The word "literally" has literally lost it!

How much more of this must I endure???? The word "literally" has a very specific meaning, most of which is lost on the casual English speaker. It is not a word to use for emphasis, like "actually," it is not a word to mean seemingly, like "virtually." It is intended to ensure the reader that you are not using the word metaphorically. Normally, if you say "I told him a million times," it is quite obvious that it is hyperbole. It's virtually impossible to tell someone the same thing that often. But... what if someone really did tell someone something one million times? To ensure the reader won't mistake it for a metaphor, you would say "I literally told him a million times." But if you did NOT tell him a million times, you cannot, you must not, use the word literally. I've heard people say "I literally choked him to death." That's too bad, then, I say, because I am going to have to literally call the police and have you arrested! Oy vey!

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Comments (2)

yassinyahoo4991

could you explain more when i have to use the word literally ?

Steven W Rodgers

Replying to

Sure. We don't always use the 'literal' meaning of words--exactly what the words mean. We might use exaggeration, like "I told you a million times not to lie!" They don't really mean a million times. They are exaggerating for emphasis. But what if a woman told her husband not to lie every half an hour, every day, all of their lives, until they were 90 years old. In this case, the woman literally told him not to lie a million times. We sometimes speak in metaphors, or symbols, too. For example, if someone never listens to you, you can say talking to him is like 'talking to a brick walk.' Of course, it's not a brick wall, literally. You are speaking to a person, but we use the metaphor to explain what it might feel like when no one responds. But what if there was a crazy person, who hated people. He went around talking to garbage cans and park benches. One day he starts a conversation with a brick wall. You can say "That guy is so crazy, he literally just spoke to a brick wall!"

The word "literally" has literally lost it!

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