Misuse of the Declarative Statement

Dong

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'Ya know'......boils my rage. I counted it 17 times in one news item .... :confused: Well. what do you do in this hot lockdownish weather?
 

WickedPerdition

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Thanks for explaining the opening post, I totally get it now. I suppose in a written statement the non-interrogative statement is transformed into a question by writing a word in capitals "You said you live in LONDON". Oh to have had a good education.. . . .

I have to stress again, he says wittingly, that this topic relates to spoken words and, unusually, not written ones.
It is all down to tone and inflection on the word at the end of a sentence/statement.
As has been mentioned by a couple of contributors, there are several examples of how annoying expressions have become over recent years.
I think I have mentioned it before, but the mispronunciation of the word vulnerable without the inclusion of the first 'l', just gets my gander up!

:rolleyes:
 

WickedPerdition

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'Ya know'......boils my rage. I counted it 17 times in one news item .... :confused: Well. what do you do in this hot lockdownish weather?

I laughed at this post.
Two consecutive callers on The Jeremy Vine Show on Tuesday were using 'you know' at the end of every sentence.
It is probably one of the most revealing expressions in common use.
I'm beginning to think that they should be 'vetted' before being allowed on air. :)
 

jenarator202

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One of my pet hates is 'If you want' in reply to a question, when a simple yes or no would suffice!
 

Dong

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And there's 'to be fair' when you have no intention of being any such thing.
And don't even mention 'like.'
 

xxwhite_dovexx

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This is not linked to a previous thread but is equally relevant to the way we express ourselves.
I am somewhat disconcerted by the unnecessary use of upward inflection of a declarative statement.
If you are unfamiliar with the practise, it is where a simple, spoken statement, that is, non-interrogative statement, is transformed into a question by applying inflected stress at the end of a sentence to make it sound like a question.
This practise is becoming increasingly more widespread, for unknown reasons. I am inclined to think that it is another transatlantic abomination of the English language, prominent in U.S. television and film. Sorry, movies.
On the other hand, it might just be that people now do not know how to correctly communicate an idea without sounding stupid.
Whatever the reason, I personally find it unacceptable. It's enough that written English words are being constantly abused. Surely, we now need to educate our children to speak in the correct way also.
What on earth are they teaching children about English these days?
The future is bleak. Very bleak!
:eek:
So sad that your happiness lay in grammar!
 

xxwhite_dovexx

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YAY! A reply that was actually relevant to the thread! Miracles do happen. You're one of the few consistent members of the Forums. :)
There are quite a few videos on YouTube that show how a simple statement can be made to sound like a question. It is this practise that I find an abomination. In fact, some demonstrate that meaning of a single statement can be transformed by blatant stress on every single word in the statement.
An example of what I am referring to would be: "You said that you lived in London". It is not necessary to stress any of the words in that statement.
However, if you add stress on the word, London, it transform the spoken statement to the form of a question, usually with an upward tone.
It is the habit of making a formal (declarative) statement change to an interrogative one which is becoming a 'perversion of speech'. It seems particularly prevalent in the younger generation, for some obscure reason.
I would be surprised if you have never witnessed it in person or via film, television or even radio.
Let me know if this helped at all. ;)
This is so funny! It sounds like a Bennie Hill skit. Lol
 
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