The English language is one of the most expressive and evocative in the world, yet is also the most bastardised and abused by its native speakers. How often do you find yourself being subjected to throwaway, non-sensical terms which add nothing to the substance of a conversation? The sad thing is, more than you probably realise.
Some of history's greatest writers were of English descent and composed magnificent prose whose excellence is surpassed only by its legacy. William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens and the Bronte sisters are all held in such reverence, not only for their storytelling prowess but by their elegant use of the English language.
Fast-forward to the modern day and the English tongue has been abused to the point where irrelevant sayings such as 'this is literally amazing' and 'that is so random' are commonplace in everyday talk. What's so random? How exactly is it so random? And why do we have to add the word literally to provide emphasis to our adjectives. Surely the adjective is expressive enough? After all, the definition of an adjective is a word or phrase describing an attribute. So why do we feel the need to reassert the fact by using the word literally beforehand?
The issue would not be so infuriating were it not so commonplace and proliferate. Alternatively, if to use 'literally' before an adjective is to instill a sense of sarcasm, then perhaps it is slightly more forgivable. However, it seems that the majority of English speakers (and most specifically the English themselves) are using it with no sense of irony or sarcasm. They literally think it is reasonable!
Just imagine how some of history's greatest literary works would've sounded had their authors been inspired by the conversational style of the modern era:
'Alas, poor Yorick! I literally knew him, Horatio.'
Hamlet, William Shakespeare
'"I am literally the Ghost of Christmas Present," said the Spirit.'
A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
'How sad it is! I shall grow old, and horrid, and literally dreadful.'
The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde
It goes without saying, but the incessant use of such words is an affront to those magnificent writers of past, present and future, who strive so hard to ensure that the language is one of unsurpassed elegance.
We should implore the use of proper grammar and expand our vocabularies to the point that shoe-horning inappropriate words into a sentence becomes no more. Only through doing so can we preserve this wonderful language of ours.
Some of history's greatest writers were of English descent and composed magnificent prose whose excellence is surpassed only by its legacy. William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens and the Bronte sisters are all held in such reverence, not only for their storytelling prowess but by their elegant use of the English language.
Fast-forward to the modern day and the English tongue has been abused to the point where irrelevant sayings such as 'this is literally amazing' and 'that is so random' are commonplace in everyday talk. What's so random? How exactly is it so random? And why do we have to add the word literally to provide emphasis to our adjectives. Surely the adjective is expressive enough? After all, the definition of an adjective is a word or phrase describing an attribute. So why do we feel the need to reassert the fact by using the word literally beforehand?
The issue would not be so infuriating were it not so commonplace and proliferate. Alternatively, if to use 'literally' before an adjective is to instill a sense of sarcasm, then perhaps it is slightly more forgivable. However, it seems that the majority of English speakers (and most specifically the English themselves) are using it with no sense of irony or sarcasm. They literally think it is reasonable!
Just imagine how some of history's greatest literary works would've sounded had their authors been inspired by the conversational style of the modern era:
'Alas, poor Yorick! I literally knew him, Horatio.'
Hamlet, William Shakespeare
'"I am literally the Ghost of Christmas Present," said the Spirit.'
A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
'How sad it is! I shall grow old, and horrid, and literally dreadful.'
The Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde
It goes without saying, but the incessant use of such words is an affront to those magnificent writers of past, present and future, who strive so hard to ensure that the language is one of unsurpassed elegance.
We should implore the use of proper grammar and expand our vocabularies to the point that shoe-horning inappropriate words into a sentence becomes no more. Only through doing so can we preserve this wonderful language of ours.
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