Sentence problem 11--throat-clearers
When you lead in to an idea with a little phrase to get you started or to provide emphasis, you are using a "throat-clearer." It's as if you are saying, "I have something to say now. Listen up."
The universal advice of writing experts is to drop these phrases and write the sentence in a way that emphasizes the idea without the useless throat-clearer. For example--
Weak: It should be noted that the amount in controversy exceeds $75,000.
By dropping the throat-clearer ("it should be noted that"), you may be sacrificing a slight emphasis. You can usually think of a better way to achieve that emphasis.
Better: In fact, the amount in controversy exceeds $75,000.
Weak: It is important to remember that the client must make the final decision.
Here again, we might lose a small sense of emphasis when we remove the throat-clearing phrase "it is important to note that." But try this:
Better: The client--not the lawyer--must make the final decision.
--Excerpted from Better Legal Writing
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