Overused words - - -
 

I just realized that i use the word "really" a lot -

I really like - I really think - I really am -

Really?

Awesome - Amazing -

Any that have caught your attention? (That can be printed on this board!)

I find myself using the word ALWAYS too much.

"Fabulous"- I find I use it quite a bit. Think I heard it continually on some tv show. Time to change stations!

After having taken three classes where we were repeatedly told that "always, never, every, and none" (and similar words) should be used with caution - I am careful about those.

So- so I use so as a transition in my conversation, so how do I stop saying so???

"Just." I read an article that said women tend to use this word to minimize what they are asking for, i.e., "I just wondered if you had made a decision yet," or "I'm just checking in." If I say those things and leave "just" out, I feel much stronger.

For me it is "Needless to say..." There are others but I can't think of them right now.

What about when people say "to be perfectly honest..." Don't you want to say, "It doesn't have to be perfect, just honest.

I'm a "just" overuser as well, and I try to remove it from my vocabulary too, for the same reasons Willferg posted. I'm a programmer and it's mostly men that I work with and for, and sometimes I have to challenge coworkers or even an executive's decisions, so I can't be wishy-washy in what I say in those situations. (Not to say it's a real problem for me; I believe that I am treated with just as much respect as anybody else but I want to keep it that way!) I probably still use it a lot in my non-work life without realizing it, but at work I try to be very aware of how I'm presenting myself. I have to pretend to be a professional and a grown-up at work, heh.

I USED to say "like" waaaay too much too. I grew up in So Cal in the 80's so I had a terrible "valley girl" accent when I was a tween and young teen. "Like, oh my god, TOTALLY!! And then I was all like, woooah! And she was all like, whaaaat? Like, we were totally, like CRAZY!!" Ugh! Seriously, that's how I sounded - I must have been so obnoxious to talk to! It took a lot of work but I think I've finally ditched that tendency. I say "dude" sometimes still, and every once in awhile some old childhood slang like "grody" or "gnarly" will work its way into a sentence but I let those stay. I can't deny my heritage ENTIRELY! LOL

I hear a lot of people say "literally" when that's not what they mean at all, and that bothers me and I'm often tempted to say something about it.... "Your head LITERALLY exploded? Wow, you must have an amazing plastic surgeon, your head doesn't look blown up at all!" (But I don't say it...at least not out loud, LOL)

Sorry. My Dh says I apologize waaaay to often for things that I did not do, say, or have control over. I think the tendency is a carry-over from 15 years in retail and customer service. After all the customer is always right and an apology--even if it is for an imagined slight or someone else's mistake--often calmed the waters.

So I am trying to stop apologizing and gee...sorry...was I starting to ramble? :)

One that I hear and grit my teeth to, is "Addicted". I hear too many people talking about something they like say, " I am so addicted to that." My 25-30+ kids use it, and older (than my kids) coworkers have used it.
I don't mean to sound preachy, but when you have lived with someone who has an addiction of any kind, it can be annoying to have the word used all the time like my youngest does, simply because he likes a product.
The other one is "you know". "I went to, you know the movie, you know and saw Beaches, you know and I am now addicted to that movie, you know?"
Sorry... Actually I think we all use a phrase or word to excess at times, and it takes a conversation like this one to make us think about what we say too much, and ways to stop it.

Happy Day!
Susan

I was at some event - and the speaker used "At this point in time . . . " about twenty times.

I started to keep count!

I use "actually" quite often... and when you try to change it's amazing just how often you catch yourself saying it
:D

I say "well" too often. Well, sometimes I use it to buy time while I think of what I'm gonna say. Or I'll drag it out before stating my opinion that's probably opposite what's wanted. ( "Well, I think you know what the truth is, but you don't want to admit it.").

The phrase that makes me want to grind my teeth to bits is "at the end of the day." Especially when I hear it at the beginning of the day!

