Butternut

"Also, ban all words that get commonly mispronounced."

Could it be that some of these words are mispronounced because of accents in certain parts of the country?

JusDisDadYaKnow

I'm growing weary of one-sentence paragraphs.

Why do so many people write this way?

They think it adds a dramatic punch to their prose.

Words, chosen carefully, provide ample punch on their own.

No need separate each sentence into staccato paragraphs.

Only to assume a false gravitas.

CocaColaAddict

Really, I'm quite surprised that nobody has yet mentioned the words "like" and "totally," because isn't it, like, getting, like, totally out of hand with, like, everybody totally using them in, like, every sentence?

Edit: I'm referring to speech, of course. It would be appalling if this abomination were to spread into text as well

jamesford

I guess that could be true, but most of the time it's because people are too lazy to pronounce that extra r or whatever.

Looking back on it, I posted this thread without realizing that these words are banned in the context of a college essay (reading comprehension FTL I suppose). Obviously you can't mispronounce a word in an essay, but for the sanity of English teachers everywhere just take the time to pronounce the extra r.

GiggitusMaximus

Ban "stoked" please

gadad

I like to watch sports on TV and I cringe every time the sportscasters praise a player's "athleticism." Having substantial athletic ability is great, but athleticism is only a word to ex-jock sportscasters. The fact that it's so widely used shouldn't make it an acceptable word - that's like saying that the speed limit on a 55 mph road is rightfully 65, just because so many drivers treat 65 mph it as if it were legit.

AKittka

"epic" should be banned from forums, but not from general speech. like when you're with your friends the next day after a crazy night and one says, "dammmmn last night was epic."

last night was sick! no. last night was amazing! haha no. last night was sweet! nope. last night was so fuc...g. epic? YES.

3Point7Student

how about "wicked"?

kelseyg

The heart is absolutely obnoxious, and usually redundant. It's almost always paired with a 'deep' song lyric and it needs to go away.

lol who am i kiddin luv you babe <3

Butternut

JusDisDadYaKnow: I disagree. Both my short answer extracurricular essay and my extended essay for Yale and Harvard involved one sentence paragraphs, and I believe if done right it can be a powerful tool. (Both my essays that involved it were 'epic' :P)

Sally_Rubenstone

I vote to ban "definately." Given that it's not a real word in the first place, that ought to be easy, but it seems to turn up again and again on this forum and in countless college essays, even those submitted by tip-top students applying to the most selective schools.

Maybe it's just a pet peeve of mine, but whenever I read a review that tells me that I "definately" need to buy a particular product, eat at a recommended restaurant, or stay at a suggested hotel, I almost definitely don't!

laxtaxi

Sally, I'm with you on "definately." I don't see this one as frequently on CC but I see it regularly in classified ads: "convertable." Grrr.

Vocabant

That is ridiculous

Lima

^I think you mean rediculous.

:P

hornet

How about these hackneyed phrases "at the end of the day" and "that said". It makes me cringe just to write them, much less hear them over and over again.