10. “Does that make sense?”
...And Other Meaningless Words
Language is alive, a dynamically evolving and changing entity.
One of the newest expressions to gain momentum in American speech is, “Does that make sense?” The phrase is most often used by a speaker in the middle of a conversation—or a presenter in the middle of a presentation—to check whether the listener or audience member has understood or appreciated what the speaker has just said. Unfortunately, the expression has three negative implications:
• Uncertainty on the part of the speaker about the accuracy or credibility of the content
• Doubt about the ability of the audience to comprehend or appreciate the content
• The word, “sense,” which, by its interrogative formation, implies ...
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