Today's words are:
Could is considered the past tense of can. Not too many synonyms
are available. From what I've been able to garner, there really isn't anything better
to use. Just be aware and be judicious. Too many “could haves” can get old.
Just like too many “as ifs.”
as it may be
can be, conceivable, conceivably, credible
feasible
imaginably, it could be
managed to, might be
obtainable
perchance, perhaps
succeeded in
was able to, weather permitting
Should is another word that doesn't have many synonyms. It “should”
also be used judiciously.
be expedient, be forced, be in for, be necessary, be obliged
cannot do otherwise, cannot be helped
had best, had better, have got to, have to
might, must
need (to), needs must
ought (to)
shall,
used to
will
***
Stop on by, I'm sure Lynn has plenty of room for all of us.
Are you a coulda/shoulda kind of person? Or are you one of those "let's git her done" people?
Some decent alternatives, but otherwise words to avoid.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the suggestions. These are hard ones to replace and like Alex said, avoiding them may be best.
ReplyDeleteI’m enjoying your ‘word’ posts I always struggle with homophones - rain, reign and rein get me every time!
ReplyDeleteInteresting question. I'm not *Type A* "Let's get 'er done," but that's closer than "coulda, woulda, shoulda."
ReplyDeleteNot a lot of replacements. That should tell us something.
ReplyDeleteI've wondered about about alternatives for these since I overuse them.
ReplyDeleteI definitely overuse these two! Not much of a "git" her done person, I guess :)
ReplyDeleteI'm sure I use those words too much. Probably do so without thinking about it since they're such a natural part of speech.
ReplyDeleteLee
An A to Z Co-Host
Tossing It Out
Hi Bish .. it's variety with words is the spice of life isn't it. I'm sure we all have phases when we overuse words ... I know I do!
ReplyDeleteGreat thoughts though .. and good luck with Anansi ..
Cheers Hilary
Life is a crock of shoulds and coulds! Gotta use 'em once in a while, hate to use 'em too much. Nice options you've presented, Bish.
ReplyDeleteLinguists call these devils modal auxiliaries. That should be enough to scare anyone away from using them if they could use something else. :-)
Thank you. Love love, Andrew. Bye.
ReplyDelete