I was just thinking…
Does everyone have pet words? I do and I hate them. Maybe I shouldn’t use the term ‘pet words‘ because generally, people like their pets. But I do not like my pet words.
Mine are all unnecessary words (or phrases). You can simply remove them and the sentence doesn’t lose any meaning. I’m in a constant state of self-editing because of these words.
I just automatically add ‘just‘ to, like, every other sentence. I just don’t understand it. Maybe it would be okay just once, but I just use it so much.
[As you can see, except for the quoted one, every other one should just not be there. (Oh my god, I just typed that without even thinking… and that one, too… argh!) Go ahead, read it without them. It’s just better. OMFG. I’m a mess.]
I really hate when I throw ‘really‘ all over the place. Why do I do it? I really don’t need it. It’s the same as above. You really can just remove it. So unnecessary.
I think I need to be more confident. I feel like I’m not confident enough. You know why? Because instead of just saying what I think or what I feel, I tend to preface my thoughts with ‘I think…‘ or ‘I feel like…‘ It’s so stupid. Obviously, if I’m writing it, it’s what I think or feel. I think it would be better for me to remove it. I feel like it doesn’t need to be there.
The thing is… these words and expressions just show up when I type. I’m typing this paragraph really fast so I can go back and see how many times I use them. It’s frustrating to be editing all the damn time while I’m writing. The thing is… I lose my train of thought. I think it would be better if I just waited until the end and did a ‘find‘ so I could just delete them all.
Wow… clearly ‘just‘ is my worst offender…
I think I’ll end this post here. I really do. The thing is… I just don’t have anything else to say. I feel like going on would just get boring. And really annoying.
p.s.— I had to lighten things up around here. It was getting too heavy…
©2019 what sandra thinks
what sandra thinks 
Yep, I do this too, all the time lol. Great post 😊.
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This is perfect, great demonstration, but and I like the expression “pet words”. (Although it does have positive connotations in my head.) I’ve also recently noticed that I use “I think” and “I feel” and all their brothers and sisters too much, I need to pay more attention to this.
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When I’m writing quickly, off the top of my head, writing the way I speak, I sometimes don’t bother editing these things. But other times, I try to get rid of all of them!
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I sometimes over use just also –
and like how you wrote anout this use of certain words or phrases
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‘Basically’ aaaaaaggghhhhhh
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Oh, I use that one, too! And ‘anyway…’ Ugh!
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He he! I do that too! I add “lol” or “haha” to a lot of typed conversations. And I fall into the “really” trap as well. Or I start lots of paragraphs with “so” once I had to change like 4/5 paragraphs in a blog post because they all started with “so”. “Like” is a major one too haha! See there I go again!
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‘So’… yes, I use that one, too. I also use ‘anyway’ too much. I can’t believe I didn’t think of that one when I wrote this post!
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Haha I use anyway a lot too!!!
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I’m sure I do this too, but I haven’t yet admitted to a problem. Let me know if I do though. I’ll promptly scoff. 😏
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😀
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So true. We all need to be aware and checked what we overuse. Great post!
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So, I so hate it when people start nearly every sentence with SO. So, it has become really, really (is that necessary?) annoying and appears in lots of “expert” reports on TV, radio etc.
I just wanted to say this post is just great, just great!
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I overuse ‘so’ and ‘anyway’, especially when speaking. I talk too fast SO I don’t catch myself…
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Perfect illustration of why we all need to edit those first drafts haha
Debbie
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I read once that when writing (fiction or whatever), when you’re finished, you should search and remove every instance of the word ‘very’. For some reason, I always remember that!
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Okay, so…I really like this post, and I’m glad you mentioned frequently used words. haha 🙂
I have to skim & edit for Ok or Okay…so many of them when I’m typing something. And, I for some reason have to add a little more to a sentence by saying, and, xxx whatever it is I’m adding on. Looks like a lot of us do this! Fun to read your post, and everyone’s comments (see what I automatically added an ‘and’) Good grief! 🙂
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We all definitely have our overused words!
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OMG this is hilarious. I know I overuse ‘really’ and a few others myself. Thank goodness for the ‘find’ function! 😃
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I’m sure if I look back at my comments, ‘just’ and ‘really’ and ‘I think’ and ‘I feel like’ are all over the place!
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Grammarly constantly yells at me for adding “really” or “just.” I just ignore them. I feel like my words flow better with them there, especially in dialogue. So, it’s your blog. It’s your story. Just leave it! 😉
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It depends on what I’m writing. I know what you mean by the way it just flows better with then. That’s why I try not to pay attention as I go… then delete later if I want to. 🙂
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That sounds like a good way to go!
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Oh my gosh! I always use ‘just’ too. I constantly have to edit it out but sometimes I just leave it. 😂 I also use ‘really’ a lot & another word of mine is ‘like.’ Ugh. Lol.
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For a long time, I didn’t even notice I was doing it! When I started paying attention, ‘just’ was everywhere! I think ‘even’ is another one I over use.
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I use ‘even’ a lot, too!! 😛
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Slightly tangential, related:
There have been gender studies done on the use of quantifiers in spoken conversation (just, really, pretty, very) and women – overwhelmingly, compared to men – use them as a ‘hedger’, especially in business settings. In M/F interactions, where there is an unequal distribution of power, words like this help ‘soften’ messages – especially for male listeners/receivers – and remove perceived ‘threat’.
Sociologically, it’s ingrained. (A la your not even realizing you’re doing it.) It’s fascinating to look at. Especially in these times, I think.
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Wow, that is fascinating. Thank you for sharing that. It makes sense now. I always wondered if there was a reason I used those kinds of words so often.
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