# Well,... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 29, 2009, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well/497979 "2009-05-29T00:33:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well/497979/1 "2009-05-29T00:33:30Z")
Does anyone feel like way too many posts start with “Well,” before getting around to the substance of the post? I don’t know if it’s an attempt to sound more conversational, but I notice it all the time now and it’s become a minor annoyance. I’m guilty of doing it myself but I’ve resolved to stop doing it because it’s unnecessary filler and it bugs me. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well/497979/2 "2009-05-29T00:39:03Z")
I have a bad habit of “So”. ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well/497979/3 "2009-05-29T00:41:18Z")
I do it. Since I can type extremely fast, I tend to type how I speak. And since “Well,” is filler in how I speak, it’ll show up in my posts. It’s better than, like, “like”. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well/497979/4 "2009-05-29T01:03:38Z")
I have a tendency to start sentences, whether spoken or written, with ‘well’ or ‘so’. I know why I do it in real life - so people have a moment to notice I’ve started talking. There’s really no excuse to do it in writing though. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well/497979/5 "2009-05-29T01:24:04Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > I have a bad habit of “So”. So do I. ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well/497979/6 "2009-05-29T02:41:19Z")
> [@Silver Tyger Girl](#): > > There’s really no excuse to do it in writing though. I think it adds to the conversation. Not in a way that is somehow beneficial to the topic at hand, but that it adds a certain… rhythm, to the text. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Mondegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/91b2a8/32.png) [@Lord\_Mondegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Mondegreen)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well/497979/7 "2009-05-29T03:40:07Z")
> [@Hal\_Briston](#): > > > [@Zsofia](#): > > > > I have a bad habit of “So”. > > So do I. So I see. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well/497979/8 "2009-05-29T03:48:37Z")
Um…so you guys don’t like well, either? ---
**Author:** ![Lucky\_13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucky_13/32/13209_2.png) [@Lucky\_13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucky_13)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well/497979/9 "2009-05-29T04:26:04Z")
I just realized I start a lot of my posts that way. It’s a bad habit. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well/497979/10 "2009-05-29T06:00:57Z")
Well like so I was like sooo bummed that man like my whale well you know it was so sick man. _California born and raised_ ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well/497979/11 "2009-05-29T06:12:08Z")
Shouldn’t the OP have begun: \*Weeeeeeelllll… You know you make me wanna **SHOUT** , kick my heels up, and **SHOUT** , throw my hands up and **SHOUT** , throw my head back and **SHOUT** …\*? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MOIDALIZE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e274bd/32.png) [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well/497979/12 "2009-05-29T06:54:35Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > Shouldn’t the OP have begun: > > \*Weeeeeeelllll… > > You know you make me wanna **SHOUT** , kick my heels up, and **SHOUT** , throw my hands up and **SHOUT** , throw my head back and **SHOUT** …\*? 😃 Don’t reinvent the well. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well/497979/13 "2009-05-29T06:58:54Z")
> [@MOIDALIZE](#): > > Don’t reinvent the well. I’m afraid both Lulu and Otis Day & The Knights have beaten me to that honour. ;)😃 ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well/497979/14 "2009-05-29T08:00:59Z")
Not to mention [The Isley Brothers](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VL9xOLpwI0I) and [Joey Dee & The Starlighters](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhdw2P5onqs&feature=related). 😉 I remember both fondly. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well/497979/15 "2009-05-29T10:53:29Z")
I’m pretty sure I’m guilty. I haven’t gone back to look at any of my threads, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it were true. ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well/497979/16 "2009-05-29T15:24:16Z")
I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who is annoyed by this. I can handle it in speech (to a point), but about the only time I can accept it in written form is if a character is being quoted. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well/497979/17 "2009-05-29T15:28:03Z")
Well, no. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well/497979/18 "2009-05-29T15:58:20Z")
I think it’s often just an acknowledgement, perhaps absentmindedly, to someone in the thread that their post was read and given consideration.