Oleander Yuba

People call me The Distinct Elocutionist because I help you go from an ordinary speaker to an extraordinary one.🤩

[Oleander Yuba @tlsdiction]

PRINCIPLE and PRINCIPAL are pronounced exactly the same way.

These too:👇
FLOWER and FLOUR
ABEL and ABLE
BILLED and BUILD
COURSE and COARSE

Which of the pairs did you find surprising?

Add any other pair you can think of in the comments section below.

[Oleander Yuba @tlsdiction]

Hilda Baci is a chef.

The word 'chef' is borrowed from French. It is spelt as CHEF, but pronounced as SHEF.

[Oleander Yuba @tlsdiction]

The word MAGNIFICENT is pronounced as MAG-NI-FI-SENT, not MAG-NI-FI-SHENT.

CHIC (meaning elegant and stylish) is pronounced as SHEEK, not CHEEK.

Reason: Just like CHEF, it is borrowed from French, so the CH is pronounced as SH.

[Oleander Yuba @tlsdiction]

"Reply," like "respond," is often used as an intransitive verb. This means that it does not take a direct object.

Hence, we add the preposition "to."

Please reply the e-mail. ❌️
Please reply to the e-mail. ✔️

Please reply your boss. ❌️
Please reply to your boss. ✔️

[Oleander Yuba @tlsdiction]

Which sentence is correct?

A. I will reply your e-mail shortly.

B. I will reply to your e-mail shortly.

Swipe to see the correct answer, along with an explanation.

[Oleander Yuba @tlsdiction]

We will soon round up the class. ❌️
We will soon round off the class. ✅️

To ROUND OFF means to bring something to a conclusion.

To ROUND UP means to gather or collect (things, animals, or people) together.

Example: The police rounded up and arrested the criminals.

[Oleander Yuba @tlsdiction]

Pronounce the CH in ORCHID as K as in KETTLE, not CH as in CHEAP.

The CH in PARACHUTE and CHANDELIER sounds SH as in SHOP.

Is there anyone who still doesn't know that CHEF and CHAMPAGNE should be pronounced with a SH instead of a CH?

English! It is what it is.😅

[Oleander Yuba @tlsdiction]

I know you don't want to sound drunk, but you should start getting used to the word 'drunk'.😄

I have DRANK water. ❌️
I have DRUNK water. ✔️

For your information, saying 'I have DRANK water' is like saying, 'I have WENT to bed.'🙃

Give it some thought.

[Oleander Yuba @tlsdiction]

Which telephone etiquette rule have you been breaking?

Do not call anyone more than twice, except there is an emergency.

Avoid calling someone who is not close to you early in the morning or late at night.

Do not cut a call you did not place; let the caller cut the call.

[Oleander Yuba @tlsdiction]

The following set of words are all homophones; pronounce them exactly the same way.

You & Ewe
Raw & Roar
Saw & Soar
Draw & Drawer
Core & Corps
Flour & Flower
Principle & Principal

Did you learn? Share this for others to learn.

[Oleander Yuba @tlsdiction]

The title MA means mother (informal).

Do not use it in a formal setting to refer to a lady who is not your mother.

Use MADAM or MA'AM (whether single or married).

Additionally, MISS is for an unmarried woman, MRS. for a married one, and MS. for a woman, married or unmarried.

[Oleander Yuba @tlsdiction]

There is no Z in ASSUME and CONSUME.

Pronounce ASSUME as A-SYOOM, not A-ZYOOM or A-ZHOOM.

Pronounce CONSUME as CON-SYOOM, not CON-ZYOOM or CON-ZHOOM.

A quick addition: pronounce VISIT as VI-ZIT.

You: Why?
Me: English said so.😄

[Oleander Yuba @tlsdiction]

The word MATURE serves an adjective, just like HANDSOME.

Adding a D to it (as shown in the sentence below) is like adding a D to HANDSOME.

He is a HANDSOMED man. ❌️
He is a HANDSOME man.

He is a MATURED man. ❌️
He is a MATURE man. ✅️

P.S: 'He has MATURED' is correct.

[Oleander Yuba @tlsdiction]

A. One of my best friend was there with me. ❌️

B. One of my best friends was there with me. ✔️

Hint: Sentence A = One of him/her
Sentence B = One of them.

Have you observed that Sentence A is becoming more common nowadays?

Share this for others to learn.

[Oleander Yuba @tlsdiction]

There is no HALF in HAP-HAZARD. Pronounce it as spelt.

Shepherd is pronounced with a P, not an F. Say SHE-PERD, not SHE-FAAD.

There is no ASH in ASTHMA. Pronounce it as spelt: ASTH-MA (with the same TH sound in THANKS), or AS-MA.

[Oleander Yuba @tlsdiction]

You have a RUNNY NOSE, not a RUNNING NOSE.

The tap is RUNNING; it's not RUSHING.
But in Pidgin, e dey RUSH.😄

Your stomach is not RUNNING. Simply say you have DIARRHOEA/DIARRHEA.

[Oleander Yuba @tlsdiction]

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, KNACK refers to a skill or an ability to do something easily and well.

Sentence examples:
Jenny has a knack for remembering faces.

Mum has the knack of making people feel comfortable.

There's a knack to uncorking a bottle of wine.

[Oleander Yuba @tlsdiction]

It's unfortunate what my fellow Nigerians have done to the beautiful English word, KNACK. Now, the true meaning is almost lost.😢

I need to set things straight for posterity.

Except in Pidgin English, KNACK does not mean 'to hit', neither does it have anything to do with sex.

[Oleander Yuba @tlsdiction]

Dear man,
The facial hair on your chin and lower cheeks is called a BEARD.

It's not BEARDS, and it can never be BIE BIE, except you're speaking Pidgin.😄

Don't add an 'S', except you're referring to more than one man.

E.g.
His BEARD looks weird.
Their BEARDS look weird.

[Oleander Yuba @tlsdiction]

Please note that the H is silent in the following words:

Honour
Honest
Heir
I did not include HOUR because I assumed that everyone knew that one.

One more thing: the W in SWORD is silent.