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The English language is a tricky matter of business. Whether you came into this world speaking your native tongue from day one or just got on board, many aspects of English are confusing and even ridiculous. The spelling, the grammar, the pronunciations, the meanings that contradict one another, and — obviously — the exceptions to every rule. Even when you memorize everything to a T, you somehow manage to mess something up in the most mortifying way.

I mean, I still lapse into cons-cienc-ious when I'm distracted. And let’s face it, the word necessary is so unnecessarily hard to spell. I mean, how many Cs and Ss do you really need?! But while these blunders may bruise my confidence, they also spark an interest to know more. So allow me to introduce you to one enlightening corner of Twitter called 'Pronunciation Mistake'. With a huge community of more than 212k followers, this social media project is dedicated to the most informative and useful tips for anyone trying to improve their English.

So grab a pen and a notebook because our linguistics-loving team here at Bored Panda has gathered some of their best posts to take your skills to the next level. Scroll down to have a read, upvote your favorite posts, and be sure to share your own experience with the wild ride that is the English language in the comments below.

Although the 'Pronunciation Mistake' project was founded only in May, it has already gained a strong foothold on Twitter. In just a few months, it has grown into a popular outlet that focuses on sharing helpful language advice for anyone willing to learn. At the time of writing, the account has amassed more than 212k devoted fans trying to elevate their English skills to another level.

As the creator plainly states in the bio, "Pronunciation is the way in which a word or a language is spoken." While this is absolutely true, a brief scroll through this list will show you pronunciation blunders are not the only thing they’re after. The account has been branching out to feature an array of different tips and tricks, from spelling and grammar to the many exceptions this beautiful language has to offer.

#4

Pronunciation-Mistakes

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Maiju Niemistö
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Pretty much this :D I understand almost everything, but when I have to open my mouth to speak english, no words come out.

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Robert T
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Some of these don't work. A very friendly dog is not the same as an amiable dog - overly friendly might be a better description, particularly when it is humping your leg. ;-)

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English is the most widely spoken language across the globe. According to Statista, there were a mind-bending total of around 1.5 billion people worldwide who spoke English either natively or as a second language. This is slightly more than the 1.1 billion Mandarin Chinese speakers, while Hindi and Spanish accounted for the third and fourth most widespread languages this year.

The reason behind this is that our world has become hyper-connected, and English has gained a position as the dominant language of global communication. Thanks to the internet, the spread of English has almost certainly accelerated.

No other language has ever been used so widely or stretched across a greater portion of the planet. It has become synonymous with opportunity, a means to reach the realms of education and global business. It has become the language of international commerce, science, diplomacy, and so much more.

#7

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XenoMurph
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

But the word is not "body", the word is "everybody". If it was "Every body" has problems, that would be for the coroner to decide.

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Honu
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Which would still mean they are using 'has'. In this case, the apostrophe is not a possessive. It is eliding letters in either 'is' or 'has'. Everybody has got problems.

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Alie de Hek
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Everybody, have problems. Is a right sentence though? I'm Dutch. Genuine question

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2econdSelf
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Upvote with the hope of it being a Leonard Cohen reference. That's how it goes.

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Robert Trebor
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

But totally reversed if you make it a question: does everybody have problems.

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Amanda Hunter
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

AND a common mistake, the H in Hotel is silent, it's pronounced Otel. And is 'an Otel,' not a Hotel.

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Cammy Cat
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Like advised and adviced. Drives me nuts when I get emails saying so and so "adviced" the person to do xyz

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Julia Sankaran
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have never in my life heard someone make this mistake? How is this a common problem?

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Henry Crank
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Again, if you have this issue... You shouldn't have graduated high school

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Ronnie G
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm guessing this is just a glitch (one of many) in English. Perhaps it should have been everybodies, but some people were too afraid to raise their hands when it came time to complain. Maybe the king used it this way, and all the subjects agreed... "yes, that sounds about right...yep" or it was a part of an expression that is now partially absent, or it was from ancient times when noun cases existed ... ok. I'm on a super thin limb.

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Pamela Worthington-Smack
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The notion of "correct" language is not only incompatible with how language develops, but generally classist when it's not outright racist (here, for example). The only incorrect language is that which fails to communicate.

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Alie de Hek
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Everybody, have problems. That's right sentence isn't it? Genuine question. I'm Dutch.

