This link has been bookmarked by 58 people . It was first bookmarked on 08 Nov 2008, by someone privately.
-
27 Sep 11
-
14 Aug 11
-
18 Mar 09
andreea nastase1 - At the end of the day
2 - Fairly unique
3 - I personally
4 - At this moment in time
5 - With all due respect
6 - Absolutely
7 - It's a nightmare
8 - Shouldn't of
9 - 24/7
10 - It's not rocket sciencewords phrases grammar irritating oxford lists education writing university language
-
22 Feb 09
Matt KramerAt the end of the day' Photo: GETTY IMAGES
John Humphreys - Oxford compiles list of top ten irritating phrases
BBC Radio 4 presenter John Humphreys described the phrase 'I personally' as the linguistic equivalent of having chips with rice Photo: MARTIN BEDDALL
Damp Squid - Oxford compiles list of top ten irritating phrases
The phrases appear in Jeremy Butterfield's Damp Squid, named after the mistake of confusing a squid with a squib Photo: Oxford University Press
Heading the list was the expression 'at the end of the day', which was followed in second place by the phrase 'fairly unique'.
The tautological statement "I personally" made third place – an expression that BBC Radio 4 presenter John Humphreys has described as "the linguistic equivalent of having chips with rice."
Also making the top 10 is the grammatically incorrect "shouldn't of", instead of "shouldn't have".
The phrases appear in a book called Damp Squid, named after the mistake of confusing a squid with a squib, a type of firework.
The researchers who compiled the list monitor the use of phrases in a database called the Oxford University Corpus, which comprises books, papers, magazines, broadcast, the internet and other sources.
The database alerts them to new words and phrases and can tell them which expressions are disappearing. It also shows how words are being misused.
As well as the above expressions, the book's author Jeremy Butterfield says that many annoyingly over-used expressions actually began as office lingo, such as 24/7 and "synergy".
Other phrases to irritate people are "literally" and "ironically", when they are used out of context.
Mr Butterfield said: "We grow tired of anything that is repeated too often – an anecdote, a joke, a mannerism – and the same seems to happen with some language."
The top ten most irritating phrases:
1 - At the end of the day
2 - Fairly unique
3 - I personally
4 - At this moment in time
5 - With all due respect
6 - Absolutely
7 - It's a nightmare
8 - Shouldn't of
9 - 24/7
10 - It's not -
13 Dec 08
-
24 Nov 08
steve02169A top 10 of irritating expressions has been compiled by researchers at Oxford
University. -
22 Nov 08
-
21 Nov 08
-
19 Nov 08
-
18 Nov 08
-
thisis amonkeyA top 10 of irritating expressions has been compiled by researchers at Oxford University.
-
17 Nov 08
F AndersonThe top ten most irritating phrases:
1 - At the end of the day
2 - Fairly unique
3 - I personally
4 - At this moment in time
5 - With all due respect
6 - Absolutely
7 - It's a nightmare
8 - Shouldn't of
9 - 24/7
10 - It's not rocket sciencewriting words review news list language humor funny speech university popculture irritating oxford
-
14 Nov 08
-
13 Nov 08
-
12 Nov 08
-
11 Nov 08
-
10 Nov 08
-
tsuyoshi inoueMr Butterfield said: "We grow tired of anything that is repeated too often – an anecdote, a joke, a mannerism – and the same seems to happen with some language."
The top ten most irritating phrases:
1 - At the end of the day
2 - Fairly unique
3 - I person -
Jan ZuppingerThe top ten most irritating phrases:
1 - At the end of the day
2 - Fairly unique
3 - I personally
4 - At this moment in time
5 - With all due respect
6 - Absolutely
7 - It's a nightmare
8 - Shouldn't of
9 - 24/7
10 - It's not rocket science -
09 Nov 08
-
-
08 Nov 08
my serendipitiesThe top ten most irritating phrases: 1 - At the end of the day. 2 - Fairly unique. 3 - I personally. 4 - At this moment in time. 5 - With all due respect. 6 - Absolutely. 7 - It's a nightmare. 8 - Shouldn't of. 9 - 24/7. 10 - It's not rocket science
-
Kerry JAt the end of the day and with all due respect, I personally feel at this moment in time I absolutely think that it's not rocket science that this list shouldn't of gotten this much press. Although it's fairly unique, it's a nightmare that there are people who use these phrases 24/7.
-
The top ten most irritating phrases:
-
-
-
07 Nov 08
-
Doug PetersonA top 10 of irritating expressions has been compiled by researchers at Oxford University.
Would you like to comment?
Join Diigo for a free account, or sign in if you are already a member.