Quote:
Originally Posted by Baraka_Guru
Improper uses of: - "in fact"
- "actually"
- "to tell you the truth"
- "to be honest"
- "honestly"
- etc.
What better way to point out the idea that you might be insincere otherwise? ("Actually," I admit I'm guilty of this myself. But I also admit being a lazy thinker.)
When in doubt, just drop it. |
Commenting on the above, for some reason, I notice many North Americans take these phrases when presented to them in conversations as the opposite of what they were to meant to convey, as if the person just used the caveat token of speech, just to insult you / belittle your point, and get away with it, scot-free.
This is why I hate sarcasm so, and have learned to barely recognize it any more; if we can't say what we mean, what's the point in saying anything at all?
B_G, while the choice few phrases above seem like they would be alright openers to a sentence, although many get annoyed by the fact they seem to be quite insincere, I'll add that I think the closer of ", no offense." would also fit into your listing.