Softening

Sometimes you want to soften the impact of what you are saying and give it less importance. Here are some ways to do that:

Little

The quality could have been a little better.

The speaker should have spoken a little louder.

Slight

There is a slight problem we need to deal with.

I have a slight doubt about John's suitability for the job.

Minor

I have a minor reservation about this plan.

There are a few minor problems still to be dealt with.

Fairly

There are some fairly important changes still to be made.

I think that I have a fairly good understanding of your problems.

Quite

I quite like it but no more than that.

This is quite a good way to do this.

Not quite

He isn't quite as good as he thinks he is.

I'm not quite sure that we are on the right lines.

Partially

He has been partially successful with his demands but he didn't get everything he wanted.

It is partially finished but there is still a lot to do.

Occasional

There are occasional errors in his work.

Everybody makes occasional mistakes.

Rather

He is rather aggressive.

This is rather too complicated. It is difficult to understand.

More or less

The report is more or less finished. I just need to read through it again.

He is more or less useless. Cannot get anything right.

Exercise 1. Put in order.

1. results, our, were, better, than, expected

2. than, our, results, better, expected, than, little, were, a

3. problem, was, that, was

4. problem, that, minor, was

5. been, quarter, it’s, good, a

6. quarter, been, fairly, it’s, good, a

Exercise 2. Mix and match.

A problem

Fairly little better

A small good

Partially on target

Occasional successful

Rather too quite right

More or less high

Not errors

Exercise 3. Match two columns to complete the sentences.

Sales in the first quarter high

were a little

The response has been fairly good

We have a small better

The negotiations were partially on target

There have been occasional right

We have found the costs rather too successful

Construction is still more or less errors

Our analysis of the situation was

not quite problem with it.

Exercise 4. Correct or not.

The results slightly are disappointing. We haven’t quite achieved our objectives.

Although we had some problems with the set up, we are more or less on schedule.

The second offer was a little better but still not what quite we were hoping to get.

We have gone over slightly budget. This is due to the rather long delays we have had getting approval for sale in the USA.

There has been a slight increase in productivity since the introduction of the new working schedules.

We will have to wait a little longer before we can see the full impact.

We have had a slight improvement in our stock control. We have more or less ironed the mirror problem we were having with the new IT system.

The feedback was generally good but did highlight some areas where we can improve.

We have more or less finished the first series of testing but are not ready quite to move onto second

.

Softening 2

We can soften the impact of negative ideas by responding using a positive word with a negative form of the verb. For example, compare:

The results are disappointing.

The results certainly aren't very encouraging, I'm afraid.

Exercise 1. Find the opposite.

Bad correct

Badly increasing

Difficult cheap

Disappointing easy

Disaster well

Expensive efficient

Falling encouraging

Inefficient positive

Negative success

Wrong good

Exercise 2. Match the parts to complete the sentences.

It was a bad idea. unfortunately the project was not very well managed

Demand is falling. It wasn’t very efficient, that’s obvious

It’ll be very difficult to It wasn’t the cheapest solution, I have to

resolve. agree

Results are disappointing, results aren’t very encouraging, I’m afraid

It was very inefficient. I wasn’t a very good idea, and we can’t

pretend it was

The feedback from the unfortunately, the project wasn’t very well

tests was negative. managed

It was a very expensive demand isn’t increasing, I’m sorry to say

solution.

The figures are wrong. The figures aren’t exactly correct. I’m

afraid

It was a disaster. It certainly wasn’t an unqualified success

that’s obvious

The project was badly the feedback from the tests wasn’t very

managed. positive, I’m sorry to say

Exercise 3. Complete the sentences with the words below.

It wasn’t a ………… idea, and we can’t pretend it was.

Demand isn’t …………, I’m sorry to say.

I won’t be ………… to resolve, that’s for sure.

Results aren’t very ……………, I’m afraid.

It wasn’t very ……………, that’s obvious.

The feedback from tests wasn’t ………., I’m sorry to say.

It wasn’t the …………. solution, I have to agree.

The figures aren’t exactly ………, I’m afraid.

It certainly wasn’t an unqualified ......…, that’s obvious.

Unfortunately, the project wasn’t ……….. managed.

success easy efficient cheapest very good