initiating awkward moments while trying to drum up business.
Pronunciations do vary depending on your locale, so you could just say that’s how it’s pronounced where you’re from. But there are usually only a few alternatives, and most educated people know of them.
You can learn proper pronunciation by listening to intelligent people. If intelligent people are rare where you live, buy some tapes or visit some podcast directories.
Some well-read people mispronounce words they read all the time but never hear. If you found a great word in...