More or less

December 04, 2009

I recently remembered Leroux's blog about stale and imprecise language from a little while back and thought about such language in my own writing. I noticed that one phrase I constantly use is "more or less." What the hell does this even mean? I use it all the time yet I have no idea. Upon further thought I realized that I seem to use it to deliberately make a statement equivocal. I think I'm going to use this phrase less from now on.

Most recent blog posts from Andrew Cretella...

What language did you play The Lost Odyssey in?

Deus Ex Invisible War

So um, anyone want a free copy of Half-Life 2?

Most recent blog posts from Andrew Cretella...
What language did you play The Lost Odyssey in? Deus Ex Invisible War So um, anyone want a free copy of Half-Life 2?

Feedback

WilltheGreat - December 04, 2009 (06:16 PM)
I think it's one of those meaningless English phrases, like "may or may not" or "largely small" or "almost bigger".

honestgamer - December 04, 2009 (06:16 PM)
A phrase probably shouldn't be used often if you can remove it from a sentence without changing your meaning. This is an important thing to keep in mind when reviewing, but it's true of all writing. A lot of times, "more or less" really is just a filler word. It tends to weaken the force with which you are saying something, as you noted. It's easy to fall into the habit of using a phrase like that, too.

randxian - December 06, 2009 (05:32 PM)
Yeah, there is always something we can improve on concerning writing.

At least you have presence of mind to notice you are using said filler words and are willing to make the necessary adjustments. When I started the TT, my teammates and I had a lot of work in terms of removing useless filler words from my reviews. I suppose it's a never-ending process.

Feedback
	WilltheGreat - December 04, 2009 (06:16 PM) I think it's one of those meaningless English phrases, like "may or may not" or "largely small" or "almost bigger".
	honestgamer - December 04, 2009 (06:16 PM) A phrase probably shouldn't be used often if you can remove it from a sentence without changing your meaning. This is an important thing to keep in mind when reviewing, but it's true of all writing. A lot of times, "more or less" really is just a filler word. It tends to weaken the force with which you are saying something, as you noted. It's easy to fall into the habit of using a phrase like that, too.
	randxian - December 06, 2009 (05:32 PM) Yeah, there is always something we can improve on concerning writing. At least you have presence of mind to notice you are using said filler words and are willing to make the necessary adjustments. When I started the TT, my teammates and I had a lot of work in terms of removing useless filler words from my reviews. I suppose it's a never-ending process.

© 1998-2024 HonestGamers
None of the material contained within this site may be reproduced in any conceivable fashion without permission from the author(s) of said material. This site is not sponsored or endorsed by Nintendo, Sega, Sony, Microsoft, or any other such party. Opinions expressed on this site do not necessarily represent the opinion of site staff or sponsors.