Dear Annie: My direct manager recently deleted me on the networking website LinkedIn. I have repeatedly asked him, in person and through email, why he deleted me, but I receive nothing but vague responses from him. I feel a lack of respect over his deleting me and even more so when he refuses to tell me why he made this decision. We’re both adults here; let’s be mature. I was shocked that he removed me from his connections. Should I be concerned about my position at the company? Am I at risk of being fired? — Linked Out

Dear Linked Out: Who knows why your manager deleted you. Everyone has different comfort levels with whom they’d like to connect with online. It doesn’t mean your job is in jeopardy. But if you keep pestering him about it, you might fulfill your own prophecy.

Dear Annie: I just read the letter and your reply to “Wondering” about correcting mispronounced words. While it’s possible that these people had a speech impairment, it’s also quite possible that they don’t know how to pronounce the words. Having taught English to speakers of other languages for over 20 years, I have plenty of experience with people not knowing how to pronounce words. In my case, my students are often lacking confidence as well as English skills, so I find it important not to further damage that confidence. My strategy is not to call attention to their mistake, but rather to matter-of-factly form a question or response that includes the word, pronounced correctly, of course. In that way, they’re able to hear the correct pronunciation without feeling they’ve been “corrected.” This is even more important in a group setting, as focusing on the mistake would cause further embarrassment in front of others. They may continue to mispronounce the word, but at least they’ve heard it said correctly, and hopefully, they’ll eventually get it right. — Proud Teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages

Dear Proud Teacher: Indeed, this could be a subtle way to clue someone into a correct pronunciation. Thanks for your expertise and for helping so many students.