Our students evaluated each others' group projects and one person kept saying the presentations were full of verbal clutter. Does that mean there were too many verbs?
We're having some verbal issues of our own at home - mostly involving Jacob. He has developed two (annoying) habits. The first is to ask a question and then tell you what you are supposed to say in response.
J: Do you like it? Allison, say, 'Yes, I like it.'
J: Can I have a snack? Mom, say, "you can have a snack Jacob."
J: Here's your toy. Allison, say, "Thank you."
I think it bothers Brian and I more than Allison. Allison simply says whatever Jacob suggests. I think this leads simply to more suggestions. It's a positive feedback cycle.
The second issue is that Jacob has adopted the "northern" accent and language tendencies much more than Allison. Asking for the "bubbler" was kindof cute, but now he says many phrases followed by "don't cha know?" On a similar note - Allison briefly picked up the Sarah Palin "You betcha," but we finally traced that back to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (thank goodness!).
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S: Can I have a new sewing machine? Bruce, say "Certainly, dear, get the most expensive one, plus a table and embroidery software while you're at it."
If it works for Jacob maybe it'll work for me. We'll see.
I would take verbal clutter to mean all the "Uh..., you know...like..." that people throw into their speech when they're unused to speaking in front of an audience and need time to think of what they're going to say. They can't simply end a sentence and start a new one. They connect everything with umm, and,uh.... Do you ever tape their presentations and let them watch and evaluate their own?
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