It's time for another blog, you know!

When listening to people speak, much of what they say passes over us. We tend to pick out the bits we are interested in or that are useful to us. If people have annoying habits within their speech we are all quite good at ignoring them. We are after-all, being polite.

Occasionally we all come across people who use really irritating expressions... you know.

No, I don't know, that's why you're telling me.

We can all put up with the odd 'you know' here or there but when people slip them in at the end of virtually every sentence it becomes really annoying. The point is that the expression indicates two things; firstly that the speaker is insecure and constantly needs re-affirmation of their status and secondly that they are struggling to think of what to say next.

But we are all too nice to people. We just listen and accept it... you know. Then we say... yeah! which is confirming to these lazy speakers that we are quite happy with what they have just said.

Enough is enough!...you know. Next time try this...

Well actually, I don't know, in fact I haven't the foggiest ideal what you're talking about. I'm so mesmerised by you saying 'you know' all the time that I can't focus on the real content of your conversation and I'm simply losing the will to live.

Of course, people will continue to use 'you know' especially on current affairs programmes on both radio and TV. The Jeremy Vine show on Radio 2 at lunchtime during the week is a place where you will find this creature in abundance. This species is called 'a member of the public phoning into a current affairs programme with an opinion'. When listening to these programmes sit and wait for the first 'you know'. Once the first one has tumbled out they start spilling out like a toddler spitting out alphabetti spaghetti. It's wonderful, just sit and count.

This irritating expression has a famous cousin and all of the above comments apply equally to it. It is of course 'Do you know what I mean'. Since all of the above applies equally to this phrase I shall simply say 'please refer to my earlier answer'.

Let's speak correct English!

I have become increasingly more irritated in recent years over the way many people use or rather misuse the English language. At this point I must say that I am certainly not a language scholar or a literary genius but I cringe at the way English is used by people who should either know better or who place themselves in the public domain. Of course, there are millions of people in Britain who use the language in the only way they know, the way they have been brought up, using the wrong tense and syntax in a local dialect. For such people, perfect Queen's English would be unseemly, incongruous and down right daft. The following phrase uttered between two elderly ladies talking in Peckham High Road would seem quite natural.

"We was standing at the bus-stop and he come over to us."

My beef is not with this kind of language, although "We were standing at the bus-stop and he came over to us." would sound perfectly OK in the local South London accent, so why not get it right anyway.

What I wish to share with you are some of my particular 'pet hates' when it comes to the bad use of one of the most interesting, useful, adaptable, versatile languages in the world.

It's certainly not the case that I came from a particularly well educated family but both my parents use the English language correctly and naturally their children have all developed very acceptable language skills.

My main irritations are with careless, lazy, thoughtless habits perpetuated by people who simply don't think enough about what they are saying. This includes 'trends' and 'fads' which have developed over recent years. For Example:

"How are you?"

"I'm good"

No! You are not good, you are well or fine.

If you're good, you have the desired or correct qualities or skills. If asked how you are, the questioner wants to know the state of your condition, if you are in good health or good spirits. Unfortunately this phrase is infiltrating the airwaves, being used by Celebrities, Sportsmen, Reporters and Politicians. When I hear someone using "I'm good" in this way on the TV or radio I shout "No, it's I'm fine" at the screen. It's very therapeutic, try it.