Words That Work ... or Don't

Careless Qualifiers Disqualify You
as an Effective Communicator

A qualifier is a word or phrase that indicates how certain or absolute a statement is — or isn't. Consider these statements:

  • I sort of thought she should have given me better information.
  • It was kind of sad to watch him stumble during the debate.
  • She sort of dominated the race.
  • He kind of got tangled up in the rope, and then he sort of got angry about it.

Omit qualifiers if you want to sound assertive
Now consider the statements without the qualifiers. Don’t they have a more assertive tone?

  • I thought she should have given me better information.
  • It was sad to watch him stumble during the debate.
  • She dominated the race.
  • He got tangled up in the rope, and then he got angry about it.

Qualifiers can help soften message
If you truly want to dilute or soften your message, a qualifier can help:

“I was kind of disappointed in your work on the annual report.” You want the person to know that the report was not up to par, but that you haven’t totally written him or her off.

Take note the next time you see a sports figure or talk-show guest interviewed. Count the sort of’s and kind of’s. Are they all necessary?

You risk diminishing your authority and credibility when you overuse or inappropriately use qualifiers. Don’t kind of or sort of anything unless your intention is to soften your message or appear less than certain.

Ruthless Editor follows The Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law guidelines for word and punctuation usage. Webster's New World College Dictionary serves as a secondary reference.

If you’re not yet a subscriber and you'd like to receive Kathy's FREE monthly tips on grammar and punctuation, email your request to: kathy@ruthlesseditor.com.

See my last column on Words That Work:

Sen. McCain, President Obama Share Grammar Faux Pas