100 Redundant Expressions You Should Avoid In Writing

100 Redundant Expressions You Should Avoid In Writing

by | Mar 27, 2018 | Speaking, Writing

100 Redundant Expressions You Should Avoid In Writing
27
MARCH, 2018
Samuel Osho
In William Shakespeare’s famous play, Hamlet, a popular phrase was uttered in the second act by Polonius, “Brevity is the soul of wit […]” This phrase is adjudged as one of the countless witty expressions of the English writer. If wit connotes wisdom, it implies that it is of necessity for you to be brief and concise if you want to make sense either while speaking or writing.
In the heat of the jungle, the lions that go for the jugular are the ones that survive. No stories or perambulating, they go for the kill! These are writers that get the applause because they put their readers in mind while writing. Readers love writers who go straight to the point; they launch words like stones in David’s sling. In the long run, they make their words count because they are not in a race to fulfill a word count.
I am sure you can easily spot such writers in a crowd. If they are scripting a novel, they shove aside redundant expressions and clear the path as you race towards the end of the spectrum called suspense. If they are writing articles, they use powerful verbs instead of adverbs and adjectives. I know why you love them so much: it’s because they use simple language to explain everything – from chaos to serenity.
Readers love writers who go straight to the point; they launch words like stones in David's sling. In the long run, they make their words count because they are not in a race to fulfill a word count. Click To Tweet
Editing is a tough turf for many writers. While you edit your work, one of the clutters you must eliminate is the use of redundant expressions or often known as needless repetitions. Am I saying don’t repeat yourself? Yes, you only need to speak once for you to be heard. To every rule, there is an exception, use repetition in the case of emphasis or clarification of a topical theme.
Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic speech in August 1963 but we can’t get “I have a dream” out of our heads perhaps because he repeated it eight times in his speech. So, repetition has its place. However, this article will open your eyes to some needless expressions and unnecessary duplicity that can be axed out of your writing. It will give wings to your writing. The words in parentheses should be removed.
The 100 Expressions
  1. ATM (machine)
  2. PIN (number)
  3. HIV (virus)
  4. LCD (display)
  5. GRE (exam)
  6. WASSCE (exam)
  7. RAM (memory)
  8. (live) witness
  9. (little) baby
  10. evolve (over time)
  11. (basic) necessities
  12. (basic) fundamentals
  13. (actual) facts
  14. (annual) anniversary
  15. (exploded) suddenly
  16. sat (down)
  17. stand (up)
  18. rise (up)
  19. raise (up)
  20. fall (down)
  21. drop (down)
  22. dwindle (down)
  23. compete (with each other)
  24. (old) adage
  25. (natural) instinct
  26. (new) innovation
  27. (new) invention
  28. (two) twins
  29. (pair of) twins
  30. (mutually) agreed
  31. (mutual) cooperation
  32. merge (together)
  33. refer (back) to your notes
  34. (armed) gunman
  35. (necessary) prerequisites
  36. (absolutely) essential
  37. (unexpected) emergency
  38. (original) founder
  39. (first and) foremost
  40. (brief) summary
  41. (free) gift
  42. (finally) completed
  43. (final) conclusion
  44. (final) outcome
  45. (final) end
  46. (final) ultimatum
  47. (prior) planning
  48. (advance) planning
  49. (each) individual
  50. (personally) think
  51. (annoying) pests
  52. (past) experience
  53. (new) breakthrough
  54. (different) kinds
  55. cancel (out)
  56. repeat (again)
  57. (foreign) imports
  58. (false) pretense
  59. (difficult) dilemma
  60. ask (a question)
  61. (invited) guests
  62. few (in number)
  63. (added) bonus
  64. enter (in)
  65. (end) result
  66. (unexpected) surprise
  67. written (down)
  68. (closed) fist
  69. (general) public
  70. (harmful) injuries
  71. grow (in size)
  72. (proposed) plan
  73. reply (back)
  74. revert (back)
  75. round (in shape)
  76. true (facts)
  77. three a.m (in the morning)
  78. (twelve) noon or midnight
  79. (white) snow
  80. undergraduate (student)
  81. (tiny) bit
  82. (regular) routine
  83. protest (against)
  84. pursue (after)
  85. close (proximity)
  86. (important) essentials
  87. cheaper (in cost)
  88. disappear (from view)
  89. (completely) eliminate
  90. advance (forward)
  91. tuna (fish)
  92. spell out (in detail)
  93. warn (in advance)
  94. (crystal) clear
  95. (in the field of) biology
  96. (in a period of) a week
  97. whether (or not)
  98. share (together)
  99. postpone (until later)
  100. kneel (down)
Let’s see how much you have learnt from this article with this short exercise. Eliminate the redundancies in the passage below:

“Mona had a difficult dilemma. She worked for a caterer, and from 9 a.m. in the morning until 12 noon, her job was to hand out free gifts at the mall. But her close personal friend Myrtle had just given birth to a baby girl, and she had promised to take care of Myrtle’s pair of twins while Myrtle was in the hospital. To Mona, the twins were annoying pests, but she would keep her promise. When Mona explained to her boss that Myrtle’s early delivery had come as an unexpected surprise, she could see the intense fury in his eyes. Silently, he prepared the different varieties of his decorative garnishes. The evil fiend then suddenly exploded and spelled out in detail why Mona was fired. Mona’s future prospects looked dim, as jobs were few in number. Mona now runs her own company, so getting fired may possibly have been her lucky break.”

