Reasons for using understatement
There are several reasons for using understatement.
One is to act modest.
If you've travelled all around the world, and someone asks you if you've
been to many foreign countries, it's more polite to say:
Yeah, I've been to a few places.
If you say it correctly (by emphasizing "a
few"), the listener will understand that you've really been to a lot of different
countries.
Another reason for understatement is to disagree with
someone or criticize them
without coming across as too aggressive. For example, if your teenage
child makes a big mistake, you can use understatement instead of yelling at
them:
That probably wasn't the smartest thing for you to do.
You really could have handled that better, you know.
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