Here are some commonly used clichés in debates, journalism, and
monologues that just drive me crazy. They're trendy, overused, often
used incorrectly, and often applied in places that make no sense just
because they sound good.
Overused Sayings & Cliché:
- "On point"
- "Low-Hanging Fruit"
- "Straw Man Argument"
- "Navel-gazing"
- "Kudos"
- "All in all,"
- "At the end of the day,"
- "Correlation does not imply causation."
- "Jumped the Shark"
Here are some tendencies along the grammatical spectrum that
drive me crazy. Oftentimes these are the result of poor grammar and bad
or no editing. Other times, they are
Phraseology & Grammar:
- Rhetorical Questions that get immediately answered by the writer/speaker
- "How much has A-Rod stunk this postseason? A-Rod has stunk so bad that he struck out 150 times in just 30 At-Bats."
- Tense changes in published works
- Authors or speakers that don't actually make a clear point
- When people use the word "Would" followed by a present-tense verb to indicate a past tense action.
- "Back in 2005, Roger Clemens would post the best ERA of his career."
- Redundancy, repetition, and saying the same thing over and over.
Tips and Tricks:
- http://blog.grammarly.com/post/34095768680/writeworld-mightymur-the-final-brilliant
- Identify Passive Voice by adding the phrase "by zombies" after the verb. If it works, it's passive.
- "She was killed [by zombies]. <--Passive
- "Zombies killed [by zombies] her. <--Active
