Ever dig into
the book with relish?
One night I did. I
had heard good things about it. I could not wait to read it. I adjusted the
lights for readings, settled into my recliner, and gave undivided attention. A
few pages in, I pitched the book into the recycle bin. Why? Because it
was filled with distractingly redundant writing like this:
And yet, the girl thought to herself contradictorily…
Double dud! First,
the girl is thinking to herself. To whom else would she think? We don’t need herself.
Second, the girl is thinking contradictorily. How else would and yet
cross her mind? We don’t need contradictorily.
Redundancy presents
more than what is needed to achieve the objective (s) of the writing. It is the
result of semi-conscious writing. It creeps into everyone’s writing. We do it
because we think about our meanings, not our words.
Redundancy should
be avoided because it annoys the reader, undermines ideas, and suggests an
amateur quality of writing. Below are some common redundant writing examples
for avoiding each of them in your prose.
Adjective phrases
Absolutely certain;
absolutely essential; absolutely full; absolutely guaranteed; absolutely needed
Actively involved
All inclusive
Arranged vertically
not side by side
Awful bad
Bald-headed
Bare naked
Best ever; first
ever
Blue in color; few
in number; long in duration; nubby in texture; round in shape; short in height;
slow in speed
Boiling hot;
freezing cold
Booked soiled
Completely alike;
completely filled; completely finished; completely necessary
Crystal clear
Curiously
inquisitive
Deeply rooted
Entirely dedicated
Exact same; same
identical
Filled to capacity
Hot and spicy
Immortalized
forever
Incredible to
believe; visible to the eyes; warm to touch
Long term rather
than short term
Morally wrong
Most optimal
Mutually beneficial
for all involved
Rock solid
Singularly focused
Sufficient enough
Too extreme
Totally sure
Velvety smooth
Whole entire
Noun phrases
Academic scholar
ACT test; ATM
machine; automatic ATM machine
KFC chicken
RAM memory
UPC code; VIN
number
Actual fact
Added bonus
Advance notice;
advance planning; advance preview; advance warning
Agreed-on standards
Annual anniversary;
ten-year anniversary
Anonymous stranger
Armed gunman
Artificial
prosthesis
Autobiography of
her own life; biography of his life
Baby calf
Backup copy
Bad trouble
Burning fire
Careful scrutiny
Cash money
Colorful palette
Conscious choice
Core essence
End result
Entire planet
Established norms
Free gift
Fruit-tree orchard
Golden opportunity
Great good fortune
Hand gestures
Hushed silence
Income coming in
Inner courage
Innovative new idea
Key stakeholders
Leading authority
Modern citizens of
today
New beginning
Old custom; old
proverb
Oral conversation
Past tradition
Root cause
Record of errors
recorded
500 million
different people
Small details,
small footnote; small handful
Safe haven
Sneak peek
State of confession
An excellent post. Some of these I hate. Too, but others I’ve not thought about. Oh dear! This makes me want to rewrite everything I’ve written.
ReplyDeleteMy editor taught me the same thing. I had written a sentence that included the phrase "immortalized forever". She said the word "forever" was extra.
ReplyDelete