What happened to the word literally?
Now, I know that this is going to make some people (my sister) believe that I'm putting on the pretentious hat, but I'm serious!
Listen to a person's conversation sometime. Try not to be creepy about it, but just overhear what they're talking about. Somewhere, most likely, you're going to hear someone say the word literally. Now ask yourself: Are they actually using it the right way?
We all know what literally means. For instance, if a guy was told to "take a hike", and he thought they were being literal about it, he would actually go up into wherever and hike. However, people don't use it that way anymore. Nowadays, it's used like the word seriously. For instance, I've heard people say things like, "I literally thought I was going to be late for class, which literally freaked me out."
See? That's not right. Really, there's only one reason why this bugs me so much. It's because I used to really like the word literally. I know, liking a word. What a weirdo. With everyone using it so much, it becomes kind of like... the word like, you know?
But hey, who am I to judge I suppose? I use the word anywho, which isn't even a real word. Plus, I started that sentence up there with a but. Ridiculous.
That's what's on my mind for this evening. Also thinking about my midterm on Friday... Not excited.
What's a word that others misuse that you can't stand? Do you use any nonsensical words?
I didn't know that people were using literally like that these days. I think that would drive me absolutely mad. I don't know how you can listen to a conversation like that without snorting.
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