Pet Peeve #28 - Redundant Phrases
Did you know the current status of a certain site on the internet, small in size, has been given up by the original founder?
Ugh. Gag me with a spoon.
It’s true enough that most students who actually put in enough effort to complete their homework and finish their papers have most likely developed all the skills needed to meet those minimum word/page requirements. However, we should get over that habit as quickly as possible if we want to have any credibility as writers.
Why some people insist on putting entirely too many words for what they want to say is beyond me. Writing like that does not make you look smart; it makes you look like a writer who is keen on being redundant.
“reason why�
“current status�
“small in size�
“original founder�
“end result�
“refer back�
“two polar opposites� (Hello!)
There are plenty of them out there, and none of them are good. Unfortunately, most of them are a regular part of English. However, that does not mean you get to be lazy with your writing.
Check your work. Say more with fewer words. Be concise.
Please. Let the rest of the world get back to using spoons for soup and cereal.
July 5th, 2007 at 9:19 pm
The first two are sooo common! Specially “the reason why”!
W.
July 5th, 2007 at 9:24 pm
Exactly. Oy.
July 9th, 2007 at 8:34 am
“refer back” always gets my goat.
July 9th, 2007 at 7:20 pm
And yet so many are part of everyday language.