Um... | Tell Your Story

Please pass the . . .

2008-04-30T22:15:01-06:00

More often than I care to admit I have asked people for the salt and shecker papers . . .

It’s driving me nuts

2007-12-28T20:02:01-06:00

Have you noticed how many people keep inserting in their speech the phrase “You know, you know?” It is so prevalent, it has become a fetish with me. At first I thought it was mostly the low intellectural level, but I now see it is very widespread. It is used profusely by people who make a living talking on TV and radio; i.e., Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, etc., etc., etc.
I thought this was something new because I had not taken note before, but I watched on TV a tribute to Carol Burnett, and in a scene that goes way back (it was in black and white) she was using the phrase. Until you consciously listen for the phrase, you may not realize how widely it is used. I was never taught it in school. I don’t know what it adds to the value of our speech; in fact, I get the impression the person has lost control of ther thoughts and uses it as a stall instead of um, um. I have never heard it used when a commentator was using a script.
I was watching Greta Van Susteren the other night, and she used the phrase frequently. During the program, four of the people to whom she was speaking, all attorneys, used the phrase.
As you listen to the radio and TV, try listening for this annoying corruption of our speech, and you will be amazed at its frequency - from all corners of the globe.
Isn’t it bad enough with all the double negatives used without adding another faux pas to our speech?

If You can’t say anything nice ….

2007-12-26T21:01:01-06:00

I am a recently retired elem teacher and we say some pretty silly things,… or would that be “um’s”.. One day, when teaching 2nd grade, a very frustrating day, I said in a VERY loud and strong teacher voice “If you can’t say anything at all, don’t say anything nice.” The kids all stopped dead in their tracks and I had to say to them ... “what did I say”. An um ??

Chapter Woods

2007-09-24T03:55:01-06:00

Tiger Woods is a marvelous name for a magnificent golfer. After reading the prologue of a book about Tiger Woods rise to golfing fame to my son as a bedtime story, I was going over which years each of the chapter covers. Then I accidentally referred to the book’s subject as “Chapter Woods”. My son couldn’t stop giggling about that one!

Turkey Bars

2007-09-09T23:11:00-06:00

My wife, putting fudge bars in the freezer, answering my question about what we’re having for dinner: “Turkey bars.”

Blunders on the Radio

2007-09-06T18:32:01-06:00

Two good ones that interviewers have made:

berbal blunders

and

verbal blenders

brain lesions

2007-08-30T22:36:01-06:00

My mother would often turn words around in a way that made us kids laugh. Regretfully the one example I remember is not that funny. The Sunday Los Angeles Times had a section called “Outlook” and Mom would always call it “Lookout”.
Years later a friend working at UC Irvine explained that what caused my mom to do that was a lesion on her brain. I now know that “lesions” are damaged areas of the brain. Brain scans are now verifying the plasticity of the brain and it’s possible that if Mom had had a little cognitive therapy she might have been able to minimize this problem and avoid our laughter.
Publishers Weekly’s review of Um states…
“Take President Bush, who exemplifies that the quirky casual, whether it is intentional or spontaneous, can inspire more trust than the slick and polished.”
I have to disagree with this statement as I believe that the verbal mistakes that Bush makes do not endear him to most people (or inspire trust) but rather make him appear less smart than he most likely is. Just like my mother.

Mrs. Red Face

2007-08-30T14:05:01-06:00

As a Busniess teacher for 19 years in a high school I have seen and heard a lot. But one of the best was early on in my career. It was my second year teaching and I had the habit of calling my kids using Mr or Miss and their last name. It worked until I had a young man in my keyboarding class with the last name “Bates”. Yes, you’ve got it. Young, nieve and over-zealous I asked Mr. Bates a question. I couldn’t help it but laugh right along with the kids....then I stopped the name calling routine unless I thought it out completely first.

Real Armor

2007-08-28T16:55:00-06:00

My father was a minister for 50 years before he died in 1960. A slip of the tongue he used I have never forgotten. He was preaching on Ephesians 6 and he quoted verse16,"above all,taking the shield of faith,wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked” and he reversed the first letters of “fiery darts” !!!! I cannot quote this Scripture properly!

cup o’ what?

2007-08-24T16:14:01-06:00

I was interviewing a roomful of job applicants for a maintenance position in El Paso. A good portion of the applicants were native Spanish speakers, and I was conducting the interview in English.

It was my challenge to think of questions that would solicit responses to give me an idea if they were worthy for an individual interview. I asked one gentleman why he left his last job. He described a few things that didn’t work for him, paused then said “It just wasn’t my cup of cake”.