Are Your Students Literally Confusing "Literally"?

Many writers (and speakers) have the unfortunate habit of using "literally" when their reference in fact is figurative. ("In sentencing the defendant, the judge literally threw the book at him.") A recent post on The Lawyerist blog discusses and illustrates this problem, along with writers' problems with other "crutch words" or "comfort words," or as some call them, "weasel words" (e.g., actually, basically, clearly, very). It's a good post to share with your students.

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