Letter: So...can we stop now?

What is this craze for starting sentences with the word so?
What is this craze for starting sentences with the word so?What is this craze for starting sentences with the word so?
What is this craze for starting sentences with the word so?

It seems to have replaced ‘well’ and ‘erm’ in the vocabulary of trendy people and I don’t like it. Let’s look at this for a second.

‘Erm’ is established, it buys you time to think and it means “Just a second whilst I gather my thoughts”.

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‘Well’ means “Ok, what I think is …”. It’s an explainer or the precursor to a suggestion.

But “So …”, that’s a follow-on isn’t it? As in “If this comes apart it will leak, so make sure it’s fitted correctly” - surely. It’s not the start of a conversation.

It seems I can’t turn the TV on recently without someone beginning the answer to a question with “So …”. As in Q: “How did you become the Chief Constable?” A: “So, I’ve been working my way up the ranks …”. It doesn’t fit, it’s annoying and it’s a bit affected - it needs to stop.

Mike Jennings, Copley, Halifax

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