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What clich́es in dialogue do you find most annoying?

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by silverlasso, Jul 12, 2009.

  1. Blaise

    Blaise Golden Patronus

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    Doubtful. Most people just degenerate to "um, er, uh, gkh" or incomplete sentences.
     
  2. Sorrows

    Sorrows Queen of the Flamingos Moderator

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    One I saw recently...

    Harry bloody well doesn't have to say bloody every 5 bloody seconds. We get it, bloody is a English swear word, Harry is English, well done Miss American fan girl.

    Its almost as bloody annoying as Americanisms.
     
  3. Blaise

    Blaise Golden Patronus

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    Fo'shizzle, Lady Sizzle.
     
  4. sirius009

    sirius009 Minister of Magic

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    How about when Dumbledore uses the phrase "it's for the greater good." We get it, he believes what he is doing is right, but you could express that using phrases other than "for the greater good."
     
  5. Hit the red x

    Hit the red x Muggle

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    But your`re like a *sister/Father/ Uncles pet budgie breeders local supermarket owner to me

    *delete as applicable
    That always has me hitting the red x
     
  6. Zombie

    Zombie Black Philip Moderator DLP Supporter

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    Your name would look better as Hit the Red X
     
  7. pdo91

    pdo91 Professor DLP Supporter

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    Something that's a pet peeve of mine: using apostrophes instead of quotation marks to indicate speech. It irks the hell out of me, and I can barely force myself to read anything past the first bit of dialogue.

    In the same vein, authors who feel the need to give each individual character different indications of speech, whether bolded or underlined or with funky symbols surrounding the words. People who do that should be shot, and the shooter should be given a medal.
     
  8. Sorrows

    Sorrows Queen of the Flamingos Moderator

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    Text all in bold, if its only a page or two then I can live with it, but I can't read a whole story all in bold.
     
  9. MattSilver

    MattSilver The Traveller

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    That one only bugs me when they're the other half of the main pairing/part of Harry's harem. If they're just mentioned in passing or are an antagonist of sorts, the Ice Queen/Princess/Duchess thing is a little more acceptable to me at least.

    Oh, and not so much as a talky-talk dialogue, but a phrase in many IndieHarry stories that always pisses me off without fail these days:

    'Harry had tears running down his face/tears welling in his eyes, but willed himself not to cry/was in tears after reading Sirius'/James'/Lily's will and learning how much they loved him and left him money/how rich he is because he's a descendant of some dead guy from the 10th Century.'
     
  10. Amerision

    Amerision Galactic Sheep Emperor DLP Supporter

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    Okay, this is not so much dialogue, but still:

    People forgetting prominent characters and plot developments in canon entirely.

    Here's a huge one. Where's Pettigrew's super!hand when Harry goes to get his revenge? Non-existent.
     
  11. Hit the red x

    Hit the red x Muggle

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    Always a favorite of mine.

    The ante-room off the great hall where the Tri-wizard champions were sent.
     
  12. TheOtherWhiteSheep

    TheOtherWhiteSheep Squib

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    Characters who frequently use contractions frequently not using contractions.
     
  13. Gullible

    Gullible Headmaster

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    Why is that a cliche in dialogue?
     
  14. Verminard

    Verminard Seventh Year

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    Cor blimey too bloody right mate! Cheers!
     
  15. bylfolx

    bylfolx Backtraced

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    How about this wonderful dialogue cliched. Hard not to use I admit, guilty myself, but done so many times now its hard not to get peeved.

    Hermione. "Oh honestly, Harry, I read about it in Whogivesawhoop by Whothefuckcares."

    If done well, I don't notice it, but when stated like the above it grinds my mind something terrible.
     
  16. Sesc

    Sesc Slytherin at Heart Moderator

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    Oh, in that vein -- Hermione: I swear, don't you ever look into Hogwarts, a History/one day I'll make you read ~/it says so in ~/any other variation.

    Now that is a cliché in dialogues; I've read stories where she said something to that effect in every other chapter. It isn't even used that often in the books. So no, it does not make her more IC, the more you insert it into her speech. Stop overusing it already.


    @pdo91: Also, speaking of the books ... regarding the quotations, IIRC, Rowling uses 'speech'. At least in the UK versions. I don't mind really; as long as it's consistent.
     
  17. Sarah

    Sarah Daddy Issues

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    I hate to say this...but for almost all the people you listed that's pretty much canon. -_-

    I hate the apostrophe (yeah I might have spelled it wrong) thing too. Like wtf? All your ass has to do is press SHIFT + the damn key you keep using is that so damn hard?

    All bold pisses me off too but nothing more than everything being justified and centered. I keep thinking I'm reading a damn poem or something.​
     
    Last edited: Jul 18, 2009
  18. Muttering Condolences

    Muttering Condolences Card Captored and buttsecksed

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    I'm not sure if it is a cliche or not, but the constant defence of Snape by every one and their dog. Dumbledore, McGonnagal, Hermione have all defended that greasy asshole in situations where Snape is totally in the wrong.

    A good example in is Bobmin's Sunset Over Britain, where Snape has just assaulted Harry and Hermione, as well as attempted to kidnap and mindwipe them. Despite this, when Harry saying something like "Hey, maybe I should simply study potions on my own and not deal with Snape", Hermione freaks out and pussywhips Harry (which is sad cause Harry hadn't gotten any of said pussy yet) into going to class.
     
  19. sirius009

    sirius009 Minister of Magic

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    How about Tonks always using "Wotcher." It really annoys me when every one of Tonks' letters, greeting, etc. to Harry start with "Wotcher Harry."

    Feeding off the Snape bit, it also really annoys me when Harry quickly comes to the conclusion that his dad was a arrogant bully without considering the fact that it was a two way street, and that the only person he really bullied was Snape, which quickly leads to Harry not wanting anything to do with James.
     
  20. Sageun

    Sageun Fourth Year

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    Excluding the Harry not wanting anything to do with James bit, I was under the impression that that's pretty much canon. He worries about it for at least 2 chapters in HBP if I remember correctly.
     
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