The IdleBacon Blog

I’ve been thinking a lot about the word “always”.

I blame my house mate  for this. She will remain unnamed. I blame her, because since we’ve had to pack up to house to move in FOUR days (!) her lady times pads have been in the toilet on show. So I see them everytime I use the facility.

(The connection here is that they are the brand “Always”)

Anyway, everytime I’m in there for you-know-what, I end reading the packaging. And there’s a phrase (that I have since re-read and realised that I misunderstood what it said, so I shall say what I thought it read) on there that says: “You wont always find our unique something or other….”

And, what I was thinking about, is how the word ‘always’ to change where a sentence is headed, really easily. For example:

1. You will always find your dog in the garden = 100% of the time, you will find your dog in the garden.

2. You wont always find your dog in the garden = Occasionally, but not every single time, you can find your dog in the garden.

Normally, the use, or not use, of a word, will change the probability of something happening, ie: either 100% or 0%. Like don’t. Example:

I like ice cream. I don’t like ice cream. And you can’t use ‘don’t’ in the sentence to get a probability of somewhere between 1% and 99%.

However, add in the ‘always’ and you do.

I always like Ice cream! – 100%

I don’t always like Ice cream – 1%-99%

Think about it, and then post some comment on how weird I am. Peace out, trousers down.