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Me, Myself, and I
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Your sentence with a comma is basically saying "Here Everybody, have some problems." You're offering problems to everybody. "Everybody has problems" means we all have problems without being offered more. I hope this doesn't confuse things even more!

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Fat Harry
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Cheap and inexpensive do not mean exactly the same thing. Cheap can mean "of poor quality" whereas inexpensive means "doesn't cost much".

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But everywhere it goes, it tends to leave a trail. Its mark can be easily traced in the way its vocabulary has infiltrated so many other languages. As Jacob Mikanowski explained in a piece in the Guardian, English has become an exporter of words. For example, researchers at the IULM University in Milan have noticed that, in the past 50 years, Italian syntax has shifted towards patterns that mimic English models. Moreover, both German and Swedish languages are increasingly adopting English grammatical forms and changing the rules governing word formation and phonology.

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The influence of the English language is undeniable. But as every second language speaker knows, it is also full of weird oddities that are sometimes incredibly difficult to comprehend. Some words are spelled the same but pronounced differently, others sound alike yet have completely separate meanings, and these are just a few examples that make this tongue seem so challenging.

Sure, we absolutely adore the English language with all its twists and turns and quirky in-betweens, even when they are hard to grasp. To improve your level, you must dedicate time and effort and be comfortable with failing. You will mess up sentence structures, passive voice, genders, and even forget the simplest words. It’s a fact. But while it's easy to feel discouraged, it won’t take long to realize that it's the only efficient way to master a foreign language.

#13

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Laika-Mutton
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Is the first You the singular you, and the second You the plural you, referred to in the South as y'all?

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Previously, Bored Panda reached out to Dr. Lisa McLendon to learn more about the pitfalls of learning English, how to keep our linguistic skills sharp, and how social media affects our grammar. As the News and Information Track Chair at the University of Kansas School of Journalism and Coordinator at the Bremner Editing Center, she happily shared her insights.

According to her, some parts of the English language can be hard to learn for foreign students. But the difficulty often depends on the languages they already speak. For example, learning English as a native speaker of another Indo-European language (think Italian) might be easier than being a native speaker of a tonal language (think Vietnamese).

"For students whose native language lacks articles (a, an, the), articles are by far the hardest category of words to master. Verb tense/aspect is also really hard — the difference between 'I read,' 'I am reading,' and 'I do read' is nonexistent in many other languages," the professor explained.

#16

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Monday
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There's a big difference between meeting and catching up....just like there's a big difference between being stupid and being a jerk. Who the hell made these?

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Westernro
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

More like ‘ruh-seet’ with the ruh said quickly - ‘r’seet’.

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#18

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Draperdorf
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am sorrowful and distraught. For a brief period I shall be destitute and only able to buy stingy food. This is due to a colossal bank error, about which I am furious! No one speaks like that...

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Memorizing common words, however, won’t help overcome these difficulties. To truly elevate your skills, try to change your mindset and practice, practice, practice — repeat everything until it becomes second nature. "These don’t pose any difficulties for native speakers who use them correctly without even thinking about it," Dr. McLendon said.

#19

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ToyWyvern
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1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Mad" in British English is short for insane, but in American English it's short for angry.

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#21

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Monday
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Why would anyone think it's "may-may"? Me-Me seems like a more common mistake.

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But second language speakers are not the only ones messing up when it comes to English. An astonishing number of native speakers often make spelling and grammar mistakes such as mixing up 'there', 'their', and 'they’re' or 'your' and 'you're'. Dr. McLendon stated that they have other problems with English, too.

In her experience as an editor and a teacher, she has found that native speakers face issues with past passive participles in speech (e.g. saying 'I had went'). Meanwhile, in writing, they have problems with punctuation, homophones (peek vs. peak, etc.), and misplaced modifiers.

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But even if you feel confident in your English, Dr. McLendon explained your journey isn’t over. "Read! Read widely and frequently. Read magazines, newspapers, novels, even cereal boxes."

"But be careful when scrolling through social media, which, although it can give you a good idea of current slang and shorthand, is often not a great model of clarity, accuracy, or good grammar," the professor concluded.

#25

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censorshipsucks
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

these are not advanced, these are idioms. In particular, american idioms.

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Pat Bond
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Jesus wept! Those are not advanced English phrases at all, normal everyday phrases,

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