“Your subconscious mind will find the correct answer.“ | |
“You are never going to have a problem with your nails again.“ | |
“No habit can stand up to the power of the mind.” |
A lost performative can also be an evaluative statement in which the person evaluating is missing, such as:
“It’s not important how quickly you relax” – contains the presupposition that you will relax, and it doesn’t mention who it isn’t important to. | |
“It’s good that you can concentrate on my voice” – contains the presupposition that you will listen, and it doesn’t mention who it’s good for. |
You can always test for a lost performative statement by asking ‘Says Who?‘.