Flowers & Pearls: A quick and easy project in just 5 minutes!
In her column «Blüten und Perlen,» Sarah Pally uses her usual sharp wit to show how to elegantly sidestep responsibility with words—and why noncommittal language often reveals more about us than we’d like.
Taking responsibility, letting yourself be pinned down, or taking a stand are definitely out of style. You, too, can use your choice of words (more or less subtly) to make it clear that you like to dodge issues and make excuses. Just follow these instructions, and you’ll reliably become unreliable:
Guidance on Non-Binding Nature
By using impersonal pronouns like «one» or «we,» you blur the lines of responsibility—as elegantly as an octopus. Rest assured that it’s already clear who’s being referred to when «someone should take out the trash again»: certainly not you! This classic never gets old and always works.
To add a little more variety to passing the buck, use nominalizations and passive constructions. Here’s another everyday example from the wonderful world of household chores: «The grocery shopping still needs to be taken care of.» Boom—two birds with one stone. And the modal verb in the conditional tense takes it one step further. The message is clear precisely because it’s so wonderfully vague: You’re not doing anything right now, and besides, you don’t care who does it or exactly how.
Maybe, a little, possibly
Not only do you like to pass the buck, but you also don’t want to be pinned down? Then qualifying terms and modal verbs are definitely part of your favorite repertoire: maybe, a little, possibly, can, must, should. You can’t rely on any of these expressions or constructions—any more than you can rely on you! And the best part: these wonderful little words can be easily sprinkled in here and there—just go ahead and use them.
Last but not least, your writing must make it clear that nothing here is clear at all. Generalize—after all, you don’t want to end up in the awkward position of directly confronting someone. Downplay the issue or use vague references that lead nowhere. «Some on the team don’t think the situation is ideal»? That’s how you stay vague! Or resort to the clumsy but effective conditional—after all, as Stromberg knew: “Would have, could have, bike chain.” That way, you undermine everything, even the last shred of meaning.
Why all the fuss?
Sure, you could write precisely, but you don’t want to. Because being imprecise is a welcome way out of quite a few situations. For example, when you’re writing a column about your own opinion but want to avoid the word «I» at all costs so you don’t actually end up talking about yourself.
Of course, most of these vague, wishy-washy constructions happen unintentionally. Hardly anyone actively considers, while writing, how they might come across as relativizing, vague, or impersonal. And so they speak volumes, because they reliably reveal unconscious insecurities. So anyone who writes unclearly either has a good reason—or has a good reason but doesn’t realize it.
Analyzed since 2025 Sarah Pally In her column "Blossoms and Pearls", she uses industry-related terms and comments on them with a personal touch, from a linguistic perspective - as well as with a precise view of developments in the industry. Pally is a partner in the Partner & Partner agency in Winterthur. She has been working in the fields of content marketing, text/concept and storytelling in the communications and marketing sector for 15 years.
