"Apparently" What a garbage word...

[Plurralbles]

I remember a class I had a few years ago where we had to relay news articles we read the evening before to the class for extra credit and this girl included in all of her stories the word, "apparently". One example: "A guy was killed in a car accident. He was apparently drunk." Her use of the word was like an infection causing other people to say it too. I accidentally said it too in some of my news pieces and it infuriated me because you can remove it from the sentence and it doesn't change it at all. You just sound more sure of what you are saying by not saying, "apparently." Perhaps we were all just using it in a subpar way, but I removed it mentally from everyone's sentences and noticed that not one of their thoughts changed. No content was lost. The sentence worked better by scratching away the extraneous four syllable word.

What words do you find people using around you that are pointless and the language would work better without them? Can you prove that, "apparently" deserves to keep its spot as a word?

 

[the_pleasure_is_mine]

I use 'apparently' for information gained from another source who is not 100% reliable but I would not dismiss straight away.

Also chavs just need to have their mouths sewn shut... language in general would work better.

 

[Amethyst Wind]

'Apparently' is designed to portray the situation as it is thought to be in the absence of a definite.

Saying the guy was apparently drunk merely means they believed him to be drunk, just couldn't prove it, y'know, because of the death and all.

 

[_Janny_]

I actually like using "apparently" because it implies that I'm not 100% certain of what happened. And I don't sound like some judge who throws around facts like he's sure of everything.

 

[rockyoumonkeys]

I pretty much only seem to use "apparently" sarcastically.

 

[the Dept of Science]

Yea, apparently is a good word. I like it when people show that they are not 100% certain on their facts.

"My friend once punched a bear" Implies that you saw him do it.

"Apparently my friend once punched a bear" means that you heard someone say it. If you stress the word "apparently" then it implies that you have strong doubts over whether this person was telling the truth.

 

[Danzaivar]

Apparantly/Alledgedly let's you say things without getting sued for libel.

 

[gl1koz3]

Life is not a scientific paper, so saying you're not sure about something is what it is.

 

[Monkfish Acc.]

It is a perfectly good word. I make liberal use of it because I am often not a hundred percent sure.
So that is what that is for. As has already been mentioned.

Honestly, there is no word we would be better off without. They all serve a purpose. Even if it is a mundane or stupid one.

 

[Hamster at Dawn]

How does "apparently" make no difference? If you simply say "he was drunk" then you are making a definite statement that you endorse to be true. If you say "apparently he was drunk" then you are saying that another source(s) indicated the drunkeness of the man, implying that it is likely to be true but leaving the fact open to interpretation. It's a pretty huge difference if you ask me.

 

[FlipC]

Would you prefer "supposedly" or "allegedly" to "apparently"? They all have subtle differences.

 

[icyneesan]

Apparently I can think of anything.

 

[Gildan Bladeborn]

There's nothing wrong with the word "Apparently" - you use it for conclusions derived from appearances alone, or as a synonym for words like evidently or supposedly, where facts are "suggested" or stated by other parties and you personally cannot confirm those facts.

It might seem like nothing is changing, but the sentence "He was drunk" means something quite different from "He was apparently drunk"; the first sentence translates to "We know for certain that he was drunk.", while the second means "We're pretty sure he was drunk, but we don't know for sure yet."

 

[Sronpop]

You know I think someone I went to school with did the exact same thing and apparently no one really cared too much.

 

[Valkyrie101]

I use 'apparently' for information gained from another source who is not 100% reliable but I would not dismiss straight away.

This, exactly.

Also chavs just need to have their mouths sewn shut... language in general would work better.

A case of a statement where "apparently" is not needed.

 

[Baradiel]

Apparently is a very useful word, just your classmate apparently used it to death.

Yes, it should stay as a word.

 

[Eumersian]

It is apparent that apparently is useful in only some situations. Like has probably been said before, it should more likely be used when either stating information that is not %100 certain but seems reasonable, or in a way that makes it seem almost like a surprise.

 

[Kif]

There's a mighty strong difference between saying 'he was apparently drunk' and 'he was drunk'.

Such a strong difference that it could mean the difference between winning a libel case or losing a libel case.