Here’s a writing tip to help you to prune unwanted words; avoid redundancy! There are two major categories of redundant words to look out for: redundant pairs and redundant categories. In both cases, they are usually superfluous and it is best to leave them out.
Redundant Pairs – Tautologies
Many pairs of words imply each other. Finish implies complete, so the phrase completely finish is redundant in most cases. So are many other pairs of words:
- past memories
- various differences
- each individual
- basic fundamentals
- true facts
- important essentials
- future plans
- terrible tragedy
- end result
- final outcome
- free gift
- past history
- unexpected surprise
- sudden crisis
- period of time
- last and final
A related expression that is illogical more than it is redundant is “very unique”. Since “unique” means “one of a kind”, adding modifiers of degree such as “very”, “so”, “especially”, “somewhat”, “extremely”, is illogical. “One-of-a-kind-ness” has no gradations; something is either unique or it is not.
Example:
- Redundant: This is the last and final call for passengers on flight 101
- Concise: This is the final call for passengers on flight 101
Redundant Categories
Specific words imply their general categories, so we do not usually have to state both. We know that a period is a segment of time, that pink is a colour, that shiny is an appearance. In each of the following phrases, the general category term can be dropped, leaving just the specific descriptive word:
- large in size
- often times
- of a bright colour
- heavy in weight
- period in time
- round in shape
- at an early time
- honest in character
- of an uncertain condition
- in a confused state
- unusual in nature
- extreme in degree
- of a strange type
Example:
- Redundant: During that time period, developing countries overtook industrialised countries in the production of a certain number of goods of poor quality and low cost.
- Concise: During that period, developing countries overtook industrialised countries in the production of a number of cheap, poor quality goods
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