Looking something up for Lesson 03?
Language, when you need it
Search concise C2 rules, vocabulary and speaking phrases without leaving the course to hunt through past lessons.
What it is
Indirectness is a set of tools — softeners, distancers, and understatement — that let you say something difficult without stating it bluntly.
Form
| Form | Pattern | Model sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Softener | I was wondering / a bit / perhaps + main point | I was wondering if this figure might be a little off. |
| Distancer | It seems / one could argue + main point | It seems the deadline was missed by some margin. |
| Understatement | not exactly / not the most + adjective | This isn't exactly our finest piece of work. |
| Combined | distancer + softener + understatement | It might be fair to say this wasn't the smoothest launch. |
Use it when
- You're delivering criticism to someone senior or someone you don't know well
- You want to raise a problem without triggering defensiveness
- You're writing a formal complaint but need to stay professional
- You want the listener to read between the lines rather than feel attacked
Examples
- It could perhaps have been planned a touch more carefully.
- There seems to have been a slight miscommunication somewhere.
- I don't want to make a fuss, but the room isn't quite what was promised.
- This wasn't our best showing, to put it mildly.
- One might question whether the numbers add up.
Watch out
✗ You made a huge mistake.
✓ There might have been a small oversight here.
Direct blame sounds harsh; a softener keeps the tone professional.
✗ Stacking so many softeners that the point disappears entirely.
✓ Use one or two indirect markers, then state the point clearly.
Over-softening buries the message and confuses the listener.
✗ This is a disaster.
✓ This isn't exactly going to plan.
Understatement lets the listener register the seriousness without an emotional outburst.
Remember
Say it sideways, and people hear it without flinching.
Quick check
- 1. Turn this direct sentence indirect: 'Your report is late.'
Reveal
I was wondering if the report might be running a little behind.
- 2. Name the three tools of indirectness covered here.
Reveal
softeners, distancers, understatement
- 3. Is 'This isn't the strongest argument I've heard' understatement or a distancer?
Reveal
Understatement