Monday, April 30, 2012

Specific vs. Pacific

Alright people, we need to have a talk. The word is 'specific,' not 'Pacific.' (Unless you mean Pacific, of course, then the word is ‘Pacific,’ not ‘specific.’) The easiest way to remember the difference between these two words is there is an 's' in the word 'specific.' And that's just the easiest way!


A further investigation will reveal that the word 'specific' actually means:


While you'll find that the word 'Pacific' is not just a word, but a proper noun and the name of the largest ocean on the planet!


To further drive home the difference between the two words I'll use them in a sentence!


Example: When discussing the Pacific Ocean I'm talking about a specific ocean.

See what I did there? Good. Because the next time you say ‘Pacific’ when you clearly mean ‘specific’ I’m going throw a large, heavy object aimed specifically at your head.

And don't hand me this crap about it being a charming regional pronunciation, because it is not. It is a mispronunciation that ought to have been phased out by the third grade.

4 comments:

  1. Yes, Sweetpea. I feel your pain.

    To all intensive purposes, they’ve learned just the wrong usages, and if it should happen at work, instead of doing all that heavy lifting, you might call in some of the hire ups to diffuse the situation---that is, if you have any at your beckon call.

    Love and,

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hmmm. See http://grammarist.com/eggcorns/for-all-intensive-purposes/
      and
      http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/beck-and-call.html
      !!

      Delete
  2. Filing your reply under "Reasons Why Rachel is Awesome."

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yes. Awesome! I read so much that most of the ones that irritate me are written. I see "phase" when they obviously mean "faze". And at Easter, the Pinny people were talking about "dying their eggs". I saw a printed sign the other day that said: "Loose those last 10 pounds". Makes me grumpy.

    ReplyDelete