Overused words - - -
#21
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 673
There is a local radio announcer who puts the phrase "sort of" or "kind of" in nearly every sentence he says. One time I counted eight repetitions of "kind of" in one sentence. Language tics are contagious, so the person he was interviewing was saying "sort of" and "kind of" also. (Isn't anybody sure?) I finally had to scream and shut off the radio because I could no longer follow the context of the conversation; all I could hear were those two offending phrases.
Why is it when people discuss overused words or phrases some clown always has to compose a message using them? I say "clown" because they're supposed to be funny but so rarely are.
Why is it when people discuss overused words or phrases some clown always has to compose a message using them? I say "clown" because they're supposed to be funny but so rarely are.
#23
Power Poster
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Corpus Christi, Tx.
Posts: 16,105
If you ever watch the show "SHARK TANK" almost every entrepreneur potential uses the word "so" to start explaining anything about their product. If you want to stop saying the word just don't. I heard Professors and engineering students use word and I look at DH and tell him "The guy is going to start off with the word "so". I used to use it often til I watched the show. Didn't take me long to break the habit. I have also tried to limit my use of the word "but" and sometimes "and". lol!
#25
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Central NJ
Posts: 5,572
I'm one of the ones who dislikes the use of 'like' but find myself doing it far more than I should. I used to chide the 'younger set' decades ago when 'like' became the norm for every other word. But I find myself doing it more and more when speaking. I'm pretty good when it comes to written words - look for redundancy - not necessarily so much when speaking. Sigh.
#27
I do agree with that - - -
On a literal basis - thoughtlessly using any names of any God or damning something bothers me a lot more than hearing the vulgar four-letter words. Most of them are temporary conditions or messy - depending on the situation.
I don't enjoy hearing the vulgarities, either - although sometimes one of them DOES describe the situation concisely!
On a literal basis - thoughtlessly using any names of any God or damning something bothers me a lot more than hearing the vulgar four-letter words. Most of them are temporary conditions or messy - depending on the situation.
I don't enjoy hearing the vulgarities, either - although sometimes one of them DOES describe the situation concisely!
#30
Super Member
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Myrtle Beach, SC
Posts: 8,145
Not minimizing yourself at work is very important for both men and women. I worked with a project manager ( a guy) who was very good at his job. I liked working with him, more than most project managers. One day, while I was at lunch I heard people who didn't work with him criticizing him.
He had a habit of qualifying every question he asked of the technical folks on the project. He used phrases like:
"I don't know too much about "X", so maybe this question is kind of 'out there'...
"It seems to me that, x and y, means z, but what do I know?"
and so on.
The next meeting of his I went to, he started minimizing himself and I rolled my eyes. That was bad of me, I know, and it even surprised me that I did it. He noticed, and, after the meeting, he asked why I had rolled my eyes.
So I told him what I had heard (not who said it), and I explained why I thought they were saying it.
To his credit, he took the eye roll and my news to heart, did not get angry with me, and I never heard him minimize his own knowledge again. About a year and a half later, he was promoted and was well respected. All that had changed was his personal presentation of himself.
He had a habit of qualifying every question he asked of the technical folks on the project. He used phrases like:
"I don't know too much about "X", so maybe this question is kind of 'out there'...
"It seems to me that, x and y, means z, but what do I know?"
and so on.
The next meeting of his I went to, he started minimizing himself and I rolled my eyes. That was bad of me, I know, and it even surprised me that I did it. He noticed, and, after the meeting, he asked why I had rolled my eyes.
So I told him what I had heard (not who said it), and I explained why I thought they were saying it.
To his credit, he took the eye roll and my news to heart, did not get angry with me, and I never heard him minimize his own knowledge again. About a year and a half later, he was promoted and was well respected. All that had changed was his personal presentation of himself.
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