Author not only one to get fired up over language
Sometimes words get abused, and we need a little break
When it comes to the English language, everyone has a pet peeve or two … or maybe 20.
For author Stephen King, the word he would most love to ban right now is “amazing.”
King took to Twitter earlier this week and shared this tweet: “Note to writers: ‘Amazing’ is very tired. ‘Amazing’ needs a long vacation. Therefore, please don’t write about your amazing party, your amazing girlfriend’s amazing dress, or your amazing vacation. Something more pungent & specific, please.”
Without question, “amazing” gets a lot of usage.
In fact, every year Lake Superior State University releases a list of words that should be banished from the English language due to overuse or abuse, and amazing? It made the list in 2012.
That list, by the way, is called the “List of Words Banished from the Queen’s English for Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness,” and it has been compiled every year since 1976.
The list’s 2018 winners included: unpack (misused for analyze, consider, assess), tons (refers to an exaggerated quantity), dish (as in, to gossip), pre-owned (instead of saying used), onboarding (once known as hiring, training and orientation), offboarding (once known as firing, quitting or retirement), and nothingburger (what does that even mean?).
Now, everyone likes to have fun with the English language. Americans love to exaggerate, and we love idioms, and we love to repurpose words or rename things.
But sadly, people also get lazy, and find themselves with crutch words — words that they use as filler, without taking the time to think of synonyms. It’s easy to see how that could happen with a word like “amazing.”
Yuma, if you could ban a word, what would it be? Let us know. Send in a letter to the editor at letters@ yumasun.com, and share your least favorite words.
DO YOU AGREE WITH THIS OR NOT?
As an avid bicyclist, I can tell you firsthand that Yuma’s roads are a disaster.
They are in terrible shape, and everyone knows it. I know of people who have had to make car repairs in the thousands because of potholes, missing asphalt, and simply, chunks of roadway missing. Our roads, even in wonderful neighborhoods like Rancho Serreno, are in such bad shape that people can’t even ride their bikes around there. I’m voting for a small sales tax increase to give the city the money to “Fix Our Roads.”
The initiative is specific, as it states “dedicated” and “only” as it relates to the use of these road repair funds. If passed, it could give the city of Yuma as much as $10 million per year for road repairs — just to keep up with the demand. The funds would be used specifically and dedicated only for road repairs, road maintenance and asphalt replacement. I love my city and, when you want nice things, you have to pay for them . ... We want nice roads, so I say, “We should pay for them.”
Some will say the city has the money. I will say they are under pressure to pay for police and fire and the Public Safety Pension Retirement System. Something has to give. I’m willing to give a 1/2 cent because it’s a point of civic pride. here in the home. Now what makes me lucky is that my gun is such a well-behaved gun. It simply sits there day in, day out, causing no one to go to the emergency room.
I have even tried placing my gun in a different place, closer to the door. After a couple months it sent no one to the emergency room. I’m beginning to think my gun is inadequate.
Maybe if we lived in a city with tough gun control laws like, say, Chicago. They do still have gun control laws in Chicago, right? But wait, according to The New York Times, over one weekend, there were 66 shootings in the Windy City and there were zero arrests. According to USA Today, at the end of July,
Our nation is saddened by the recent events at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. The loss of 11 innocent precious souls and the wounding of six others perpetrated by Robert Bowers in an anti-Semitic fit of rage is reprehensible and tragic beyond belief.
In the aftermath of this carnage, a wounded Bowers was taken to Allegheny General Hospital for lifesaving treatment while shouting at the hospital “I want to kill all the Jews.”
The irony of several Jewish doctors and nurses administering aid upon his arrival is a testament to the selfless sacrifice and extraordinary moral character of these caregivers. They exemplify the spirit of their profession as lifesavers and are immersed in the essence of humanity. There is much to learn from their actions.
In the midst of tragedy, the best of America stepped forward.