NOTE: Some people may wish they had skipped this
survey. Do we really think we are communicating with each other???
How effectively? |
| Please
read all of the first statement & then select the most appropriate response from the
right-hand column. 1. The term
"back-to-back" is incorrect. It does not describe the situations it is
often meant to describe.
Think about it. The 'back' of an event is the
finish. The front is the start. If two events were actually 'back-to-back',
the back (finish) of the first event would be followed immediately by the back (finish) of
the next event. But the 'back' of the first event is followed by the start of the
next event. It is not possible for the finish of the first event to be followed by the end
of the second event --- it is followed by the start of the second
event.
In our world, the end of the first event is followed by the
start (front) of the next event.
Therefore, the correct term is:
"back-to-front".
Logically: The back (of the first) to the front (of the second). |
I agree. And that's
interesting!
I agree & wish I had
thought about this before.
I disagree.
I don't understand.
I
hate to think about things & I will continue to use the illogical term. |
|
2. About the "i . . . me
. . . my" lingo.
Forget "um", "ya know", and the ever so popular
"like". The latest arrival in the book, The Vocabulary of Jerks &
Non-thinkers, is "I need you to...." Forget the politeness of asking a
coworker, family member, or friend, "Would you please...." Today existence is
all about "i". As so often is the case these days, people display their personal
dirty laundry not just in the T-shirt they are wearing, but in their words. Consider the
"I need you to...."
The subject is them, I. Then they state their "need". (Who cares?) Then
'you' are inserted so that the following order is comprehended and -- better be obeyed --
by you.
The irony is that most users of this lingo belittle themselves in their e-mails
where they often use the lower case "i" rather than the correct upper case
"I". They belittle themselves just to break another rule of grammar. |
I
agree. And that's interesting!
I agree & wish I had
thought about this before.
I
disagree.
I
don't understand.
I hate to
think about things & I will continue to use this phrasing.
I work for someone who uses
this rude phrasing. |
|
| 3. When we speak
in the future tense it is redundant to use the term "going
forward". For example, "I know what the stock market will do going
forward" and "We believe the prospect for prices going forward is up." This speech pattern is common on TV news. Reporters should
instinctively know better.
Do you make this mistake? |
Yes
No |
|
| 4. Frequent
insertion
of the word 'like' while I am speaking...
Please select all that you agree with. |
Enhances
my ability to communicate.
Makes
me sound like silly.
Distracts
from from the subject being talked about.
Makes
me sound like everyone else. |
|
|
5. Frequent use
of the term 'you know' or 'ya know' while I am speaking...
Please select all that you agree with. |
Enhances
my ability to communicate.
Makes
me sound silly.
Distracts
from from the subject being talked about.
Makes
me sound like everyone else. |
|
|
6. The frequent use of
the term 'you know?' indicates the person talking is insecure and is constantly asking for
the listener's approval. |
Agree
Disagree |
|
| 7. Have you
noticed the frequent us of the term "in fact"? |
Yes,
and, in fact, it distracts from the subject.
No,
but, in fact, I probably use it too much myself. |
|
|
8. Have you noticed how
some people end sentences with a raised intonation, or 'up-speak'?
Please select all that you agree with. |
Yes,
and I avoid doing it.
I
feel more comfortable when I end many sentences with a raised
intonation.
No,
I haven't noticed that.
Yes.
I think it's primarily a thing insecure women
do. |
|
|
9. I use up-speak,
insert 'like' in my sentences, and say 'ya know' often. |
Like ya, ya know.
Oh
no I don't! |
|
| 10. Have you
noticed increased use of the phrase, "I need you to...?" |
Yes, and it is offensive.
No,
but I need you to be less critical. |
|
| 11. Have you
noticed a decreased use of the word, "please?" |
Yes
No |
|
| 12. What is the
correct way to spell the word 'nuclear'? |
nuclear |
|
| 13. Why is it
that so many world leaders and reporters mispronounce the word 'nuclear'
often mispronouncing it as 'nucular'??? |
They don't know no better
They don't have wives who
care enough to correct them
They don't have advisors
who know enough to correct them
They don't really understand
the meaning of the word |
|
| 14. The word
'disingenuous' means: |
Accurate
Disdain
Not likely
Not candid
I don't know |
|
| 15. Starting
sentences with the word 'clearly' makes people sound as trite as many TV news reporters. |
Agree
Disagree |
|
16.
Which -- if any -- do you wish would vanish from other people's speech patterns?
Please select all that you agree with. |
...like...
ya know
...in
fact...
um
I need you to...
going forward
Other |
|
|
17. TV stations
place the term "pre-recorded" in a corner of the screen to indicate a program is
being re-broadcast. If a program is recorded, it was recorded previously --- when
else could it have been recorded? Therefore to say something is
"pre-recorded" is redundant. |
Of course. I have thought of that.
Of course. I never
thought of that.
Wrong, that's not
redundant. |
|
|
18. Have you
noticed that women interviewed on TV news shows, in business presentations and general
speech often say "uhm" between sentences and phrases? If you have,
uhm, why do they? |
Yes
No
Why? |