Nothing kills or our language, and its implication more than repetition. That is exactly what redundancy means wherein we repeat words that are unrequired. Such errors add no extra information to the sentence of the co-inciding word and seem meaningless & needless. While these redundant phrases do sound effortless in a write-up or speech, they crush the essence of English language. Let’s take a look at 20 common redundancy errors to avoid.
Crisis Situation
The definition of the word ‘crisis’ is a time or situation of intense difficulty. When ‘situation’ is a part of its meaning, then why add it again? This is a classic example of redundancy.
Free Gift
When do we ever pay for a gift? A gift is something that someone gives to us out of their will or happiness. That evidently means that it is free! Using the word ‘free’ before the word ‘gift’ makes absolutely no sense.
Close Proximity
Proximity is self-dependent of its meaning that it is close to something. Using the word ‘close’ as a prefix is merely a repetition of the word.
Difficult Dilemma
Is a dilemma easy? It is a difficult situation and adding ‘difficult’ before ‘dilemma’ is adding no additional information. This only makes the sentence weak and wordy.
Unexpected Surprise
Look up the thesaurus, and you will find the definition of the word ‘surprise’ as ‘an expected or sudden event or fact’. The meaning includes the word ‘unexpected’ in the word ‘surprise’. We should avoid such redundant words in a sentence.
Basic Necessities
This is yet another cliches in English, wherein the word ‘basic’ is extra and unwanted. Necessities mean a combination of the basics and don’t require any additional facts.
ATM Machine
ATM is an abbreviation for Automated Teller Machine; adding the word ‘machine’ with it is in fact amongst the funny redundancy phrases that many overuse.
Added Bonus/ Additional Bonus
Both ‘added’ and ‘bonus’ mean something extra. It only claims repetition in the sentence. If you use it or know someone who does, then stop or stop them.
HTML Language
HTML is yet another abbreviation word that expands into Hypertext Markup Language. When it already has the word ‘language’, is there a need to add the extra word there?
Personal Opinion
If it is not someone else’s opinion, it is yours. Either there is a noun or pronoun, such as his opinion or her opinion, or it is personal as it is. This is a weird repetition which makes one sound less smart.
Final Result/ Final Outcome
A result or outcome is something that is revealed only in the end when you know it has all finally ended. Using ‘final’ doesn’t double the meaning, but rather weakens the sentence.
Invited Guests
Guests don’t visit you unless you have invited them. On the other hand, if people come over without an invitation, then they are visitors. You did not expect to see them, as opposed to the guests, who you invited!
Suddenly exploded/ Sudden explosion
No one waits around for an explosion. If one knows an explosion is about to occur, they would vacate the area, wouldn’t they? The word is something that happens suddenly and doesn’t need more explanation.
Written down
‘Down’ in this case is a superfluous word. You will have to write the content ‘down’ on something. It is a commonly made error of repetition.
Plan ahead
A plan is something that you prepare or ideate before or ahead of time. The word ‘ahead’ here is extra and shouldn’t be used along with ‘plan’.
Revert Back
When you say you will revert to someone, it means you will get back to them. Therefore, ‘back’ is an extraneous word in this combination.
Major Breakthrough
Achieving a breakthrough is a major deal; not everyone has a breakthrough every day, and that establishes that it is a huge episode. Avoid such redundancies.
Unintentional Mistake
One doesn’t know while committing a mistake, that it is a mistake. How can there be an intention behind it? Without a doubt, it is unintentional!
Longer in length
If something is long, it is expressing the length. This yet another common cliches in English which one should omit.
New Innovations
Any kind of innovation is new, if not it wouldn’t be an innovation. Adding ‘New’ before ‘innovation’ increases the wordiness of the sentence.
Now that you know these, you will be able to identify many more of such catchphrases that express repetition or redundancy. Your consciousness will remind you to undo such errors and will make your hold in the English language crisp and advanced.
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