Dear Editor,
Re: “Banish silly expressions,” Letters, Dec. 18.
I must agree with Victor Godin’s wish to banish silly expressions. But, let’s go further and try to improve our grammar.
Mine certainly needs improvement. Here are some things needing the heave- ho.
For instance, if you think something is good, or of which you approve, why say, “Awesome?” And you eastern folks who come from Canada, that part of the country east of Manitoba, can you stop ending every sentence with “eh?”
And why is everything an “issue?” In fact, that usage has crept into many people’s language. Instead of saying, “we’re having a problem,” they say, “There’s an issue here.”
And when politicians are accosted for not “going forward” (just bugging, Victor) with something they promised, they say its “work in progress.”
And “like” is a preposition, not an adverb. The slogan “Winston tastes good like a cigarette should,” is grammatically incorrect. Even the former president of Winston said so. The correct form is, “Winston tastes good as a cigarette should.” Why that incorrect usage from a company that knows better? The company president said it was because that’s the way certain people talk. He meant, of course, dummies, because it’s mainly dummies who smoke.
Then there’s those politicians who don’t use one word when five will do, as in, “At this point in time, “instead of saying, “Now.” Maybe they think it sounds more learned, or that they have been beyond high school.
Then there’s the increasing use of adjectives in place of adverbs as in “This machine works good,” instead of well.
As for Victor’s mention of the constant use of “exactly,” the other word is “absolutely.”
Garry Simpson
Richmond
