Well-known slips include the malapropism, as when Curly of the Three Stooges says, “I resemble that remark!”\u00a0 It’s a confusion of words that sound alike–usually humorous.<\/p>\n

Then there’s the eggcorn, a word used incorrectly, such as, “for all intensive purposes,” or “when all is set and done.”\u00a0 “Eggcorn” itself is an eggcorn for acorn.<\/p>\n

The spoonerism is also common.\u00a0 It’s a reversal of the initial letters or syllables of words, as when Mr. Spooner (the supposed originator) toasted Queen Victoria: “Here’s to our queer old dean!”\u00a0 More relevant for us is an intentional one attributed to Dorothy Parker: “I’d rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.”<\/p>\n

Other common problems are, naturally the pause fillers (Um and his cousin Er); repeated words (“Will-will you marry me?”); repeated sounds (“B-but I just can’t!”); prolonged vowels or syllables, and restarted or repaired sentences.<\/p>\n

Mr. Erard does not discuss “Like, you know, I mean,” but\u00a0I think\u00a0they do serious damage to one’s credibility.<\/p>\n

By the way, did you know that tying down a person’s arm induces blunders while gesturing reduces them?<\/p>\n

Did you know that speaking with your hands in your pockets increases blunders?<\/p>\n

Did you know that Thomas Jefferson was “a verbal bungler with a lisp?”<\/p>\n

Finally, the book makes the case that verbal blunders are normal, “an indelible mark of humanness,” although I have a suggestion.\u00a0 Someone should begin to track the number of blunders the presidential candidates make and see if, over time, the one with fewer blunders wins more often.<\/p>\n