Pease, not peas, when an uncounted quantity is referred to, as: a bushel of pease, a plateful of pease, some more pease, etc. Peas when a certain number is mentioned, as: a dozen peas, fifty peas, etc.
Pedal—pĕd´al, not pē´dal, when that portion of a piano or harp that is acted upon by the feet, is meant. Pē´dal is an adjective, and means pertaining to the above, or to a foot.
Perfect. I have selected this as the representative of a class of adjectives that, strictly speaking, do not admit of comparison. I have noticed, invariably, that those who appear to be so anxious to correct the error of giving degrees of comparison to a few stereotyped words of this class, such as round, square, universal, chief, extreme, etc., are singularly remiss in calling attention to a great many other mistakes of the same kind that are equally prominent. Amongst the latter may be mentioned the comparison of correct, complete, even, level, straight, etc. It will be admitted that if anything is perfect it can not be more so; and as soon as it is less so it fails to be perfect at all. So, if anything is correct it is perfectly free from error; it can not be made more correct, and if its correctness is detracted from, it is not quite correct any longer. A straight line is one that does not vary from a perfectly direct course in the slightest degree; it can not be straighter and if it could be less straight, it would be curved. It is ridiculous for any one to insist upon a national reformation of a few such errors, and suffer a hundred others just like them to exist without remonstrance. Either nearer and nearest, more nearly, and most nearly, and the like, should be substituted for the degrees of comparison and used with all such words; or people should treat them as all other adjectives, just as the best writers and speakers have always done. The former course is the more desirable; the latter is certainly the more probable.
Perfidious—per-fĭd´i-ous, not pĕr´fĭd-oŭs. Worcester allows per-fĭd´yŭs in addition to the first.
Peony—pē´o-ny) Pæony (pē´o-ny) or Piony (pī´o-ny) not pī´ny as often called. A flower.
Perambulate, not preambulate.
Period—pē´ri-od, not pĕr´i-od. Periodic, Periodical, etc., have also the long e.
Perspire, not prespire.
Perspiration, not prespiration.
Persuade. This word carries with it the idea of success in one's endeavors to convince or induce. "I persuaded him for a long time, but he would not grant my request," should be, "I tried to persuade him," etc.