It is like nails scraping a blackboard (of course they are obsolete so you young'uns just imagine a horrible screech!) to hear:

'actually' - misused horribly repeatedly even on radio and TV

'reach out to' - people in business are always saying they will 'reach out to' someone but it doesn't mean they will ever touch them or speak to them or invite them to anything or give them an assignment or solicit their feedback.....I think it means 'pretend to make an effort at communication and be glad if there is no response'

'gotcha' - someone I know says this repeatedly whether or not she really has got it, or whether the person she is listening to has finished speaking...

Many years ago I had a boyfriend who made fun of how much I liked a movie, book, etc., as in "I really liked it" or "I really, really liked it" and so on. Now I find myself saying "actually" more than I should.

Words overused by others that drive me nuts - amazing (and "she did amazing"); awesome ("he did awesome"); anything that starts out with "so"; "well wishes" (where did that come from? what happened to sending someone good wishes?). I could go on and on but "actually"...I think I've said enough.

The word "perfect"

"Amazing"....used to describe every meal.

Well I don't know about anyone else, but IMHO I would much rather hear... awesome, like, fabulous, so, really, or any of the other words listed, over so many foul mouthed men AND WOMEN, young and old, we seem to encounter on a daily basis, who can't get through a sentence without using the "F" word to describe just about EVERYTHING!!!!! So, like, needless to say, I just think it's really, totally awesome when a sentence can be completed without the use of foul language. Seriously!!!! :)

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. :hunf:

I don't enjoy hearing the vulgarities, either - although sometimes one of them DOES describe the situation concisely!

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.

When people, even media spokespeople start every sentence with "I mean.." If you didn't mean it you wouldn't say it!

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!

I love Shark Tank. Anyway, I say "really" a lot too.

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.

I absolutely love when people use the conjunction " it is" with the word not ( it's not), get it? you will.
peace

I rarely use curse words unless someone has pushed me over the edge. When that happens watch out! I can make a sailor blush...haha My husband says he finds it very attractive that I don't cuss on a daily basis. I never saw the point in it. My step father never cursed and always said you don't need to "color" a conversation with those words.

and sometimes it is!!

!!!!!!!!!!!

I use more exclamation points when posting on this board -

It seems like just a . at the end of admiring a quilt is inadequate when most of the other posts have !!!!

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.

I get so tired of repeated "like', 'you know', 'basically', Some people cannot speak a sentence without "you know' in between every word. Then there others who do the same with 'basically'. I'm especially annoyed by that word being used repeatedly on news and interview shows on tv. But the phrase that makes my teeth grit is "at the end of the day" that every politician thinks might make his/her opinion sound so intelligent. That one is wearing out the mute on my remote. If only they could complete a statement without it!

I am "teaching" sewing to two little girls and the youngest one has pointed out to me that I say "so" often...."so now you need to match the seams", "so now lets cut the threads", " so you can see.....". Funny! She has taken up the word too and we are having "so" much fun with that.

I use "fabulous" a lot. I may have gotten it from Ina Garten who says it all the time on Barefoot Contessa cooking show. Two phrases I am weary of: "at the end of the day" and "going forward".

Don't think (?) I have repeat words in my speech but I get (so) tired of the phases used that are so trendy on the news and tv. Do they not know transparency means "the ability to see through". How often in an interview do we hear the phase "that's a very good question" Well, if it wasn't, I wouldn't be asking.

"Have a nice day" and "you know" come to mind. Especially irritated by four letter words being used as adjectives by the linguistically challenged.

LOL, love this. Now of course I never do this LOL But I do have an Aunt, who always, always says "Now listen" before and between every statement!! Love her dearly!!

See what I'm sayin? See what I'm sayin? See what I'm sayin"? Someone trying to convince you they're telling you the truth. Ok 4-5 words. That phrase drives me bonkers.

I'm from Texas and the phrase I hear used the most and am guilty of it myself is "I'm fixin' to......." I've tried to rid myself of this but it's more difficult than I thought. Soooo I'm fixin' to start sewing. Have enjoyed this thread. It has made me have my morning chuckle.

I believe the term, to die for, is really over....done...passé....yep, abused.

I think the most overused phrases are:

"It's complicated" and "It's unacceptable".