Since my last blog, in which I addressed how people misuse the words up, down, take, bring, and catch, I have found myself contemplating the misuse of other common words, one of which is the preposition “of.” The abuse of this word is a fairly recent trend and far more common in written communication, notably student papers, than oral communication; however, there is an obvious reason for this imbalance, and that is how when one uses a contraction, for example, “should’ve” for “should have,” the final syllable, the “‘ve” in this case, is phonetically similar to “of.” In fact, they sound alike. As a result, I have deduced that when students are required to write formal papers, in which one does not use contractions, they write the way they talk, thus writing, “I should of been paying attention to Ms. Carol’s lecture on prepositions;” instead of “I should have been paying attention to Ms. Carol’s lecture on prepositions.” Of course, one has to wonder exactly what precipitated this rather annoying development, especially since one never saw students confusing “of” with “should” in the past. And, in my opinion, the abuse is the result of today’s students’ aversion to reading. In fact, today’s students, more often that not, are what one might describe as  “eruditely challenged;” that is, if one wishes to be politically correct.

Next on my list is the word “disrespect.” The problem is how so many people today are indiscriminately using it as a verb. Yes, it can be used as a verb. However, the first definition, which is the preferred definition, in Webster New World Dictionary tells one that “disrespect” is a noun meaning “a lack of respect or esteem.” (I have tried to gain my family’s appreciation, but all anyone ever shows me is disrespect.) Yet, as I said, it can also be used as a verb, and when used as a verb, it means to show a lack of respect for someone or something. Moreover, Merriam Webster’s Dictionary states that the usage of “disrespect” as a verb dates back to 1614 (I wonder how they pinpointed the exact year?). However, when it comes using “disrespect” as a verb in today’s society, the consensus among the more educated populace is that one should never use “disrespect” as a verb, at least not in formal speech or academic text, that is, unless one does not mind being considered “eruditely challenged.”

Last but certainly not least is the word “awesome.” This word is so overused by young people today that it has totally lost all meaning. For example, on campus one might hear the following conversation:

Student One says, “Hey, Dude, you see the new Spiderman yet?”

“Yep, saw it this weekend,” says Student Two. “Man, it’s awesome.”

“Yeah, awesome,” replies Student One as he scratches his nose. “So what you think of the Saints this season?”

“Awesome, man, awesome; they’re gonna make the Super Bowl for sure.”

“Yeah, awesome, all right.”

Student Two then says, “How you like the new Taco Majestic they got at Taco Heaven down on the highway?”

Student one smiles broadly. “Awesome, man, awesome.”

“Yeah,” says Student Two. “Awesome, all right. Biggest taco money can buy.” He nods toward the parking lot. “See Ms. Carol’s Tundra, now that’s an awesome truck.”

Student one nods. “Yeah, awesome, man, awesome. And speaking of Ms. Carol, she’s an awesome instructor.”

“Yep,” replies Student One, “Ms. Carol’s awesome, all right.”

And on and on they go—awesome this and awesome that, when according to Webster’s, if something is “awesome,” it inspires within one a feeling of awe, which is “a mixed feeling of reverence, fear, and wonder caused by something majestic, sublime, or sacred.” With that in mind, one could very well describe the Sistine Chapel as awesome, or the Grand Canyon, or Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, but a movie, a taco, a truck, or, heaven forbid, Ms. Carol? Oh, please, not in one’s wildest imagination.