Basically, at this moment in time, I expect to do an awesome job of bookkeeping, ekcetra, at the end of the day
The lead of this piece is what a once upon a time Latin scholar would identify as reductio ad absurdum, to reduce to an absurdity. This is what I fear - that thoughtless people are turning the world's most useful and expressive language into a collection of linguistic absurdities.
Analyze this unattractive title. Basic is an unnecessary word, a kind of feeble window-dressing. At this moment in time is an awkward way of saying now. Ekcetra is neither word nor expression. Spelled or sounded correctly, it is et cetera, Latin for "and the rest." At the end of the day is a banal way of indicating completion. The most inappropriate word in the mix is awesome. It means awe-inspiring and is a powerful word. It is devalued whenever it is used, for examples, to describe a pizza or a pretty woman in a skimpy bathing suit. The English language has better words for describing tasty dishes, whether victuals or shapely females.
Another error which is more and more present in modern English usage is the tendency for careless people, some who are the talking heads of video screens and even the leaders of nations, to misuse the nominative and objective cases of pronouns. An ecstatic lady should never say, "Him and me are getting married" or "Me and him are getting a divorce." The grammatically correct subject of these sentences is he and I, or, more simply we.
There is also the growing evidence of confusion caused by elliptical sentences. For example, if a woman, always with good reason, complains, "My husband is dumber than me," she is probably truthful but she is also certainly ungrammatical. She should say "My husband is dumber than I am." The correct pronoun in the elliptical sentence is I and the missing word is am. Having some understanding of the social landscape and male-female relationships, I can understand why ladies often think men are dumb, so dumb, in fact, they don't want to stay married. I don't blame them. I wouldn't want to be married to a man either, although I believe it is now politically incorrect to say so.
Words properly selected and properly used are important. If some other person, presumably envious of my superior qualities, calls me an addle-pated old codger or a silly old fart, I would never dispute with him. Or her. Instead, I would express gratitude for the use of honest, understandable words.
Another intrusive word which bothers me is "diss." I believe it means to say something mean or untrue about another person. I guess the root word it comes from is disrespect. This is a word with respect left out, as are so many words and expressions now in use.
I also don't like being offered "free gifts." A gift is defined as something given, a present. This means it's free. There is no such thing as an unfree gift.
We need to respect language. Words make the containers which hold our thoughts and our expressed understanding of what we observe around us. Flawed words mean a flawed understanding. The right words, properly used, make it possible to organize our thoughts and communicate effectively with others. In respecting language we also show respect for our neighbours and the tortured world in which we live. Wars have not been the instruments which can build a better world. A major war would be a planetary disaster. Humankind needs to understand that precise words honestly spoken are the best prescription for a future of peace and compassion in the community of nations.
