Questions tagged [redundancy]

Questions about redundant constructions, pleonasms, etc.

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Apparently patent redundancy in a "because" construction [duplicate]

Sentences such as the following can be found (language log). The reason he left is because he was not respected. (1) They can be transformed as follows. He left [for the reason that/because] he was ...
LPH's user avatar
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2 answers
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Is the word "sightseeing" tautological?

Is this word sometimes perceived as "silly" by a native speaker? By "silly" I mean something in itself a bit absurd, because repetitive, naively constructed, given that this word ...
cipricus's user avatar
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17 votes
3 answers
2k views

Is "create new" not pleonastic?

I wonder why the verb "create" is often followed by the word "new". Does "create" not imply "new"? When I read (in programming languages, for example) "...
Linker Storm's user avatar
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22 views

What is the meaning and origin of "a ___ is a ____ is a ____" [duplicate]

Over time I've seen phrases like: "a pound is a pound is a pound" "a year is a year is a year" "a gallon is a gallon is a gallon" all following the template "a ...
Peter Nielsen's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
95 views

Is "temporary substitute" redundant?

Is "temporary substitute" redundant? For example, Mrs. Williams is the temporary substitute teacher. Would "temporary substitute" be redundant in this case? According to Merriam-...
Michael's user avatar
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3 answers
49 views

Is "within a month, sometimes sooner" redundant?

Is this statement redundant? Your box will ship within a month of successful billing, sometimes sooner.
Jmes Mcbop's user avatar
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1 answer
107 views

"What we are going to do is we are going to VERB"

I see people using this redundant phrase a lot. How/why did this phrase become so popular and where is this used most frequently? I personally hear this frequently in academia (STEM) on the east coast ...
CWC's user avatar
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2 answers
249 views

How to say this more concisely with less redundancy? [closed]

I felt like I had a privileged access to something that most people had no access to. How to say the above more concisely? I feel like the sentence suffers from redundancy. Is it so? I am saying that ...
Sasan's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
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Sensitivity to overused words (actually, basically, literally,...) [closed]

I've watched online a few (hours of) lectures, where the lecturer used actually and basically every other sentence. I've developed a sensitivity to it, and now I can't stand these words. This includes ...
Zohar Levi's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
115 views

Is the phrase “refreshing respite” redundant?

Is the phrase “refreshing respite” redundant? Refreshing is defined as “serving to refresh or reinvigorate someone” Respite is defined as “a short period of rest or relief” Using it in a sentence: “It ...
ahsteele's user avatar
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-1 votes
1 answer
126 views

Is it redundant to say something "must be necessarily..."?

Is the combined use of must be and necessarily here redundant? Your appearance must be necessarily maintained. I want this statement to be sardonic, so simply "Your appearance must be ...
BadHorsie's user avatar
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Is "viewing something pictorially" redundant?

Say that there is some concept X which I want to expose to the reader to as such: (formal explanation of X) Viewing X pictorially: (depiction of X in an image) An example of X would be a ...
Saucy Goat's user avatar
1 vote
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26 views

Is the expression "To date, it's the first..." redundant?

I have read expressions similar to the following multiple times in scientific papers: "Our study is the first to date to prove that..." "To date, our study is the first to..." I ...
Pablo Virus's user avatar
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45 views

Using room twice

I have a game where an external character can use a room. There is a room known as “War Room”. When the character used the room, like any other, a log will be produced that states “Fred has used the ...
Apollo's user avatar
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1 answer
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Why is "from" used in "from henceforth"?

The dictionaries unanimously include the word from in their definitions of henceforth: e.g. M-W: from this point on Henceforth, supervisors will report directly to the manager. Cambridge: starting ...
fev's user avatar
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27 votes
5 answers
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Why the "wedded" in "wedded wife"?

Typical wedding vows, per e.g. this website, often have phrasing like this (emphasis mine): [Groom’s name], do you take [Bride’s name] to be your wedded wife, to live together in marriage? Do you ...
Mark Amery's user avatar
-3 votes
2 answers
128 views

Is "foreign countries" a tautology? [closed]

Is the phrase “foreign countries” a kind of tautology? The word “foreign” has in it the word “country” when its meaning is explained. I’m not sure if this question is valid, though.
Hidechan's user avatar
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Is "mention in passing" redundant?

The title says it all. Is it redundant to say "mention in passing" given that "mention" means refer to (something) briefly and without going into detail?
Peter4075's user avatar
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3 answers
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Analysis of this sentence and the "through via" usage within

I had a class today and discussed the usage of these two adjacent prepositions (Can two prepositions be used one after the other? "my guideline and reference in this case") with a student ...
Mamula911's user avatar
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2 answers
79 views

"... disheartened and humbled as we are,..."?

