In an ideal world, all politicians and heads of state should be the smartest people, capable of leading a nation. Well, we’re not making a very good job in some places, are we? Basically, we want an intellegent person we can trust that will lead in the best interest of both our country and the planet. So, what happens when that person in charge of our future doesn’t seem so bright? I mean, it happens all over the map. But, more importantly, how do we determine if a person is smart or not?
One of the best ways to determine a person’s intelligence is through language and how they use it. Now, I’m not saying education is the ultimate identifier of someone’s intellectual dexterity. As I said, it’s how they use language to convey and convince others about the importance of what they’re saying.
Have you ever heard of rhetorics, the art of persuasion? This discipline of discourse uses language to convey and persuade the listener through words and phrases. Being able to use language to move through life can denote our intelligence. That’s why we’re presenting 7 terms smart people avoid because they rest importance to their discourse.
1. Just
Nothing against the word, it’s just that it kinda makes me sound like I’m not serious enough… So many wrong things with that sentence. The problem with adverbs like just is that they make your sentence or phrase weaker. It’s as if you were saying that what you meant isn’t important enough. So, unless you’re not using it as a derivation of justice, just try avoiding it. See what I did there?
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2. Fillers
Fillers, as the term suggests, are words commonly used to fill in the blanks between phrases or ideas. Sometimes, while thinking what we want to say next, we prefer to add fillers, so there are no awkward silences. Then, what are these words? Easy: like, whatever, or etcetera. In certain moments, a pause can be better than adding random words.
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3. Went
This is a clear case of lack of vocabulary. When we talk about the past, we tend to use basic verbs like went or did. There are many verbs that can actually reflect better what you want to say. So instead of saying, “I went to the movies,” you can be more precise and change went for drove or walked. It’s advisable to be precise and concise in every conversation.
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4. Magnifying Adjectives
Like the previous point, these kinds of adjectives only denote a lack of vocabulary. It’s become quite common to express our wonder with words like amazing, wonderful, incredible, and many others. The problem is that using them that frequently can diminish the importance of the terms, so, at the end of the day, everything becomes amazing.
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5. Exaggerating Adverbs
These are also words we’ve adopted in our vocabulary. We add adverbs like very, totally, or absolutely, which only add a sense of drama or exaggeration that I bet most of the times is unnecessary. Again, being concise and choosing the right words will definitely prove you master language.
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6. Always and Never
Again, exaggerating only reduces the importance of what you want to say. Using terms that denote absolutes can give the impression that what you’re expressing has no truth or backing. You know what they say, “never say never.”
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7. Stuff and Things
Oh, the two ultimate terms that don’t mean anything but convey everything. There are literally (and no, I’m not exaggerating) thousands of words you can use to be precise instead of conveying generalizations with words such as stuff and things.
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Naturally, this post doesn’t intend to tell you that you should speak as if you were a linguistics professor all the time, because I bet even they don’t avoid these terms all the time. I’m pretty sure I used the terms during this article because they’re part of our everyday vocabulary. But there’s a time and a place for everything, and it’s important to know how to express yourself correctly in certain situations.
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You know how they say that “ignorance is bliss”? Well, sometimes this can be true. See why smart people have such a hard time falling in love. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that they prioritize other things. If you consider yourself a smart person, you might want to know what are the attitudes emotionally intelligent people avoid in their relationships.
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Sources:
Forbes
USA Today College
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