Ok, I just had to mention this because it’s something that really bugs me. I was reading the local paper and came across an ad that made me cringe. Here’s the first sentence…
“Located in a prime pocket of (insert suburb here) literally a stones [sic] throw from the station and a short stroll to the shops, this original, yet absolutely spotless unit will not disappoint.” (sic)
Putting the bad punctuation and grammar aside, the stone’s throw the author of this ad speaks of is exactly 700 meters. Now this is an interesting claim because as of about 10 minutes ago (I’ve just Googled it), the current world record holder for the furthest javelin throw is Uwe Hohn from Berlin, who threw 104.8 meters in 1984. Gabrielle Reinsch from Neubrandenburg claimed the world record when she threw her discus a whopping 76.8 meters in 1988. And Californian Randy Barnes hurtled his shot put 23.12 meters earning him the world record.
Taking all of this into consideration, I don’t see how any logical person could conceive that when the station is 700 meters from this prime property it is literally a stone’s throw away.
The word ‘literally’ has been so overused as an intensifier that it’s in danger of losing its literal meaning. And it’s not just the author of the ad that’s fallen foul of using literately incorrectly this week. Here’s what my eavesdropping ears overheard.
Kid on the train – “My math teacher, who is like, literally 1000 years old…” Girl in café – “I’d love a piece of cake but I already weigh 300kg…literally.” (By the way, this couldn’t have been further from the truth; her waist was the size of my thigh…literally). Same girl at café – “I was so angry my head was literally ready to explode.” My husband – “I’m so hungry I could literally eat a whole cow.” (This one is debatable because I’m sure he’d have a good crack at it). The list goes on, but I think you catch my drift.
These days people feel compelled to add a sense of drama to what they’re saying, so they throw in a few figurative phrases and try to emphasise them by saying ‘literally’. I’m here to say it’s not necessary – the word literally doesn’t add any validity or weight to what you’re saying, it’s just another extraneous word that makes you sound like a numbskull when used incorrectly. So here’s my plea; put more thought into what you’re saying and writing. If you spend the time getting the words right, you won’t need to use empty intensifiers because your words will speak for themselves.
And here’s a hot tip – if it can’t actually happen, it’s figuratively. The misuse and abuse must end…Literally!
