When I was a kid, my friend Paul and I would joke about how one should not waste exclamation points or question marks by using more than one. As conservation minded as I’ve been when it comes to punctuation, I have been more wasteful than a Hummer running on baby seal blubber when it comes to words. And so without  further ado, 4 ways we all waste words.

1. Be sure and…

Just tell me what you want me to do. If I want to do it, I’ll be sure and do it.

2. I feel like…

First, nobody other than your mommy cares how you feel. Second, I know this is how you feel because it’s you saying it.

3. Sorry to interrupt…

No you’re not. Unless you happened to be walking by my office at the same moment that the Hanson brothers were body checking you into my door, you meant to interrupt. So, don’t be sorry, just be grateful that I wasn’t in the middle of negotiating peace in the Middle East.

4. Trying to change somebody’s mind on Facebook

Here’s a picture of the Hanson brothers: