Today I chanced upon an article (http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/9454.aspx) which made me laugh out loud, it talks about how people use meaningless phrases and we can really do without them. And the thing is, all of us say these phrases from time to time!
Look at the sample speech I've written (I've bolded the meaningless phrases), isn't that such a typical speech we hear every other day at conferences or what have you?
Good morning ladies and gentlemen, let me begin by saying that I am really honored to be here. Today I'm going to share with all of you, my experience as an ad man, and where else better to start than at the beginning, which also incidentally happens to be when I graduated. I studied law in a prestigious school in London in order to please my parents. However I soon realized that, all things considered, that it was not my passion, at the end of the day, if I don't pursue what I love, I might as well be dead. That said, it was not that I don't enjoy law, I do, but my passion was just not there. We, as human beings, are indeed a weird bunch! So after graduation I interned at a small adverting agency in Paris and went through advertising in all its form. And it was the best experience I could ever asked for. All in all, the essence of what I want to say is, to go and do what you truly enjoy.
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By Matt Wilson | Posted: September 8, 2011
Sometimes people just don’t think about what they’re saying.
That’s especially true for those phrases that are so common and have burrowed so deeply into the lexicon that they just fall out of your mouth or course through your typing fingers with no cooperation from your brain. But if your brain did get in on the action, it might discover that those phrases—often filler words meant to imbue your prose with rhetorical flair—really don’t mean much.
So what’s wrong with flair? Well, nothing. Office Space notwithstanding, flair can be great, especially if you’re giving a speech meant to fire up a big crowd.
But when phrases like the ones below show up over and over again with so little inherent meaning, flair can turn into a flop.
Start at the beginning
Isn’t that where I would expect you to start? You’d really only need to warn me if you were starting somewhere weird there, Horace, like the middle, the end or somehow before the beginning.
Let me begin by saying
Is someone stopping you? Just say it! This is the rhetorical equivalent of, “I am now going to write about.” They teach second-graders not to start their essays that way, so keep it out of your adult conversations.
We, as human beings
As opposed to what? We, as robots? We, as orangutans? Unless you’re speaking to or writing for some especially diverse audiences, you can just say “we.”
That said
Yes, someone said it. And that ought to be pretty evident to everyone else who either heard it or read it. You don’t really need to reiterate that something was said. If you’re offering a counterargument to that statement, a “however,” “conversely” or “but” will do just fine.
Happens to be
Sometimes a coincidence can be so shocking that a “happens to be” may be justified. But in most cases, it’s just a cute way of pointing out someone or something has an interesting or unusual trait, like “That vagrant just happens to be my nephew.” All you need is “is.” That vagrant is your nephew.
All things considered
Here’s what you’re saying when you say this: “Anytime I don’t use this phrase, I’m only considering some things when I make judgments.” Or possibly, “I’m making a too-cute joke about the NPR program of the same name.” In either case, they’re not really statements you want to make.
All in all
As I think about what this phrase could have originally meant or what it could really mean, my brain has tied itself into a Gordian knot. Is it the opposite of “none in none”? A contrast to “some in some”? Is it supposed to imply that every single thing has been fitted into every other thing?
I’d better lie down now.
At the end of the day
Like the previous two, this phrase signals that you’re about to sum up all the various pieces of your argument and come to a conclusion. But what does that have to do with the time of day? Almost always nothing. What you’re talking about might even be happening in the morning!
In order to
What you really mean is “to.” The last time an “in order” was justified, it was in the preamble to the U.S. Constitution. And I’m only cutting James Madison some slack because of the whole three branches of government idea and the Bill of Rights. Plus, he was writing back when a lowercase “s” looked like an “f.” Times have changed.
In all its forms
Ahhh! Look out! It’s a shape-shifter!
But seriously, you really don’t need to point out that you like chocolate “in all its forms.” For one thing, that should be self-evident. For another, chocolate is pretty much chocolate, regardless of its physical state.
