My Top 5 Most Overused Words

If we are to believe the Global Language Monitor, there are now more than 1 million words in the English language.

How they manage to count the English words is beside the point, my point here is that there are so many words in the English language now more than ever yet I always find myself using the same familiar words most of the times. Although, I’m well aware that it could just be the result of my limited vocabulary as English is not really my first language,  what fascinates me is that even my friends whose first language is English also has the same problem.

Here are my top 5 most overused words.

1. Sorry?

This is often used when you ask somebody to repeat what they’ve just said as you didn’t get it the first time. There are so many words of this kind, like pardon me?, say again?, what’s that?, hay?, etc. But I, more often than not, use the word “sorry?”

As I’m so used to the American accent, being in Europe seems very challenging for me, especially in my early months. I managed to cope with it eventually but still I’m struggling sometimes. That’s why when I’m having a conversation with someone with a thick accent, the word “sorry?” comes in handy. And believe you me, there hasn’t been a day in the office when I haven’t used this word.

2. Umm

My college professor in public speaking would probably cringe when she hears me now using the “Umm” word again and again.

“Umm” is use to fill in those spaces in between your sentences when you are still groping for the next words to say.

I was told that the use of “Umm” is the result of your mouth going faster than your brain. Think of it like a supply and consumption thing. Whilst your brain is supplying your mouth with words in the fastest way it can, your mouth on the other hand is consuming the words even faster. Hence, somewhere down the line a gap is created. And what do we do in between those gaps? Yeah, we use the word “Umm”. Apparently, the easy remedy for this is to speak slowly, which, I just couldn’t get myself to do.

3. Like

I don’t know where I get this word but I think I just kinda picked this up from the way people around me talk. This word is often used unnecessarily in a sentence. I normally use this word when I am telling a story. Check out the story below.

Like last night, I was like walking in town and there was like this group of drunkards who were like shouting at each other. So I was like a bit terrified to walk past near them.

You see, I could use the word “like” so many times, unnecessarily without even realising it. That’s how I normally tell a story to my friends and surprisingly, they too.

4. Stuff

This word is a generic name for everything. As such it could be use in so many ways and it has so many different meanings. Sometimes you use “stuff” when you are referring to something but you don’t wanna be very specific, like in the sentence, “I need to do some stuff tonight.”

I guess the magic of this word is that you can twist it in whatever way you prefer and it would still means something.

5. You know

Just like “Umm”, this phrase is use when you are still groping for the right words to use or when you run out of words and you want to fill that void in your sentence. So instead of saying the word, you end up saying “you know” which I think is a short form of “you know what I mean”.

So those are my top 5 most overused words. Care to share yours?

My Thoughts on Pacquiao vs Cotto Fight

I’ve just finished watching the Pacquiao vs Cotto boxing match, for the second time. There were just so many things on this fight that really captivated me.

I remembered having a dream the other night that Cotto knocked Manny down. I remembered jumping off my bed checking my laptop to see if my dream was true, only to realise that the fight wasn’t on until today.

As I said, the match really captivated me in so many ways. It showcased not just the boxing as a sport but also the stories and emotions of the people surrounding it. It was like watching a series of life stories unfolding within those 12 rounds.

For starter, the fighters didn’t indulge into words bashing before the fight, which I admired. In one of their interviews, both boxers said they don’t hate each other and they even like each other. That for me is truly remarkable given the kind of sports we are talking here. But what is truly remarkable is that neither Manny nor Cotto played any dirty tactics during the fight. It was a clean fight all throughout. I may even go farther to say that Manny even gave Cotto a time to catch up his breath during the last few remaining rounds.  That’s a sign of a true sportsman right there.

The man who abandoned Manny’s family when he was still young, a.k.a. his father, was present during the match. It was like watching the story of the Prodigal Son. Only in this instance, it was the father who fell on the wayside and after realising that he’ll be better off with the family he left, decided to swallow all his pride and returned home. Although, I’m not just sure if there was a lavish party thrown on his homecoming like the son in the Prodigal Son story, but hey, he’s a father, he should have known better.

When Manny started to beat the crap out of Cotto, the camera didn’t fail to capture the horror on Mrs. Cotto’s face. At first she tried to shout out something, probably to let out whatever it was that was building up inside her chest. Then she tried to look elsewhere to somehow relax her senses from what’s going on in the boxing ring. Then when she can no longer took it; she walked out together with her son sparing them both of the horrible scenes that followed.

I think it was on the 10^th round when Cotto’s dad suggested stopping the fight, as he was worried about his son’s welfare, but he was talked out of it by the members of Cotto’s team. But prior to that, he actually went to the ringside during the break to check on his son. His son kissed him assuring that he was all right. Those were classic father and son moments.

Manny dominated the fight right to the end. And I think it was Manny’s best fight I’ve ever seen so far. He was just so into it and uhm those power punches were just so unreal. Cotto must have thought he was fighting a ghost, as he can’t see where all those punches were coming from.

Manny is the man. Forget that he tried to enter into politics, forget that he recorded an album, and, forget that he can’t clearly express himself in English language, because those were just very minute things compare to the plethora of pride he’s given to his country and to his countrymen. He’s not just a boxer; he’s a fighter, at the very core of his being.

The Pacquiao vs Cotto fight wasn’t just great, it wasn’t even just awesome; it was legendary! And for a guy like me who isn’t really into sports, I could have just watched the match and then moved on. But the fact that I wrote this blog, that says a lot. This fight is surely one of those things that I will be telling my children (huh!) in the future.

And by the way, how did you find La Diva’s rendition of the National Anthem? I’m pretty sure you have a comment or two.

The Other Side of Pacquiao’s Fight

I’ve only been in a fist fight twice in my life. The first time was when I was in grade school when somebody bullied me. The second time was when I first enrolled in the gym and decided to try boxing, as it looks fun. I enjoyed it, true, but I couldn’t bear wearing those rented gloves. They smell awful and sometimes they’re even wet from the sweat of other users who used them before me. And since I still can’t afford to buy a new pair of gloves, I decided to try other things instead. So in short, those were the only close encounters I’ve had with the sport.

But, as they said, you need not be a boxer to appreciate boxing, especially if you’re (always) on the winning side .

Just like every Filipino, I am a fan of Manny. His rags to riches story is truly inspiring. His power punches help unite the entire nation once again and all his fights help ease traffic congestion in various cities all over the country. But this article isn’t about the technical aspect of his incoming fight with Miguel Cotto. I will leave that to those more capable of discussing it. This article is about the other entertaining aspect of the boxing fight – the singing of the national anthem.

During the pre-Manny era, the singing of the national anthem wasn’t that a big deal. Anybody can sing it; most of them weren’t even popular stars. But I think because we are so obsessed about this American Idol thing, things have started to change.

I don’t know if you’ve noticed it, but right after every fight of Manny, there will always be somebody who’ll appear on TV commenting on how the national anthem was inappropriately sang. And the worst part is, almost every one agrees and even had an extra comment.  It’s like every fight of Manny is a chance for all of us to play a Simon Cowell. We are just as excited to find out how well the singer sang the national anthem as we are excited to find out in what round will Manny’s opponent be knocked down.

So this coming 14^th of November 2009 as Manny faces Miguel Cotto, La Diva will also face the verdict of the nation.

Good luck to all of you. You nö! (know).