{"id":126,"date":"2014-01-23T19:35:56","date_gmt":"2014-01-24T03:35:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/torawriting.com\/sandbox\/?p=126"},"modified":"2014-03-06T11:11:05","modified_gmt":"2014-03-06T19:11:05","slug":"dont-should-on-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/torawriting.com\/sandbox\/dont-should-on-me\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t Should on Me"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since declaring myself a writer, people keep sending me blogs about words \u2013 mostly about words not to use, in either writing or speech. Actually, there is a good deal of overlap, but that\u2019s not my point. Today.<\/p>\n

What is my point? Well, I have more than one, but I think I\u2019ll stick to what I was thinking about when I started this: I have yet to see \u201cshould\u201d on those lists.<\/p>\n

The Evilest of Words<\/span><\/h1>\n

\"No<\/a>There are words I try to avoid (negatives and swear words being the bulk of the list), but there is no word I hate more than \u201cshould\u201d \u2013 especially when proceeded by \u201cyou.\u201d<\/p>\n

The best way I know to shut down a conversation, or to have advice ignored, is to throw in the phrase, \u201cyou should.\u201d I find so much judgment in that short combination of letters, that I frequently have a physical reaction.<\/p>\n

Who is anyone to tell anyone else what he or she should do?<\/p>\n

There are many relatives of \u201cyou should\u201d that are as vile; however, \u201cshould\u201d is the first one I identified to myself, so we won\u2019t go down the rabbit hole of the family tree.<\/p>\n

What does Should Really Mean?<\/span><\/h1>\n

Let\u2019s ask my good friend dictionary.com<\/strong><\/span> about should<\/span><\/a><\/span>:<\/p>\n

1. simple past tense of shall.<\/p>\n

2. (used to express condition): Were<\/i> <\/i>he<\/i> <\/i>to<\/i> <\/i>arrive,<\/i> <\/i>I<\/i> <\/i>should<\/i> <\/i>be<\/i> <\/i>pleased.<\/i><\/p>\n

3. must; ought (used to indicate duty, propriety, or expediency): You<\/i> <\/i>should<\/i> <\/i>not<\/i> <\/i>do<\/i> <\/i>that.<\/i><\/p>\n

4. would (used to make a statement less direct or blunt): I<\/i> <\/i>should<\/i> <\/i>think<\/i> <\/i>you<\/i> <\/i>would<\/i> <\/i>apologize.<\/i><\/p>\n

And now, my rebuttal:<\/p>\n

1) Who uses shall anymore?<\/p>\n

2) What? I know that I can be pretty colloquial, but who says stuff like that?<\/p>\n

3) EVIL!<\/strong><\/span> Duty, propriety, and expediency are for me to define for myself. If I want your opinion, I\u2019ll ask.<\/p>\n

4) People who know me would never accuse me of being \u201cless direct or blunt.\u201d In fact, when I try to beat around the bush, everyone tends to get lost. Also, at least in that example, it seems condescending \u2013 a mentality I loath as much as \u201cshould.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Fine Print<\/span><\/h1>\n

I do feel that \u201cshould\u201d is a perfectly reasonable word when used in reference to the mechanical, digital, or otherwise inanimate. Items created for a specific task really should do that task:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • When I tested software, I used the word regularly.<\/li>\n
  • The roof should not leak.<\/li>\n
  • Microsoft products should \u2026 (no, let\u2019s avoid that topic).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Similarly:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • My keys should be where I put them when I got home. (However, saying that my husband should be where I left him is evil.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      The Alternative<\/span><\/h1>\n

      What on earth is wrong with, \u201cI would do it this way\u201d? Or, \u201cI suggest\u201d? I find possibilities encouraging while \u201cshould\u201d is so restrictive.<\/p>\n

      I approach \u201cWhat you could do\u201d with caution. I try to keep that to settings where many people are making suggestions.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      -Lorrie Nicoles<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Since declaring myself a writer, people keep sending me blogs about words \u2013 mostly about words not to use, in either writing or speech. Actually, there is a good deal of overlap, but that\u2019s not my point. Today. What is my point? Well, I have more than one, but I think I\u2019ll stick to what […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[41,3],"tags":[34,33,16],"class_list":["post-126","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-rants","category-words","tag-evil-word","tag-should","tag-words-2"],"yoast_head":"\nDon\u2019t Should on Me - Tora Writing<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/torawriting.com\/sandbox\/dont-should-on-me\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Don\u2019t Should on Me - Tora Writing\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Since declaring myself a writer, people keep sending me blogs about words \u2013 mostly about words not to use, in either writing or speech. 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