Learn To Say It Correctly!!

[SheriLynnRN]

Doesn't it just drive you insane when someone tells you that Mr. Smith's O2 STAT is 96%?

It's O2 SAT people! Sat, short for saturation. I even hear respiratory therapists saying this. I am sooooo tempted to say something next time, but I know it's just petty, so I needed to vent here. Thank you.

[Spidey's mom, ADN, BSN, RN]

as has been noted several times thru this thread....orientated is correct....

It may be in the dictionary . . . but people still use it in the wrong context.

steph

[1MOM2RN]

I totally know the correct pronounciation and use of exasperated and exacerbated, but I stumble over it every time (but at least I'm aware I'm doing it! LOL)

another one I hear a lot is subscription, vs prescription

I had a patient with "prostrate" issues just this weekend.

and orientated is a huge peeve of mine.

[morte, LPN, LVN]

https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/orientate

it irritates ME as well....but...there it is, quite frankly I don't think most persons using it in the US do it on purpose, therefore they are, I suppose, technically wrong......

[NYcDcG]

AMEN to everything everyone has said. I especially hate 'texted' with two syllables. I'm not sure how it's supposed to be pronounced, but I say it with 1.

Sorry it this has already been discussed.

[SaintsFan1]

as has been noted several times thru this thread....orientated is correct....

No, Morte, It is not correct. You will be oriented to the unit , not orientated.

[PedsED-RN]

I work in a peds ED, and the other day took report from a nurse giving us a heads up about a pt coming in with a "strangulated vulvula"

The doc on that day said if they had a problem involving both the uvula and vulva, then there were bigger problems at hand that we couldn't help with. =) We all got a pretty good laugh out of that one, definitely one I haven't heard before!

[morte, LPN, LVN]

morte said:

https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/orientate

it irritates ME as well....but...there it is, quite frankly I don't think most persons using it in the US do it on purpose, therefore they are, I suppose, technically wrong......

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as has been noted several times thru this thread....orientated is correct....

No, Morte, It is not correct. You will be oriented to the unit , not orientated.

[rn/writer, RN]

Orientated, while acceptable in the UK, Australia, and perhaps Canada, is only grudgingly allowed in the US and is not the preferred choice. At least not when using it to define "familiarize." This is an example of a word that has been used incorrectly so often and by so many that, although uninvited and unwelcome, it has nevertheless elbowed its way into the party. I chalk it up to the idea that adding extra syllables makes a word sound more "edjumacated," as Popeye would say. That, and the fact that we say, "orientation," instead of, "oriention," which just sounds goofy. Oh well.

Here's a new peeve. Queue, as in queue up for the box office. Or having something in a queue as in a holding area or pipeline. The variations I have seen included que, cue, qeue, cueue, ceue, and I'm sure there are others that I have missed. It's an odd combination of vowels, to be sure, but still learnable.

[Scooter321]

RN/writer said:

Orientated, while acceptable in the UK, Australia, is and perhaps Canada, is only grudgingly allowed in the US and is not the preferred choice. At least not when using it to define "familiarize." This is an example of a word that has been using incorrectly so often and by so many that, although uninvited and unwelcome, it has nevertheless elbowed its way into the party. I chalk it up to the idea that adding extra syllables makes a word sound more "edjumacated," as Popeye would say. That, and the fact that we say, "orientation," instead of, "oriention," which just sounds goofy. Oh well...

As a Brit living in the US for the past 11 years, this is one of a handful of words I have had to retrain myself to pronounce and spell so that I don't sound/look ignorant. Aluminum/aluminium was mentioned in another thread. An "I" was dropped on the way over the pond, so it is now (here) spelled and said differently. The same thing is true of orientated/oriented... it started out one way, ended up another. Wasn't it George Bernard Shaw who said that England and America were two countries separated by a common language? (I'm paraphrasing)

While I HATE the fact that so many words are misused for so often they get to join the party (irregardless being my number one peeve there ), it seems a little unfair to classify orientated that way. Yes, it may be considered wrong here in the US, but in truth "oriented" is the pretender, probably mispronounced hundreds of years ago often enough to become acceptable and eventually preferred. I'm happy to live here in the US and definitely try my hardest to conform to (correct) language usage.... when in Rome, and all that......... but it just strikes me as funny that those who speak English the English way are so "wrong."  On the other hand, it does my heart good to see so many people still care about any of this--given the examples I see and hear every day, I was beginning to wonder. 

