More or less

By Andrew Cretella · December 4, 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.

Comments 3

WilltheGreat Dec 4, 2009

I think it's one of those meaningless English phrases, like "may or may not" or "largely small" or "almost bigger".

honestgamer Staff Dec 4, 2009

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 Dec 6, 2009

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.