The best way to remove redundancies in writing.
Writers are human, and typically we make errors. You’re in all probability conscious of the most typical errors in writing: comma splices, run-on sentences, mixing up homophones, and quite a lot of different damaged grammar, spelling, and punctuation guidelines.
In my teaching work, I’ve seen one other widespread mistake: redundancy. Typically we use repetition successfully, however more often than not, by saying the identical factor twice, we’re littering our writing with pointless language, or verbiage. If we take away the surplus, we are able to enhance our writing by making it extra concise.
Understanding and Figuring out Redundancies in Writing
Dictionary.com defines redundancy as a noun that means “superfluous repetition or overlapping, particularly of phrases.” Its cousin, the adjective redundant, means “characterised by verbosity or pointless repetition in expressing concepts” or “exceeding what is common or pure.”
Typically we muddle our writing with out realizing it. We do that to meet phrase counts, to offer our prose rhythm and meter, or to make our textual content extra descriptive. Typically we do it as a result of we’re utilizing writing as a software to find our ideas and concepts.
There’s nothing incorrect with cluttered writing so long as we unclutter it earlier than placing it in entrance of readers.
One of many best methods to establish redundant language is to ask whether or not we are able to take away it with out shedding that means. Right here is an instance:
The lecture was boring and boring. It was placing Olivia to sleep.
The phrases “boring” and “boring” imply the identical factor. We’re informed a 3rd time that the lecture was a drag as a result of it lulled Olivia to sleep. We are able to take away many of the first sentence with out shedding any particulars or altering its that means:
The lecture was placing Olivia to sleep.
Redundancies can be recognized by way of repetition. Nonetheless, repetition means utilizing the identical phrase or phrase greater than as soon as whereas redundancy means saying the identical factor greater than as soon as. It’s a delicate however vital distinction. Additionally, repetition and redundancy can happen collectively:
Charlie smiled as he approached the cheese platter. He selected brie and Gouda from the cheese platter and wished they have been serving baguettes as a substitute of crackers.
We see Charlie approaching the cheese platter. When he selects brie and Gouda, it’s implied that he chosen them from the cheese platter (as a result of we simply noticed him approaching it), so it’s pointless for the narrative to say that he selected them “from the cheese platter.” The narrative is redundant as a result of it’s not essential to say the cheese platter twice:
Charlie smiled as he approached the hors d’ouvres desk. He selected brie and Gouda from the cheese platter and wished they have been serving baguettes as a substitute of crackers.
Some redundancies are tough to identify, particularly in circumstances the place the very same phrase or phrase isn’t used:
Donna realized she was hungry. “I haven’t eaten since breakfast,” she mentioned. “Need to seize a pizza?”
When Donna says she hasn’t eaten since breakfast and suggests grabbing a pizza, the reader will conclude that she’s hungry, so the narrative doesn’t want to inform the reader that Donna is hungry within the earlier sentence. When data is revealed by way of dialogue, it doesn’t should be said within the narrative as effectively:
“I haven’t eaten since breakfast,” Donna mentioned. “Need to seize a pizza?”
As you’ll be able to see, it’s fairly clear that Donna is hungry with out the narrative explicitly saying so.
Along with broad redundancies, there are a number of redundant phrases that pop up in writing. For instance, it’s redundant to say “let’s collaborate collectively” as a result of collaboration is, by definition, finished collectively. Right here’s an inventory of fifty redundant phrases to keep away from in writing. Learn by way of the checklist and see if you will discover just a few phrases you didn’t notice have been redundant.
Eliminating Redundancies to Enhance Your Writing
Do this for apply: select a lately completed piece of writing and overview it, in search of redundancies. Spotlight them, then make a duplicate of the piece, enhancing the redundancies out. In the event you catch a median of 1 redundancy per web page (or extra), then plan on dedicating one proofreading move to remove redundancies as one in all your enhancing and proofreading steps. After just a few passes, you’ll begin to catch redundancies whereas drafting, and ultimately you’ll break the behavior and enhance your writing.
Are redundancies one in all your dangerous writing habits? Have you ever ever caught a evident redundancy in a chunk of your writing? Do you assume you might need missed just a few redundancies in writing? Share your ideas by leaving a remark, and maintain writing.
