Ended Up...

A few days ago I was reading an email from a friend. In the email she used the phrase “ended up” a few times. As this was an email, and I am not the type to edit or critique people’s casual emails (and I HATE we people do that to me), I didn’t say anything. Granted, there is nothing wrong with the phrase “ended up” it’s perfectly fine, it just happens to be a trigger for me. When I see it in books it feels very passive. I can’t really say why I dislike it so much, but it just seems like a copout. Show me how you ended up in whatever situation you are claiming to have ended up in.

It’s like saying: Ryan pushed me, and I ended up at the bottom of the steps.

Or you could say: Ryan pushed me and I lost my footing, went ass-over-elbows down the flight of stairs, landing in a heap at the bottom.

The second one isn’t perfect but it’s much more active than the first. So what are some of the trigger phrases, words or expressions that get under your skin when you read them?