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It's a silly that you list "please" as fluff. That critical word changes a demand into a request, which is very powerful. "Hand me that." An order, a directive
by CodexArcanum 3y ago
It's a silly that you list "please" as fluff. That critical word changes a demand into a request, which is very powerful.
"Hand me that." An order, a directive, as one might issue to a servant.
"Hand me that, please?" A question, a request, a favor, as you might ask of someone you respect.
- Detrytus 3y agoBut in sentences like: “Could you hand me that, please?” The word “please” seems redundant, “could you” already does the job of asking nicely. That is, from my perspective as someone speaking English as a second language.
- tnecniv 3y agoIn that case, it does not materially change the content but it does change the tone to indicate you would appreciate them responding in the affirmative . Adding a “please” to a request also doesn’t make it harder to understand. You do have a point, though. Passive voice can be a lot more wordy / harder to parse, but people often use it to be more polite sounding.
- floxy 3y ago>"Hand me that." An order, a directive, as one might issue to a servant. Do English speakers generally not use "please" and "thank you" with servants?