Questions tagged [filler-words]

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-1 votes
2 answers
86 views

A word or phrase to say:- its redundant to compare the two subjects

I am trying to make a person understand a theory. I do so by at first, describing in lengthy depth the game of "peek-a-boo" and how babies have no concept of the real world. I then would ...
0 votes
0 answers
25 views

What is the X here?--I'm on a X for time

I'm trying to say I have "less time" these days. I heard my english teacher use a sentence like: "I'm on a crutch for time" and I understood from context that it means they lack ...
0 votes
0 answers
66 views

Grammatical rules describing use of "um", "so", "basically" in spoken language?

Use of filler words seems to be proscribed as bad or incorrect, yet they also seem so common that they are part of spoken language. Whether desirable or not, are there grammatical rules that describe ...
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1 vote
0 answers
37 views

Using present perfect in recent past question?

The recent water crisis in Johannesburg ____ global attention. A) gained B) has gained I think both of the answers are correct. Because it's talking about the recent past then has gained can be used....
  • 221
0 votes
4 answers
2k views

Alternatives to the phrase 'I was like..'

In recent times I have encountered the phrase ‘I was like…’ a lot. Examples include He told me something, and I was like dude really? I was going along the street, and suddenly something ...
  • 103
2 votes
0 answers
52 views

What does *say* mean in "Say, could you bring us the knife?"? [duplicate]

What is the meaning of say in the following sentence: - Say, could you bring us the knife? - Knife? - Yeah. Thank you. (12 Angry Men, 1957) I can guess that it is some kind of filler ...
4 votes
4 answers
399 views

Term for a word used to pad a sentence while the speaker thinks of what to say next [duplicate]

Is there a word for a term employed to play for time and allow the speaker a little longer to work out what he/she wants to say next? Words like um and er fall into this category, of course, but so (...
0 votes
0 answers
51 views

What do you call the event when a person says "ahhhhhhmm..."? [duplicate]

One of the person here keeps on saying those words, I want to say that he needs to avoid that but I can't describe it. Example: Me: Please example the following to me. Him: That object is the result ...
1 vote
1 answer
65 views

"Ring" when I talk with somebody on phone [closed]

i am glad to join with you. this is first question for me in this website. Which of the following is correct? Can I ring you back in? Can I ring you back on? thanks
1 vote
1 answer
1k views

What do you call superfluous filler words like 'So' 'Anyhow' 'Anyway'?

Examples: Anyway, after that I went home and went to sleep. Anyhow, do you want to go for a drink? So then, I was chatting to this girl and... Now, Bob was a nice guy, but socially inept. Her cooking ...
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3 votes
4 answers
17k views

What's a word for someone who just gets other people to deal with problems

What's a word for someone who, whenever there's a problem that needs to be solved, doesn't solve it and either pretends it isn't there, or gets someone else to deal with it?
  • 31
7 votes
2 answers
16k views

Replacement for the annoying habit of saying "I was like"

I am new here, so my first question would be to ask about an annoying habit that I, as well as many other people out there, seem to have... During the telling of a story I will often say this one ...
0 votes
1 answer
1k views

Comma after introductory discourse marker

When beginning a sentence with "well", do you put a comma after it? Well, you know I was wrong. Well you know I was wrong.
9 votes
9 answers
64k views

What, exactly, is the point of beginning a sentence with "Well..."?

Sample conversation: Person 1: What did you think of the movie? Person 2: Well, the acting was great, but the plot was terrible. What does "well" actually add to the body of the sentence? I ...
1 vote
3 answers
2k views

Is it correct to say "that place is like 5 miles from here"? [duplicate]

Is it correct to say "that place is like 5 miles from here"? I'm not sure if the use of "like" is correct?
  • 121
16 votes
7 answers
5k views

Phenomenon of overused and popular words [closed]

Certain words or phrases become really popular. These words are picked up by many people, are overused, and sometimes misused to such an extent that the whole meaning of the word changes, or is even ...
3 votes
4 answers
6k views

"You know" in spoken English [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: How to use “you know” Why is "you know" most commonly used in spoken English. Or to phrase it differently, why do native speakers use this expression a lot in ...
  • 13.4k
1 vote
2 answers
3k views

Beginning sentences with a needless "So". How did this scourge become so popular? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: When did the word “so” begin to be used to start a sentence? Garbage/stuff words So many folks begin some narrative with "So". I see it everywhere especially in ...
  • 549
27 votes
4 answers
138k views

Sentences beginning with "so"?

This also came up on either a BBC or CBC science program, but not as a linguistically-oriented discussion. Over the last two or three years I've noticed a lot more people starting a sentence with "so"...
9 votes
3 answers
4k views

Where can I find a list of common padding words?

Like a lot of people, I actually have the habit of actually adding a lot of actual padding words when I actually write. A common one I use is actually. These are actually rarely worth keeping, ...
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0 votes
1 answer
708 views

Using "you know" when the listener can't be expected to know. [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Garbage/stuff words Can you end a sentence with "you know," when telling the listener some new information that they couldn't possibly be expected to know? For example, you ...
32 votes
7 answers
6k views

What makes "like" and "so" popular?

So, I was like, why does everyone say like and so in every sentence? Where did this trend come from, like, what started it, and is it actually grammatically correct to like, insert like into our ...
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10 votes
6 answers
3k views

What does “I’m like, c’mon guys. I’m the president of the United States.” imply?

The Washington Post (April 14) reported President Obama's off-the-cuff remark during a meeting with donors in Chicago held on April 13th under the title: "Obama riffs with donors: Where are the cool ...
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7 votes
4 answers
2k views

Garbage/stuff words

I've watched two interviews. One with Grace Park, one with Eliza Dushku. What one can't miss is that Eliza uses an awful lot of garbage words (or what these are called) — um, so, like, you know, ...
3 votes
5 answers
2k views

Is it bad behavior to add filler words such as "so", "um" in business speak?

Sometimes when I speak with my fellows at work, I start my sentences with "so" or "um". I don't know if this a bad behavior in business speak or not? If so, how can I get rid of those filler words?
  • 3,032
14 votes
5 answers
30k views

How to use "you know"

For a non-native speaker like me, I am always wondering how to use you know correctly, as in the following sentence: Alright, well, for example, like on Saturdays, y’know, what I liked to do ...
  • 1,717
16 votes
3 answers
23k views

Starting an independent statement with "I mean, ..."

A friend was noting that his daughter would occasionally start sentences with the phrase "I mean, " simply for emphasis, not for clarification: Friend: How was the Miley Cyrus concert? ...
  • 2,105
38 votes
5 answers
5k views

Is Valley Girl speak "like", entering the language?

So like, I had this teacher? And he's like, "You're late?" And I'm like, "There's like other people late too?" I've always cringed at the word "like" strewn about in a ...
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10 votes
4 answers
2k views

Why am I always compelled to begin a response with "Well, "?

Because of a certain 140 character limit I've learned where I can trim characters on responses but even after all this time I still reply with "Well, so and so . . ." and I go back and have to delete ...
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