Sometimes I read, write or speak a sentence where a single word appears twice in a row. For example:
The book he had had a torn cover.
I was curious if there was a formal term for such a pattern.
Thanks
Sometimes I read, write or speak a sentence where a single word appears twice in a row. For example:
The book he had had a torn cover.
I was curious if there was a formal term for such a pattern.
Thanks
There is a name for it, anadiplosis, but it is often used for emphasis.
(i.e. Fear leads to Anger; Anger leads to Hate; Hate leads to suffering ~ Yoda)
When it's done accidentally it is called ‘dittography’:
Dittography is the accidental, erroneous act of repeating a letter, word, phrase or combination of letters by a scribe or copyist.
Repetitious words.
Repetitious words used in a sentence are generally frowned upon unless used as a way of purposely trying to create emphasis. It is better for readability to vary the usage of words and leave out unnecessary repetitious words. Try to use any other word in its place.