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6 parasite words that can ruin any sentence

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Parasite words (crutch words, lazy words, fillers words) in any language behave very insidiously. At first they pretend to be introductory, that is, very necessary and ready to enrich and embellish speech. But over time, they get used to them, they are used in every phrase. Then these words become parasitic: they cease to carry a real lexical and aesthetic meaning, but “automatically” fly out for most users - while not always in their place in the sentence. We present you a list of the 6 most dangerous words in this regard.

  1. Actually is a perfect example of a parasitic word. It is intended to indicate something that actually exists, but is more commonly used as a way to add a pause to a statement (as in 'I actually have no idea').

  2. Literally: This adverb should be used to describe an action that takes place in the literal sense. Often, however, it is used in reverse to emphasize a hyperbolic or figurative statement: 'I literally ran 300 miles today.' Literally is one of the most famous parasitic words in the English language. The next word, however, may surprise you.

  3. Basically: This word is used to mean truth, simplicity, and certainty, as in 'Basically, he made a bad decision'. It should mean something fundamental or elementary, but too often the word is used in the context of things that are far from basic in order to create a sense of authority and completeness.

  4. Honestly: This parasitic word is used to express authority or distrust, eg 'Honestly, I have no idea why he said that'. However, in reality it very rarely adds honesty to the statement. The next word is perhaps the most famous.

  5. Like is the main sinner among the parasite words, as this word alternates in the dialogue to give the speaker more time to think or because the speaker cannot get rid of the habit of using the word. Like should describe something of the same kind, manner, nature, or quantity. But, very often, it is used unwittingly in conversation, just like 'um'. Our next and last word is not so obvious.

  6. Obviously: This word should mean an action that is easy to observe, recognize or understand. However, speakers tend to use it to emphasize their point of view on things that are not necessarily obvious: 'Obviously he should have thrown the ball to first base'.