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Overused and empty words


actor61

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Nothing wrong with the sentiment. It just doesn't make grammatical sense. It should be "I hope you're doing well." An email can't find anything.

 

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, one of the definitions of the word "find" is "attain, reach." Therefore, an email can, in fact, find something - such as its recipient. The example given in the definition is "the bullet found its mark." However, the example sentence could easily have been "The email found its recipient." In the case of "...this email finds you well," the word "well" modified the word "you." Lastly, I've heard the sentence "I hope this letter finds you well" spoken in old movies. This is not a new expression.

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According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, one of the definitions of the word "find" is "attain, reach." Therefore, an email can, in fact, find something - such as its recipient. The example given in the definition is "the bullet found its mark." However, the example sentence could easily have been "The email found its recipient." In the case of "...this email finds you well," the word "well" modified the word "you." Lastly, I've heard the sentence "I hope this letter finds you well" spoken in old movies. This is not a new expression.

Back in the dark ages, I took a secretarial course and there was a large emphasis on proper letting writing form. We were taught to almost always open a letter with "I hope this letter finds you well", and to close with "Yours very truly." I never understood if "I hope this letter finds you well" meant I hope the letter arrived unharmed or if it meant I hope you're feeling well. Similarly, how could I be yours very truly if I'd never met you?

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"please listen carefully as our menu has changed"

 

This is but one example - although a particularly irritating one - of a really common failing: neglecting to update a statement which has become stale. The reason this one is particularly irritating is that it's likely to be the preface to a frustrating and interminable interaction with a computer.

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