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Going forward, let's say something else

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Why you can trust SCMP
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Some annoying words and phrases that serve no purpose often slip into a language and gain wide currency. They are like irritating bugs that get into your system and stay there forever without doing tremendous harm.

A recent example is the phrase 'going forward'. Not a day goes by without someone making a public speech or statement using it at least once.

It seems to convey the vague notion about how something or someone needs to proceed into the near future.

But in nine out of 10 instances of it being used, the phrase adds little or nothing to what is being discussed. So why use it?

Its use appears to indicate that the speaker is in a position to take an organisation, an issue or a policy forward. It's a socially acceptable way to show that you are a Very Important Person.

Take the by-now famous exit message of Carol Bartz, the recently sacked chief executive of Yahoo, to her staff.

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