Back in November I tweeted about the overuse of the word "So," which was frequently used at the beginning of a sentence or during a pause in a conversation. I even admitted I was guilty of overusing the word myself.
So (Ha!), I was pleased this evening when I watched a segment on a TV show that included a tongue-in-cheek list of words and phrases that one university suggested be eliminated from use.
Want to guess the word at the top of a list? So!
That brings me to another word, the overuse/misuse of which I find annoying. It is a word usually uttered on TV by reporters or law enforcement individuals (hint) being interviewed by reporters.
Ahem. The word I'd like to hear less often is: Individual.
Rather than saying "the individual was apprehended," why not be more specific? Use the word person, man, woman, representative, pet, or criminal, just not "individual." Individual what?
Okay. Your turn. Any words or phrases you find annoying?
Oh, and my second choice for an overused/annoying word is the word: annoying.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
-
I'm pleased today to host award-winning writer Jan Morrill to Donna's Book Pub. Jan was born and (mostly) raised in California.... -
Recently I finished reading Geese to a Poor Market , written by L. D. Whitaker and published by High Hill Press. The book's setting is i... -
To celebrate the release of my critique group writing pal Doyle Suit's historical fiction YA novel, I'm giving away my advance rea...
How about "absolutely" that has been overworked until it no longer carries a punch. In usage...ME and HIM....
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely is another overused word that has lost its punch.i agree about me and him. Good choices.
DeleteI just (heh, heh, there's an overused word) want people to stop with the misspellings. "Syc" and "sike" are not the way to spell "psych" when you're using it as in a ward for the chemically unbalanced, or for fooling someone.
ReplyDeleteHaha. I just (haha) love your suggestion.
DeleteHi Donna! PART ONE: My husband and I noticed the overuse of "So" last year when watching Shark Tank on TV. (We both enjoy it but he is REALLY into it. I swear he could watch a marathon of episodes!) Anyway...every time one of the Sharks would ask the business owner just about any question, the first word out of his/her mouth was "So..." It seems like it took the place of beginning a sentence with "Well..." PART TWO: The word that annoys the heck out of me, when used concerning houses or decorating: SPACE! What happened to the word "Room"? It drives me crazy, watching HGTV, men and women both walk into a "ROOM" and say, "Oh, this is a nice space!" -or- "Oh, I don't like this closet at all! There's not enough space for my clothes!" AAAAcccckkkkkk! < me running away from them and their "space"! Thanks for a fun blog post!
ReplyDeleteHi Becky,
DeleteYou're welcome. Thanks for your comments. My husband is also a fan of the Shark program. Maybe that's where I noticed the word SO being used so much. SPACE is another one that's overused as well as price point!
P.S. Where can I find your writing on the Panera site? I looked but couldn't find it.
ReplyDeleteNot sure where it went. I submitted it a few years ago. The recipe for Glow Wine is still on the site, but not my name or the story that went along with it. I did a search on my name on the Panera site, and the recipe came up here. https://www.panerabread.com/en-us/mypanera/search.html?q=Donna Volkenannt#search_recipes
DeleteThere are SO many choices, Donna. Constantly battling with the overuse of I. I. I. in my writing even when the narrative is 1st person p-o-v.
ReplyDeleteHi Clara,
DeleteThanks for your comment. Hope you have a great new year.
It's hard not to overuse the word "I" when writing in the first person.
Thanks, Donna! Happy New Year!
DeleteYes, there are SO many! These are simple words, but I search for -- heard, saw, thought, things, it, smiled, very, but, was, that, etc. I could go on and on.
ReplyDeleteHi Janet,
DeleteYou have a great list (Oops. I tend to overuse the word great).
Thanks for you comment! Hope you have a wonderful new year.
So, I think all individuals just need to, like, totally just stop using annoying words, right? As if. Just sayin'.
ReplyDeleteMarcia, Marcia, Marcia.
DeleteYou are so funny!
I love your comment and like, I totally (oops) agree. Right on!
Marcia captured it totally! You know what I mean?
ReplyDeleteHi Linda,
DeleteI totally loved your comment, and I totally know what you mean! (hehehe)
I can't think of any offhand, but I love this post.
ReplyDeleteTHANKS.
Elizabeth
Silver's Reviews
My Blog