[rn/writer, RN]

I understand what you're saying, but "oriented" is preferred here in the US, regardless (no ir- attached :nuke:) of its origins. "Orientated" may well have been the guest of honor at the party in Britain, but at the present-day US gala, it's just a crasher.

BTW, glad to have you here. And thank you for the fact that you folks across the pond queue for everything. Keeps the word alive and well.

"Present-day" reminds me of another faux pas. The word "presently" presents a problem when used to mean now, as in, "I am presently taking a class in elephant sign language." "Presently" does not mean "currently," which would be the correct word for this passage. It means soon. "The doctor will be with you presently." The word requires the use of future tense. In other words, you shouldn't be using present tense with "presently." Now, how confusing is that!

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On the other hand, it does my heart good to see so many people still care about any of this--given the examples I see and hear every day, I was beginning to wonder. 

I, too, am thankful that there are those of us who still give a hoot about grammar, spelling and usage. While some say, "There are bigger things to worry about," and to a degree they have a point, communication is difficult enough when the rules are followed.

Little slips here and there may not matter in the grand scheme of the cosmos, but they can introduce a carelessness in both thought and expression that causes a subtle degradation of the language. There is a fine line between evolution and erosion. For example, I happen to like the word "ginormous." The combination of "gigantic" and "enormous" feels playful and adds emphasis, and I would consider its addition to our everyday speech a positive development.

On the other hand, the use of "enormity" to mean greatness in size is incorrect. "Enormity" means extreme in nature, often with a leaning toward outrageous, wicked, or horrible, as in, "The enormity of his crimes astounded the jury." Confusion abounds because there are subjects which are both great in size and outrageous or horrible in nature. "The enormity of the California wildfires . . ." is a good example. They are massive in geography and horrifying at the same time. Nevertheless, the correct word for their extensive size is "enormousness."

As it is misused so frequently, "enormity" is dangerously close to losing its true meaning, an erosion of language, not a pleasant addition or a positive development.

[Scooter321]

RN/writer said:

I understand what you're saying, but "oriented" is preferred here in the US, regardless (no ir- attached :nuke:) of its origins. "Orientated" may well have been the guest of honor at the party in Britain, but at the present-day US gala, it's just a crasher.

BTW, glad to have you here. And thank you for the fact that you folks across the pond queue for everything. Keeps the word alive and well...

Oh absolutely, and I never use "orientated" any more. I just don't think it belongs with the likes of really incorrect, never-been-right-on-any-planet-no-way-no-how terminology (iregardless, alot, I could care less, and the rest). It was correct once and still is in the country of its origin. I don't believe its use necessarily provides much of an indication as to the education, or lack thereof, of those who use it.

Thanks for the welcome, by the way. I'm a medical transcriptionist (MT), and to be good at this work you need to care about language. An MT friend of mine once described us as being the kind of people who would ask "Does anal-retentive have a hyphen?" 

[miko014]

Lots of valid points, RN/writer. With me, there is a difference between the language we use every day with family/friends and the language we use in a professional setting. I don't care if someone "Done did went to the groshrie store yestidday" if they are not in a professional setting. I do wish people would try a little harder than that, but you get my point (I hope!). But if you're at work and talking with other professionals, you should be putting a little bit of effort into correct grammar, pronunciation, and word usage.

So basically, if I am on the street and you say something blatantly wrong, I might :icon_roll. If you're a medical professional and you start talking about someone's prostrate troubles, my skin will be crawling down the hall. 

(And of course, I mean "you" in the general sense!)