Speech and voice quality have always been important to me. There is an epidemic of sorts right now that is driving me bonkers: people begin their spoken sentences with “So…” or “OK, so…” Much like when the Gen-X or Gen-Y people used ‘like’ all the time (and still do), this affectation with ‘so’ is mind-boggling. The problem is, I find myself doing it; I am aware and am actively trying to stop myself from saying ‘so’ when I start a sentence. What’s even more interesting is that when you Google “Starting a sentence with so” there are tens of millions of hits. MANY people have written about this. SO, I am not alone.
Here is part of the Macmillan Dictionary definition of ‘so:’
Spoken used for introducing a known fact before you make a comment to show that it does not matter:
Okay, so the guy made a few mistakes. That doesn’t mean he isn’t a good player.
Well, perhaps ‘OK, so…’ isn’t so bad after all. It’s not, ya know, like, ya know, as annoying as like, people saying ‘like’ all the time. Right?
What's Next Brenda 