50 Redundant Phrases to Avoid (Part Two) By Mark Nichol In conversation, it’s easy in the midst of spontaneous speech to succumb to verbosity and duplication. In writing, redundancy is less forgivable but fortunately easy to rectify. Watch out for these usual suspects: 11. Came at a time when: When provides the necessary temporal reference to the action of coming; “at a time” is redundant. 12. Close proximity/scrutiny: Proximity means “close in location,” and scrutiny means “close study,” so avoid qualifying these terms with close. 13. Collaborate/join/meet/merge together: If you write of a group that collaborates or meets together, you imply that there’s another way to collect or confer. To speak of joining or merging together is, likewise, redundant. 14. Completely filled/finished/opposite: Something that is filled or finished is thoroughly so; completely is redundant. Something that is opposite isn’t necessarily diametrically opposed, especially in qualitative connotations, but the modifier is still extraneous. 15. Consensus of opinion: A consensus is an agreement but not necessarily one about an opinion, so “consensus of opinion” is not purely redundant, but the phrase “of opinion” is usually unnecessary. 16. (During the) course (of): During means “in or throughout the duration of”), so “during the course of” is repetitive. 17. Definite decision: Decisions may not be final, but when they are made, they are unequivocal and therefore definite, so one should not be described as “a definite decision.” 18. Difficult dilemma: A dilemma is by nature complicated, so omit difficult as a modifier. 19. Direct confrontation: A confrontation is a head-on conflict. Direct as a qualifier in this case is redundant. 20. End result: A result is something that occurs at the end, so omit end as a modifier of result.
Posted on: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 05:46:43 +0000
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