Several weeks ago, I watched a Pittsburgh TV news report about a motorcycle accident.

The reporter used "literally" three times:

"I'm standing literally underneath the ramp ...

"The rider was literally thrown about 50 feet ...

"He literally flew from the bridge to the parking lot."

"Literally" means really, actually, in the strict sense, and in the case of the rider, he fell -- not flew -- down to the pavement.

Not only is this modifier overused, it's incorrectly used, and when it's repeated by media professionals, it indicates a lack of appreciation for the English language -- literally.

-- TOM BOYD
Cranberry