I got hung up on contractions this morning regarding the word “you’ve”. Normally, I’d say “you’ve got a problem”, which expands to “you have got a problem”, which isn’t wrong, but I normally wouldn’t say. Not contracting, I’d say “you have a problem”, so then should I just say “you’ve a problem”? That sounds weird in my head. Is this just a US English problem?
Yes, English is weird.
‘Bough’ and ‘cough’ are not pronounced the same. ‘Bough’ and ‘bow’ are pronounced the same. ‘Knee’ and ‘Leigh’ are pronounced the same. ‘Neigh’ and ‘nay’ are pronounced the same. ‘Polish’ (the nationality) and ‘polish’ (as in what you do to a metal object) are not pronounced the same. ‘Tear’ (as in to rip) and ‘tear’ (as in to cry) are spelled the same, but not pronounced the same. Other words which are spelled the same, but pronounced differently:
resume / resume present / present record / record close / close use / use live / live
Except, of course, when “bow” is pronounced “bow” instead.
I shot the boughs with my bow and then gave a bow to my beau!
The last one should be spelled beau if you mean your special guy.
Leigh put the Polish bough over his knee but couldn’t polish it. “What’s the use!” he coughed.
Well they rhyme, but I wouldn’t go as far as to say they’re pronounced the same
Leigh can be pronounced like ‘Lee’ or ‘Lay’
No I know that, but knee isn’t pronounced like Lee :P
What does leigh pronounced lay mean…?