Answer

“Mona had a dilemma. She worked for a caterer, and from 9 a.m. until noon, her job was to hand out gifts at the mall. But her close friend Myrtle had just given birth to a girl, and she had promised to take care of Myrtle’s twins while Myrtle was in the hospital. To Mona, the twins were pests, but she would keep her promise. When Mona explained to her boss that Myrtle’s early delivery had come as a surprise, she could see the fury in his eyes. Silently, he prepared the varieties of his garnishes. The fiend then exploded and spelled out why Mona was fired. Mona’s future looked dim, as jobs were few. Mona now runs her own company, so getting fired may have been her lucky break.”
Eliminating redundancies will be a lot easier with the following resources:
In conclusion, wordiness and vagueness in writing starve clarity of message. Your writing will be a lot better if you pay attention to these common redundancies.
If this has helped you in any way, then help me by hitting the share button (smiles). Please don’t hesitate to add to the list of redundancies in the comment section. 

The Ultimate Editing Checklist for Every Writer

The Ultimate Editing Checklist for Every Writer

by | Feb 5, 2018 | Writing

The Ultimate Editing Checklist for Every Writer
05
FEBRUARY, 2018
Samuel Osho
Editing is the magic button that can make or mar your work; it can show the beauty of your research or reveal the ugly skeletons of your laxity. The choice is yours! How often do you return from the grocery store rebuking yourself for forgetting to get an item you have always craved for? Yes, it happens to everyone especially if you don’t fancy the idea of making a list of your needs. It takes about five minutes to create a checklist but we often trivialize its importance. A checklist is a lifesaver!
Are you ready to polish your work? All you need is a toolbox of tweaks and it’s embedded in this checklist. It’s a goldmine for all who care to learn.
Today, I have made an audacious attempt to give you an ultimate editing checklist that you can use for your writing projects. It’s simple to use and void of complex theories of semantics or mechanics. If you are a freelance writer or you write for fun, this checklist will come in handy. You need an editing checklist to save you from unnecessary embarrassment especially when you are in a rush to complete a project.
When you have a piece stained with errors and mistakes, your readers tag you either as unserious or unprofessional. A single error can make a reader lose interest in your writing. It’s in your interest to ensure that you present a written piece that reflects your professionalism and diligence. Writers fall into the trap of unpardonable errors because only a few consider editing as a job on its own.
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Writing is beautiful and spending a lot of time on research is commendable. What justifies the number of resources you have invested in your writing is the output. However, the output is at the mercy of editing and therefore editing can’t be shoved aside. It’s the most crucial stage of your writing process.
The checklist will handle the basic things you should watch out for when editing; it will fine-tune the quality of your work. You can download a copy for your personal use in your future writing projects.
Before you use the checklist for the editing of your work, do these two things:
– Take a break – this helps you to check the written piece with fresh eyes.
– If possible, use the hard copy (printed on paper) for your editing.
The Checklist

I have:

  • Avoided tricky subject and verb agreement traps, such as “One of the girls are (is) running” or “Neither of the tires are (is) good.” I have also done the same for other indefinite pronouns such as everybody, anybody, either, each and any.
  • Chosen the right pronouns for my sentences. For example: “Sam and me (I) ate pizza” or “The boxer slapped he (him) and I (me).”
  • Paid attention to the three-fold purpose of an apostrophe. (1)”The Obama’s lodge is for sale.” (shows possession) (2)”Don’t” (form contractions) and (3)”It’s high time you stopped using if’s, and’s, or but’s.” (to pluralize special words)
  • Avoided pluralizing nouns that have only a singular form, such as furniture, feedback, cutlery, wheat, happiness, scenery, news, advice, lingerie, information, luggage, and bread.
  • Deleted all unconventional or shorthand abbreviations, such as “Ped Xing (Pedestrian Crossing)” or “OK (okay).”
  • Spelled out a recurring acronym at the first point of its introduction.
  • Written out all numbers less than 10 in full, numbers 10 and above were represented numerically. For example: “There were eight balls on the pitch during the soccer game” and “The king has 20 wives in his palace.”
  • Substituted “said” with powerful and acceptable verbs such as: replied, whispered, answered, asked, commented, shouted, murmured, demanded, and inquired.
  • Crossed out unnecessary and extraneous words especially glaring redundancies. For example: “stand up,” “sit down,” “clap your hands,” “end result,” “basic fundamentals/essentials,” “false pretense,” “final outcome,” “unexpected surprise,” “unintended mistake,” and “repeat again“
  • Removed unneeded sentences.
  • Deleted “that” except when it is needed for coherence.
  • Rewritten lengthy sentences to achieve more clarity.
  • Improved my punctuation.
  • Replaced long words with short ones, such as “Heidi is not smart (dull),” “Bill did not remember (forgot) the Super Bowl Sunday.” Another example of brevity is: “U.S. President Donald Trump …” instead of “Donald Trump, who is the president of the United States.”
  • Deleted all the common metaphors and similes used in print. For example: “life is a journey,” “the apple of my eyes” and “ideas in motion.”
  • Substituted all the passive sentences with active ones. For example: “The broken cup was replaced by Martin” should be “Martin replaced the broken cup.”
  • Replaced all complex and ambiguous words with simple words.
  • Used strong nouns and verbs instead of overusing adjectives and adverbs.
  • Read it out loud; observe its flow and smoothness. (Let this be the last thing you do)

 

After attending to the checklist, you can use a grammar spell checker software such as Grammarly or Microsoft Word Spellchecker. They detect some errors but I will advise you to be careful because they could be unreliable. For example, a spellchecker can’t distinguish between nights and knights, eight and ate, there and their, and fast and feast – provided each is spelled correctly.

 

Therefore, it’s advisable that you go through the text meticulously until you are satisfied with the flow and clarity of your words. You can use Hemingway as an editing tool for removing complex and passive sentences from your manuscript before hitting the “publish” button.
For extensive studying on editing, I recommend The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White. The book is my grammar bible and I think every serious writer should have a personal copy.

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