"Can you do this right now?!"
My mom constantly orders me to do things for her. The problem is, she is never clear about what exactly she wants me to do. For example, right when I get home from school or work, she asks me questions like, "Can you carry the thing for me?"or "Go over there and get something for me." She acts as if I know what she means and gets mad when I do something different from what she asked. Even when I try asking for specifics, my mom replies vaguely by saying phrases like "you know". Her questions and orders are vague because they are not clear enough for me, nor anyone else for that matter, to understand or comprehend. It would be easier for me or anyone else if she asked me things like, "Can you hand me the brown sugar in the cabinet above the sink?" or "Could you go to the garage and get me a bottle of water?" Although I point this out to her from time to time, she still goes back to her vague demands.
I also blogged about my mom, i guess they think we know them all too well like to know what they mean at all times. I also always politely ask my mom to be more clear about what she says when i tell her she made no sense. this also tends to happen with close friends that your with a lot of the time. like "remember when we went to the mall and say that cute shirt"-- well im sure there was more than one occasion in which this might have happened, but we get comfortable and expect others to understand what we mean to say, like moms and their vague requests right?.. are we suppose to be mind readers or what? :p
ReplyDeleteHello there! I used my mother as an example for a vague sentence as well! Maybe mother's are just like that... sometimes. When they refer to the certain object as "the thing" is makes it so vague that you start to question what are you talking about. It would be nice for them to be detailed in their sentences but we all can’t help it. Like Moe said, we get can get comfortable and hope that other get what we are trying to say. Vague sentences happen everyday and it’s hard to catch yourself from making such vague sentences. I also this it deals with how closely you know someone to make a vague sentence. I, myself tend throw vague sentences at my mother sometimes hoping that she would get what I would say. Oh, what if we were mind readers? They’d be a bit interesting and scary at the same time. xD
ReplyDeleteI like how you used your mother in your example for you discussion on vague sentences. I can relate because my parents are lazy or doesn't realize they are being vague when they ask me to get "things" done around the house. Sometimes I mistakenly misunderstand my parent's vague sentence of chore with the dishes, and they complain that I did not do the laundry. Parents probably believe that since they have said it specifically the first time that they assume we already know what they will mean the second time they ask us. Great post about vague sentences because your examples of your mother grabbed my attention!
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ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteI can totally relate to the vague requests your mom ask of you. My mom assumes that I can read her mind or have the ability to understand her requests. Yet, when I come home with a big piece of sirloin steak from Safeway, I get lectured on how I do not know how to pick the right one. How exactly was I suppose to know the size or weight you wanted the steak to be?
There are moments where it is difficult to meet the expectations of my mom’s request, especially when she is not specific with them, so I try my best to ask her before I head to a market for more detailed information of the food item she wants me to purchase, whether it be about the quantity, quality, brand, and/or weight of the item.
Hey,
ReplyDeleteMy mom is exactly like that. I personally don't mind the vagueness of what she says, but the fact that she gets mad at me for not knowing is the part that gets me more. But from what I've noticed to some degree, the closer you are to someone, the easier it is to understand them no matter how vague they are. True there are times where you're like, "What?" or "Huh?". But the connection is there for the most part.
Great post.