Writer's Block: Words that you love and hate
What are your favorite and least favorite words? Any reasons why?
I don't have a favorite word but I hate any and all buzzwords:
Proactive
Outcome
Outcome-based
Cutting-edge
Leverage
Collaboration
Poised (as in "poised to take over the world")
Driven (as in outcome-driven)
Choose/Chose (as in "chose to do xyz" instead of "did xyz")
These are a little old; there are probably some new ones out there that haven't made it to my hate list yet.
Why? They make my skin crawl. I'm sure they were good words once. The first time they were used, they probably were exactly the right word for the context and conveyed a specific meaning. Now, they just mean you know how to use the "right" words. Or, if I'm reading it, the "wrong" words. If I see too many of these in an article, I assume the author really isn't saying anything at all.
I don't have a favorite word but I hate any and all buzzwords:
Proactive
Outcome
Outcome-based
Cutting-edge
Leverage
Collaboration
Poised (as in "poised to take over the world")
Driven (as in outcome-driven)
Choose/Chose (as in "chose to do xyz" instead of "did xyz")
These are a little old; there are probably some new ones out there that haven't made it to my hate list yet.
Why? They make my skin crawl. I'm sure they were good words once. The first time they were used, they probably were exactly the right word for the context and conveyed a specific meaning. Now, they just mean you know how to use the "right" words. Or, if I'm reading it, the "wrong" words. If I see too many of these in an article, I assume the author really isn't saying anything at all.