People abusing the LAB
So, nearly finished the first draft of my latest novel. The working title is: “The Crow’s Fall”. Will that change? Don’t know.
Now, I really don’t like to bitch on a BLOG or at any other time on the Internet, because I really see it as a bunch of ticked-off people screaming into the void and that really doesn’t result in much of, well, anything other than that person/people feeling like they’ve now somehow corrected a problem in the world. The real reason for the rant is that they really just wanted to scream because someone took an extra minute getting their coffee this morning.
Having said that, there is something that bothers me about people’s ever degenerating speech habits. I call it “L.A.B.”. It stands for what I find are the most commonly misused words in everyday conversation.
So here’s my bitch-fest put in numbered order for your perusal:
1. Literally
This is misused often as in: “I literally had to get my phone out of my pocket.” Okay, literally means that you were not doing it in a figurative manner. If you “literally” had to get your phone out of your pocket, then ask yourself this: was there a figurative manner in which to do it? You can say that there was literally three men in a tub or there was literally a pig happily rolling in its own filth because those can be taken in a figurative manner and you are clarifying what you mean. So please, never say that you “literally” went to the store, etc.
2. Actually
Again, misused all the time. As in someone asks you a question: “Would you like a banana or an orange.” If you say: “Actually, I would like a banana.” then you are using the word incorrectly. You see, when offered two or more choices and you make choose from the given list than why are you saying ‘actually’? If, however someone asked: “Would you like an orange or a banana?” and you said: “Actually, I would like an apple.” then you are using the word correctly!
3. Basically
Okay, this is a major one for people who like to weave long yarns. If you’re saying basically in any sentence, then you are giving them the quick, condensed version or, to put it simply, you’re giving them the short answer rather than the long one. So if you say “Basically,” and then launch into a five-minute explanation of your walk to the store, then that’s not really that basic, is it? But, if you were to say: “Basically, I went to the store and bought some ice cream.” then congratulations, you’re using the word the way it was meant to be!
And that’s my bitch session. See you next time.
Now, I really don’t like to bitch on a BLOG or at any other time on the Internet, because I really see it as a bunch of ticked-off people screaming into the void and that really doesn’t result in much of, well, anything other than that person/people feeling like they’ve now somehow corrected a problem in the world. The real reason for the rant is that they really just wanted to scream because someone took an extra minute getting their coffee this morning.
Having said that, there is something that bothers me about people’s ever degenerating speech habits. I call it “L.A.B.”. It stands for what I find are the most commonly misused words in everyday conversation.
So here’s my bitch-fest put in numbered order for your perusal:
1. Literally
This is misused often as in: “I literally had to get my phone out of my pocket.” Okay, literally means that you were not doing it in a figurative manner. If you “literally” had to get your phone out of your pocket, then ask yourself this: was there a figurative manner in which to do it? You can say that there was literally three men in a tub or there was literally a pig happily rolling in its own filth because those can be taken in a figurative manner and you are clarifying what you mean. So please, never say that you “literally” went to the store, etc.
2. Actually
Again, misused all the time. As in someone asks you a question: “Would you like a banana or an orange.” If you say: “Actually, I would like a banana.” then you are using the word incorrectly. You see, when offered two or more choices and you make choose from the given list than why are you saying ‘actually’? If, however someone asked: “Would you like an orange or a banana?” and you said: “Actually, I would like an apple.” then you are using the word correctly!
3. Basically
Okay, this is a major one for people who like to weave long yarns. If you’re saying basically in any sentence, then you are giving them the quick, condensed version or, to put it simply, you’re giving them the short answer rather than the long one. So if you say “Basically,” and then launch into a five-minute explanation of your walk to the store, then that’s not really that basic, is it? But, if you were to say: “Basically, I went to the store and bought some ice cream.” then congratulations, you’re using the word the way it was meant to be!
And that’s my bitch session. See you next time.
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