Sometimes, I hear many people use "so" a lot during a presentation, tutorial, lecture, and also normal conversation. Is it bad, or is it just a matter of favor?
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"So" is probably being used instead of "thus" or "therefore," or some more elegant or thoughtful transition. It's better than "uh" or "umm," but anything that annoys listeners is not so good. By "favor" you mean, I assume, a matter of choice or preference.– XanneCommented Sep 10, 2017 at 6:42
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Non-sequiturial so is used as a pragmatic (attention-grabbing / formatting) marker rather like 'right!' The fact that 'so' has a lexical sense means that the pragmatic usage grades (probably imperceptibly) into 'Let me answer that by saying ...' or 'Going on from there, ...'. And thence to fully lexical 'Thus / Therefore, ...'. / 'Bad' is POB; many people use it in these ways.– Edwin AshworthCommented Sep 10, 2017 at 7:28
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1 Answer
"How much is too much" tends to be subjective, but the excessive use of any particular word is not recommended in most situations.
Such speech becomes boring at best, and often gives the impression that the speaker's vocabulary, clarity of thought and ability to express themselves well are sorely lacking. That's applicable particularly to the excessive use of "so", or "like" and other similar "verbal ticks".
It can also indicate that the speaker is unaware/inconsiderate of their audience - nobody likes to hear a great deal of repetition.
