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Use Fewer Words but Say More |
American comedian George Carlin is remembered for
telling jokes about politics, religion and even the
English language. He used humor to express his dislike
of things such as misused words and the overuse of
common expressions.
One of his pet peeves was when television reporters and
program hosts used redundancies. The word “redundancy”
has a few meanings. The one we will explore today
involves use of a word or phrase that repeats something
else and is not needed.
Carlin made fun of redundant phrases such as “honest
truth” “plan ahead” and “join together” in his stand-up
comedy act and books.
On this Everyday Grammar program, we will talk about
common redundancies and suggest ways to avoid them in
writing.
Why use redundancy?
English speakers often speak in a repetitive style. It
is so deeply ingrained in us that we rarely notice it.
In fact, I just used a somewhat redundant phrase: deeply
ingrained.
So why do English speakers use redundancy? Well, we
sometimes do it for emphasis. One might say,
“Personally, I would rather go to the parade.” The word
“personally” is unneeded but makes a stronger statement.
Other times, redundancy makes very direct language sound
kinder, such as in indirect questions.
Redundant language also is used in some forms of
writing, such as literature, speech writing and legal
writing.
But in other kinds of formal writing, redundancy is not
a good idea. That includes school-related and business
writing. It can weaken statements and make readers lose
interest in the subject.
“Less is more” is a good rule to follow as one attempts
to produce quality written work.
So now let’s explore five common redundancies to look
out for.
Introducing examples
The first one is in setting up examples.
In formal writing, we use phrases like “for example”
“for instance” and “such as” to present examples. So,
adding the phrases “and so on” “and more” or the Latin
term “et cetera” to a list of examples is redundant.
Here is an example of what to avoid:
Carlin often joked about redundant phrases such as
“honest truth” “plan ahead” and “join together” and
more.
You can rewrite it by removing the phrases “such as” or
“and more.” You don’t need both.
Adding information
Another problem happens when trying to present
additional information on a subject.
When starting a sentence with phrases such as “in
addition to” “like” or “also,” one should avoid using
one of these same phrases in the statement. Here is an
example of what not to write:
In addition to condemning the violence, they also
protested the new policies.
You should remove the word “also” in the second part of
the sentence since “in addition to” already expresses
the idea of “also.”
Redundant pairs
Another problem is what are called “redundant pairs” --
two words that together suggest each other. This
includes a phrase such as “future plans.” We know, for
instance, that “plans” are about the future.
“End result” and “final outcome” are other examples.
Redundant pairs can also involve putting a useless
preposition after a verb. Think of the phrase “protest
against.” The verb “protest” already expresses the idea
of being “against” something.
Overusing adverbs
Another kind of redundancy is the overuse or misuse of
adverbs.
The adverbs “very,” “really,” “extremely” and
“incredibly” are examples of intensifiers. They make
adjectives stronger. Intensifiers are often not a wise
choice for formal writing, however.
“Very unique” is an example of a misused intensifier.
The word “very” is redundant because “unique” means
“very special or unusual.”
Other adverbs are simply needless. Two such examples are
the phrases “shouted loudly” and “completely destroyed.”
We know that destruction suggests total ruin and
shouting refers to being very loud.
Time-related phrases
Writers in English are also guilty of wordy time-related
phrases.
For example, the phrase “period of time” and “time
period” are redundant since “period” refers to a measure
of time.
A few others are “at the present time” (which can be
replaced with “at present”); “delay until later” (which
can be replaced with “delay”); and “since the time when”
(which can be replaced with “since”).
Writing sample
Now, let’s hear an example of a sentence that uses more
words than necessary to express an idea. It comes from
the Purdue University Online Writing Lab:
Before the travel agent was completely able to finish
explaining the various differences among all of the many
very unique vacation packages his travel agency was
offering, the customer changed her future plans.
And here is how Purdue suggests rewriting it:
Before the travel agent finished explaining the
differences among the unique vacation packages his
travel agency was offering, the customer changed her
plans.
The rewritten sentence is shorter and clearer.
Ways to avoid redundancy
Here are three things that may help you avoid redundancy
in formal written work:
First, plan time to write. This will give you space to
carefully examine and rewrite your work until you are
satisfied with the result. Starting a formal writing
task late is never a good idea.
Choose your words wisely. As you write, use words that
help remove redundant language. Instead of writing “very
tired,” for instance, write “exhausted.” Instead of
“looked closely,” you might write “examined.”
And, finally, avoid fillers – words and phrases that add
no meaning but just fill space, such as wordy time
phrases. Supervisors and professors usually disapprove
of and can easily identify fillers.
I’m Alice Bryant.
Alice Bryant wrote this story for Learning English.
George Grow was the editor. |
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