If you want to instantly sound smarter, all you have to do is kick these words from your vocabulary! Words can mean so much at times, but there are several words that stand for nothing and are used by most teenagers.
1. Irregardless
This word tends to get used by teens trying their best to sound smart, but more often than not, has the opposite effect. Why someone felt the need for the unnecessary addition to the word – I really don’t know, but apparently ‘regardless’ didn’t quite have it all covered. And when you consider that the prefix ‘ir’ and the suffix ‘less’ both mean the same thing, thus canceling each other out, what you’re really saying is ‘with regard to’. Yup, the opposite of what you meant…. Irregardless of what you say I’m going dancing!
2. Like
Could there be a better word than ‘like’ for filling those awkward gaps in your sentences while you’re thinking of a fitting word? The answer is yes. If you find it hard to stop saying ‘like’, here’s a tip: Try thinking before you speak. It’s not, like, very professional you know, and your friends could, like, get mad at you, so you better stop.
3. Ironical
You know what’s really ironical? Nothing. Nothing is ironical, because ironical is not a word. It sounds a bit like an ironic/comical hybrid, but ‘ironical’ is one of the many words people in the 21st century stopped using some time ago – like poetical, or whithe.
4. Like Seriously
You should avoid the frequent use of such word as “Like Seriously”. You won’t even find a dictionary definition for this word. This is a very modern colloquial form of English, that whilst understandable, is very informal, and which might be out of place, for instance, in an interview or at a formal occasion. That said, it is commonly spoken by many English speakers, and would be widely understood as expressing surprise and/or incredulity at a statement; the modern form of “Are you being serious?”.
5. Swag
What does this really mean? This is a word that most teenagers use often to mean what exactly. E.g I got lots of swag. When has swag become a thing. Dictionary meaning of swag …..i) noun – a curtain or piece of fabric fastened so as to hang in a drooping curve. ii) verb – travel with one’s personal belongings in a bundle. So what exactly are you trying to say when you make the statement “I got lots of swag”.
So, what are those other commonly used words that you know are wrong? Tell us in the comments below.
