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Common Redundancies
From Richard Nordquist,Your Guide to Grammar & Composition.FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!
One way to cut the clutter in our writing is to eliminate repetitious expressions. Because we so often see and hear redundancies (such as "free gifts" and "foreign imports"), they can be easy to overlook. Therefore, when editing our work, we need to be on the lookout for redundancies so that we can rewrite them more concisely.
Following are some of the common redundancies. In each case, we can eliminate the needless repetition by omitting the word or phrase in parentheses.
A
(absolutely) essential
(absolutely) necessary
(actual) experience
(actual) facts
(advance) forward
(advance) planning
(advance) preview
(advance) reservations
(advance) warning
add (an additional)
add (up)
(added) bonus
(affirmative) yes
(aid and) abet
(all-time) record
alternative (choice)
A.M. (in the morning)
(and) etc.
(anonymous) stranger
(annual) anniversary
(armed) gunman
ascend (up)
ask (the question)
assemble (together)
attach (together)
ATM (machine)
autobiography (of my life)

B
bald(-headed)
balsa (wood)
(basic) fundamentals
(basic) necessities
best (ever)
biography (of his--or her--life)
bitter (in taste)
blend (together)
(boat) marina
bouquet (of flowers)
brief (in duration)
(brief) moment
(brief) summary
burn (down)
(burning) embers

C
cacophony (of sound)
cameo (appearance)
cancel (out)
(careful) scrutiny
cash (money)
cease (and desist)
circle (around)
circulate (around)
classify (into groups)
close (down)
close (up)
(close) proximity
(closed) fist
(co-equal) partners
collaborate (together)
combine (together)
commute (back and forth)
(completely) destroyed
(completely) eliminate
(completely) engulfed
(completely) filled
(completely) surround
(component) parts
(conclusive) proof
connect (together)
connect (up)
confused (state)
consensus (of opinion)
(constantly) maintained
could (possibly)
crisis (situation)
curative (process)
(current) trend

D
depreciate (in value)
descend (down)
(desirable) benefits
(different) kinds
disappear (from sight)
drop (down)
during (the course of)

E
each (and every)
earlier (in time)
eliminate (altogether)
emergency (situation)
(empty) hole
empty (out)
(empty) space
enclosed (herein)
(end) result
enter (in)
(entirely) eliminate
equal (to one another)
eradicate (completely)
estimated at (about)
evolve (over time)
(exact) replica
(exact) same
(exposed) opening
extradite (back)
(extreme) hazard

F
(face) mask
fall (down)
(favorable) approval
(fellow) classmates
(fellow) colleague
few (in number)
filled (to capacity)
(final) conclusion
(final) end
(final) outcome
(first and) foremost
(first) conceived
first (of all)
fly (through the air)
follow (after)
(foreign) imports
(former) graduate
(former) veteran
(free) gift
friend (of mine)
(from) whence
(frozen) ice
(frozen) tundra
full (to capacity)
(full) satisfaction
fuse (together)
(future) plans
(future) recurrence
G
gather (together)
(general) public
GOP (party)
GRE (exam)
green [or blue or whatever] (in color)
grow (in size)
H
had done (previously)
(harmful) injuries
(head) honcho
heat (up)
HIV (virus)
(hollow) tube
hurry (up)
I
(illustrated) drawing
indicted (on a charge)
input (into)
integrate (together)
integrate (with each other)
interdependent (on each other)
introduced (a new)
introduced (for the first time)
(invited) guests
(ir)regardless
ISBN (number)
J
join (together)
(joint) collaboration
K
kills bugs (dead)
kneel (down)
(knowledgeable) experts
L
lag (behind)
later (time)
LCD (display)
lift (up)
(little) baby
(live) studio audience
(live) witness
(local) residents
look (ahead) to the future
look back (in retrospect)
M
made (out) of
(major) breakthrough
(major) feat
manually (by hand)
may (possibly)
meet (together)
meet (with each other)
(mental) telepathy
merge (together)
might (possibly)
minestrone (soup)
mix (together)
modern ______ (of today)
(mutual) cooperation
(mutually) interdependent
(number-one) leader in ________
N
nape (of her neck)
(native) habitat
(natural) instinct
never (before)
(new) beginning
(new) construction
(new) innovation
(new) invention
(new) recruit
none (at all)
nostalgia (for the past)
(now) pending
O
off (of)
(old) adage
(old) cliche
(old) custom
(old) proverb
(open) trench
open (up)
(oral) conversation
(originally) created
(original) source
output (out of)
(outside) in the yard
(over) exaggerate
(overused) cliché

P
(pair of) twins
palm (of the hand)
(passing) fad
(past) experience
(past) history
(past) memories
(past) records
penetrate (into)
(perfect) circle
period (of time)
(personal) friend
(personal) opinion
pick (and choose)
PIN (number)
pizza (pie)
plan (ahead)
plan (in advance)
(Please) RSVP
plunge (down)
(polar) opposites
(positive) identification
postpone (until later)
pouring (down) rain
(pre)board (as an airplane)
(pre)heat
(pre)record
(private) industry
(present) incumbent
present (time)
previously listed (above)
proceed (ahead)
(proposed) plan
protest (against)
pursue (after)
R
RAM (memory)
reason is (because)
reason (why)
recur (again)
re-elect (for another term)
refer (back)
reflect (back)
(regular) routine
repeat (again)
reply (back)
retreat (back)
revert (back)
rise (up)
round (in shape)
S
(safe) haven
(safe) sanctuary
same (exact)
(sand) dune
SAT (test)
scrutinize (in detail)
self-______ (yourself)
separated (apart from each other)
(serious) danger
share (together)
(sharp) point
shiny (in appearance)
shut (down)
(single) unit
skipped (over)
slow (speed)
small (size)
(small) speck
soft (in texture) [or (to the touch)]
sole (of the foot)
spell out (in detail)
spliced (together)
start (off) or (out)
(still) persists
(still) remains
(sudden) impulse
(sum) total
surrounded (on all sides)
T
tall (in height)
tall (in stature)
(temper) tantrum
ten (in number)
three a.m.
zSB(3,3)
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(in the morning)
(three-way) love triangle
time (period)
(tiny) bit
(total) destruction
(true) facts
(truly) sincere
tuna (fish)
(twelve) noon or midnight
(two equal) halves
U
(ultimate) goal
undergraduate (student)
(underground) subway
(unexpected) emergency
(unexpected) surprise
(unintentional) mistake
(unnamed) anonymous
UPC (code)
(usual) custom
V
vacillating (back and forth)
(veiled) ambush
(very) pregnant
(very) unique
visible (to the eye)
W
(wall) mural
warn (in advance)
weather (conditions)
weather (situation)
whether (or not)
(white) snow
write (down)



zSB(3,3)
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