“In and of Itself”

To many people, the phrase “in and of itself” sounds clunky and old fashioned. However, when used sparingly–and correctly–it serves a purpose.

Example: The weather was not, in and of itself, the cause of the traffic delays.
vs.
Example: The weather was not the cause of the traffic delays.

In both sentences, we understand not to blame the weather for the traffic delays, but in the first sentence, the weather’s involvement is acknowledged. In the second sentence, we have no indication that the weather had anything to do with the traffic delays at all.

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13 Responses to ““In and of Itself””

  1. Samuel C Spriggs Says:

    I suggest not using this goofy phrase in any sentence. Please tell me what “in and of itself” communicates.

    For example:

    The weather was not, in and of itself, the cause of the traffic delays.

    The weather was not the cause of the traffic delays.

    Apparently the first sentence has more information than the second — but I do not see the difference between the two.

  2. Briana Says:

    As I understand it…

    ‘In and of itself’ communicates the information that the subject, acting alone, could not have produced the observed result.

    (It sounds like an old-fashioned way of saying ‘By itself’.)

    Both sentences tell you not to blame the weather for the delays, but the first sentence acknowledges the weather’s involvement while the second merely denies causality.

  3. Jane Says:

    I agree with Briana.

  4. Ben Says:

    I agree with Sam. Using the phrase”in and of itself” is just filler and adds nothing meaningful or significant to the sentence. In fact, this phrase makes the whole sentence redundant, wordy, and trite. I say jettison “in and of itself” to a black hole far, far away and don’t look back.

  5. Ben Says:

    PS: I think that you could whittle down the phrase to just one word– “itself”– and write the following:

    The weather itself was not the cause of traffic delays.

    This would probably satisfy Briana.

    I, however, like it short and sweet. Anyway, that’s my two cents’ worth in all of this. ;-)

  6. Jane Says:

    Sam and Ben, I can see that “in and of itself” is filler. Ben, I like your idea of “The weather itself was not the cause of traffic delays.”

  7. Ben Says:

    Yay! It’s great that I was able to win Jane over. She’s hot. ;-)

  8. Ben Says:

    Hmmm. . . I maybe I should have written the following instead:

    Yay! It’s great that I’m able to win Jane over. She’s hot.

    Now, every the whole sentence is in the present tense. :-)

  9. Ben Says:

    Ugh. Typos. I need to get rid of the extra “I” and “every” from the above. It’s been a long day. :-/

  10. Briana Says:

    I like Ben’s idea too.

  11. ravi bedi Says:

    Is this ok:

    If John was more enterprising, he would have got of at the previous station itself.

  12. Jane Says:

    If John were more enterprising, he would have disembarked at the previous station.

  13. Nick Says:

    Samuel: “The weather was not, in and of itself, the cause of the traffic delays. The weather was not the cause of the traffic delays. Apparently the first sentence has more information than the second — but I do not see the difference between the two.”

    In the second sentence, it’s ambiguous whether the weather was partly responsible (though not the ultimate cause) or entirely unrelated.

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