In a world full of computers, cell phones, and palm pilots communication has never been easier than it is today. There seems to be an endless amount of information that can be easily accessed by a click of a button. While reading various pieces of writing the reader may notice one of the many common misuses of the english language. Euphemisms, baseless conclusions, and words appealing to popular passions are some of the most common misuses of the english language. .
To begin, euphemisms can be found in everyday writing and the average reader may not even know that what they are reading contains euphemisms. An example of a euphemism would be, "Things start to go south". This euphemism was taken from an album review titled "Dem Nation Boyz - Ready 4 Drama"(Appendix A). The phrase things start going south is a good example of a euphemism because it is a nice way of saying the album is not all that good. Another example of a euphemism would be, "The home team came up short" From the article "Power outage against the Leafs" (Appendix B). This is a very common euphemism that can be seen daily, and it is simply saying that the home team lost the game but the words used make it seem not as harsh. Another example from the same article "Power outage against the Leafs" (Appendix B) the title is a euphemism that is saying that the Canadiens lost the game in words that don't sound as harsh. Some examples of common euphemisms that people use more often include passed away meaning dead, and visually challenged meaning ugly. There are many common misuses of the english language in today's literature and media outlets, euphemisms, baseless conclusions, and words appealing to popular passions are some of the most common misuses that can be seen all the time. .
Secondly baseless conclusions are another very common fallacy in the english language. One example of a baseless conclusion is "The only thing we can know for sure about Dalton McGuinty, is that we can never really know where he stands," this quote came from Marchese, and is taken from the article titled " McGuinty Opposes Giving Students a Break on Tuition Fees" (Appendix C).
