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CLICK HERE to Register for a free account and login for a smoother ad-free experience. It's easy, and only takes a few moments.Could be alliteration with the word 'litter', as in 'littering the web'; 'littering your mind'Don’t start...it’s horrible
if you go on twitter, 50% of all posts contain the word “Literally”. I don’t understand why so many on twitter use the word. It’s not a popular word
OK I forgot what we were talking about.Perhaps “they” mean to use the word “liberally?” I mean it’s pretty much a laissez-faire attitude. In fact, dictionary.com translates the origin of laissez-faire: “French, literally ‘allow to do.’ Hilarious.
I challenge you to go on twitter and see for yourself
You’ll see “you LITERALLY just made my point” over and over again. Maybe most don’t notice it, but it bugs the crap out of me.
While we are at it...
I normally visit ESPNBoston.com/patriots via a link....
And for the last 3 weeks the article at the top has been, "Tom Brady praises exceptional Hamilton ahead of sixth title"....WTF?
Could be alliteration with the word 'litter', as in 'littering the web'; 'littering your mind'
More fun examples:
"A good cook could cook as much cookies as a good cook who could cook cookies."
"I saw a saw that could out saw any other saw I ever saw."
Say either of these ten times fast, and you probably still will not be able to see who wins Sunday night because the Pats' and Texans' uniforms are virtually identical.
It's used figuratively, but the fact that you can use the word "literally" figuratively bothers people for some reason
The fact that "figurative" and "literal" are diametric opposites might be the reason.
How many other examples of these types of contradictory terms being interchangeable are there? Slang terms like "bad" or "nasty" are close, bit not quite there because they are specific compliments and not diametric opposites. They're also used intentionally, whereas literally-as-figurative seems to be borne out of obliviousness.
So, yes, this particular word being used figuratively is ridiculous, and justifiably irksome.
So literally is the only word that can't be used figuratively?
Six titles is pretty impressive. Not sure why you have such a big issue with it.
It's not a good idea to speak figuratively while using a word that means you aren't speaking figuratively.
Here's my question for you, what exactly are you being figurative about? It's not like "literal" is an adjective that is stretched to hyperbole to make a colorful point, or a verb that helps personify something. Nor is it sarcasm or wit in using a word out of place.
So what is figurative rather than simple error?
Figurative language just means use of words or phrases that depart from conventional meaning to convey something more complicated. Despite the elementary school laundry list of types of figurative language, there's no strict definition of how figurative language has to be structured or operate in order to work. (Indeed, such a requirement would be contra the whole point of figurative language.)
The word "literally" in a figurative sense usually heightens whatever it modifies - in an ironic way, to some degree. Given that a lot of people use it, one imagines it has linguistic value.
Not sure if I believe all this. How many degrees do you have? Have you ever published in a top ten literary journal as rated by the New Yorker?
I met Joyce Carol Oates once, handed her my short story, and - this is totally true - she personally told me, "Did you fart or was that someone else?"
She’s been known to recognize genius immediately.I met Joyce Carol Oates once, handed her my short story, and - this is totally true - she personally told me, "Did you fart or was that someone else?"
there's no strict definition of how figurative language has to be structured or operate in order to work.
Given that a lot of people use it, one imagines it has linguistic value.
Literally not a grammatical error.