You Know?
You know? Apparently, a lot of people don’t.
As one who teaches public speaking at the university level, I shutter when I started hearing things over and over and over. Vocalized pauses have been a part of our speech patterns forever, but one has invaded discourse rather recently. It’s “You know?”
Bite my tongue, but I’ve heard “You know” escape from my lips too. Instead of “uh”, “uhm”, “like” and the like, people are saying “You know”. I’ve heard interviewees say it as many as six times in one reply.
It’s a habit. A bad habit littering our language. I’d rather hear “uh”. What folks need to do is slow down, think about what you’re saying, and pause, you know. It’s driving me c r a z y.
While I’m on the subject, here are some more.
What does “There is no there there” mean? Where did that come from?
When did we start saying people were in someone’s “orbit”? Give some space.
How did something get “baked in the cake”?
Is it another “shiny object”?
Is the “red line” near the “guard rails”?
How did we get in “uncharted waters?” Did we go off the guard rails?
Did it happen “of late”?
Did it happen when something or someone become “unhinged” or “unmoored”?
Is it an “existential” threat?
Are we at an “inflection point?” Huh?
Well, it must come to a “full stop”.
Maybe it’s “a bridge too far”. They keep “moving the goal posts”.
If so, it’s impossible to “center around”. You may center ON.
Then, there are the grammatical issues that drive me nuts.
There is a difference between “further” and “farther”. Look it up.
Something isn’t “very unique”. It’s the same as “completely destroyed”.
“Who” and “Whom” are not interchangeable.
Do you feel “good” or “well”? When?
Which is correct? “Pleaded guilty” or “Pled guilty”. The former is technically correct, but grammatists have given up.
How about, “It may not be 2019, but…” No. “It isn’t 2019 but…”
Here’s one I hear one the news very often: “[Name] has died.” No, [Name] is dead.
Admittedly, some of these useful and descriptive, but they’re often overused, you know.
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