'on an unrelated note'

Question

I was wondering if the above expression was grammatically viable? This is how I used it,

"Mere emotions aren't going to solve the problem, which on an unrelated note is the reason Hillary is not suited for the job."

Is there a better substitute for it? Then please do tell me. Thanx ^^

BarbaraPA · Accepted Answer

Hi JKB,

Not quite.

"On an unrelated note" means "I'm going to mention something else, but it doesn't have relevance to what we're talking about."

I think Johnny is too young for the movie Hot Chicks on Spring Break, which, on an unrelated note, was filmed in New Orleans and my cousin worked on the set.

In that case, the fact that the movie was filmed in New Orleans and my cousin worked on it is unrelated to Johnny's being too young to see it.

In your example, it seems directly connected, and grammatcially, it doesn't work either. It seems to be referring to "the problem."

Mere emotions aren't going to solve the problem, which [the problem], on an unrelated note, is now listed as one of the top three issues Americans feel worried about, according to the latest Gallup poll.

KateJS · Answer

JKBelieveI was wondering if the above expression was grammatically viable? This is how I used it,

"Mere emotions aren't going to solve the problem, which, by the way, ~~on an unrelated note~~ is the reason Hillary is not suited for the job."

Is there a better substitute for it? Then please do tell me. Thanx ^^

This would mean that Hillary isn't suitable for the job because she doesn't have the right qualities, only emotions.

Avangi · Answer

JKBelieveI was wondering if the above expression was grammatically viable? This is how I used it,

"Mere emotions aren't going to solve the problem, which on an unrelated note is the reason Hillary is not suited for the job."

Is there a better substitute for it? I think it's grammatically viable. What exactly are you looking to replace?

In all fairness, you should let us in on the alleged problem and the alleged emotional solution. (We have this situation from time to time where we're asked about something taken out of context.)

In this case, the part left out seems central to your question - unless you want us to guess at what you might be talking about.

Avangi · Answer

Edit. Ah, I see. "It" refers to the title of your post. Sorry about that. In that case, it seems like Kate's substitution would work regardless of context.

If the unrelated note is not in fact unrelated, then it would be disingenuous to suggest it is - unless that's really your purpose. But absent context, we can only guess.

'on an unrelated note'

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions