Redundant writing can be ridiculous.
Redundancy is repeating an idea again and again. (See? I
just did it.) And it drives readers bonkers.
Remember Yogi Berra?
The Major League baseball player, coach, and manager has
often been quoted for his language missteps and frequently redundant quips.
“It’s like déjà vu, all over again,” Berra said.
Yep, that’s redundant.
Beware of these 25
ridiculous redundancies.
These phrases may be popular, but frequent usage does not
make them correct. Grab that blue pencil, and take a look.
- 4 p.m. in the afternoon
- absolutely sure
- added bonus
- advance planning
- basic fundamentals
- close proximity
- completely perfect
- end result
- estimate at approximately
- false pretenses
- filled to capacity
- foreign imports
- free gift
- gather together
- invited guests
- merged as one
- new beginning
- plan ahead
- postpone for a later date
- repeat again
- revert back
- rudely interrupt
- still remain
- traditional custom
- unintentional gaffe
What commonly used redundant wordings bother you the most?
Image/s:
Facepalm
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I'm not sure I agree with number 22. It is possible to interrupt politely (excuse me, sir; your wife is on the phone about your child's illness) or forcefully with time-critical information (Bob! Your house is burning down!) without it being specifically rude.
ReplyDeleteI thought the same thing as I was reading it. And filled to capacity....I don't know, I think there are gradients of being filled. If I am in church I might say it's "filled" even if there is one seat left. Filled to capacity means people are standing in the aisles. It just gives more information.
ReplyDeleteAnd sometimes guests are not invited. They just show up.
ReplyDeleteMost of these are forgivable, depending on context and desired emphasis. Just another absolutist grumpy grammarian type list.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, these are funny when you really look at them. I've used a few myself, I have to admit! Thank you for the list, I'm going to save this!
ReplyDelete