One of the primary duties of a journalist is to combine the best words possible to get information across to their readers. We are to consider our audience and the topic we are writing about, in order to choose the very best of words.

There are, however, a few words that I feel should be stricken from the English language-and any other to which they may be translated. I have come across them many times in daily life, work and school.

The first word, and by far the most annoying, is the word “like.” I have seen it abused like so many times, because like, people will like be talking in class and like they won’t know what to say so they like say like every other word. They may not realize it, but it makes them seem incredibly dim-witted. Even if they were saying something extremely worthwhile, it gets lost in their mumbo-jumbo-which is a word I would personally like to see used more frequently.

Imagine if Einstein had abused the word “like.” “E like equals, um, like MC squared.” What if Neil Armstrong’s first words upon the moon had been, “like one small step for man, like one huge leap for mankind?” Get the point?

The next word that I would like to abolish is extremely important, so gentlemen listen up. I do not know how many times I have seen this specific word exploited. “But.” You start out by giving someone a compliment, “You look great, but…” Anytime the word “but” is added to a sentence you know you’re in trouble. It wouldn’t matter if you told a girl, “You’re the most beautiful woman on earth, but…”

We forget whatever you say up to the word “but” and focus all of our energy on all the negatives (even if there really are none). The only time the word “but” should be used with women is when you say, “I was going to buy you a box of chocolates, BUT I saw this gold necklace and wanted to buy it instead.”

The last words, which are probably the most important to be swiped from the human vocabulary, are “can’t” and “won’t.” If they were stricken from use, the world would become twice as productive and positive. People do not enjoy being around others that constantly complain that they can’t do something or they won’t try to do another.

Thinking twice about what words you use could make or break you. Do your best not come off as a whiney, dim-witted person when in fact you have the opportunity to be a lot more.