I wonder if we need as we are in this sentence. In our present state, disheartened by failures and humbled by our weaknesses as we are, it is impossible to win this battle. The presence of In our ...
fev's user avatar
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Is "the" essential in "The Book of Five Rings"? [closed]

Is the word "the" in the title necessary? Would it make a difference if the title was "Book of Five Rings"? I've seen many "Book of ..." titles, both with and without &...
Aziz's user avatar
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1 answer
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Isn't "authorized designee" redundant?

I write and revise policy at work, and I often see the phrase "authorized designee," as in "The Chief Executive Officer or the authorized designee is responsible for ensuring . . ."...
Ozeki's user avatar
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Is "prune down" correct usage?

Prune meaning to cut down something or chop down. I am writing to a user that I am removing additional permissions from her profile which are irrelevant to her daily work. So would it be correct if I ...
user404133's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
60 views

What does "Find focus on your customers." mean?

I am editing a piece of marketing with the headline "Find focus on your customers." Is it redundant to use "find" with "focus"? I'm not sure I understand what "find ...
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Is the term "next consecutive" redundant in this sentence?

Is the term "next consecutive" redundant in the following sentence? : "This movie will be the next consecutive movie in the series." Referring to the most recent movie that will ...
danB's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
69 views

How do I maintain the comparison between two things in this sentence without it sounding redundant? [closed]

Consider this sentence: "Like drinking water, bleeding blood is normal." The phrase "bleeding blood" is clearly redundant, but were I to exclude "blood," I would ruin the ...
John's user avatar
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3 votes
2 answers
132 views

Is "from" superflous following "stop" or "prevent"?

I seem to encounter this more from British speakers, but they'll often say something like Protect it from heat to prevent the contents expanding. instead of Protect it from heat to prevent the ...
SiliconBadger's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
99 views

How does redundancy work in English? [closed]

In English, there are many tendencies towards what I understand to be redundant. Why do people say expressions like "sit down", "fall down", "jump up": if you were to sit,...
Werrucktlerner's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
333 views

"Also" and "as well" in the same sentence

Make sure that the keyboard shortcuts are accessible using US keyboard layout (since it guarantees that they will be also accessible using almost any other keyboard layout—e.g., German one—as well). ...
user90726's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
617 views

etc. etc. usage [closed]

Is there any rule to use etc. twice like etc. etc.
Mohamed Iliyas's user avatar
-1 votes
2 answers
73 views

She stole her best friend’s boyfriend (from her)

She stole her best friend’s boyfriend (from her) What is the reason for adding the redundant phrase from her after mentioning that it's her best friend?
GJC's user avatar
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Where vs. In places where

He built cathedrals in places where there were no cathedrals. The New Yorker Many Medicare patients live in places where only one H.M.O. The New York Times What is the trait you most deplore in others?...
john c. j.'s user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
268 views

Is it redundant to say "global pandemic"? [duplicate]

It seems that the word pandemic is generally understood to refer to a large or global geographic area. Is it therefore redundant to say "global pandemic" in a sentence such as, "The ...
sffc's user avatar
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0 answers
21k views

Is is correct to use ' we refer to your mail trailing below

Is it correct to use 'we refer to your mail trailing below' or is below redundant here or optional.
Shiran's user avatar
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0 answers
46 views

Should I omit the article? Also, is the preposition "of" redundant?

In the sentence below, should I omit the article because "efficiencies" is plural and uncountable? Is the second "of" redundant? How can I make this sentence more concise? The factors that influence ...
Lucy's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
187 views

Difference between drawn and haggard [closed]

In the novel Rage of Angels by Sidney Sheldon, we read: She watched Adam now as he sat at his desk looking drawn and haggard. Dictionaries such as Oxford and Cambridge are showing the same or ...
Hrushi's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
583 views

Is the expression "specifically tailored" redundant?

I guess the title pretty much covers it, but I'd like to complete the sentence just in case: "The literature seems to lack a treatment specifically tailored to such method"
Pedro Lima's user avatar
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0 answers
32 views

Using "test" after TOEIC and TOEFL [duplicate]

Recently, I've seen a few examples of people writing either "I took the TOEIC test" or "I took the TOEFL test". They tend to be ESL students, so I don't want to be a grammar Nazi about it, but for my ...
TFlo83's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
117 views

Is this an unnecessary "that"?? I'm confused whether or not to add a "that" in specific sentences [duplicate]

"The universally recognized raw text format that any computer can understand." OR "The universally recognized raw text format any computer can understand. This is a definition for a computer ...
Noura's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
65 views

Is it redundant to say "remove the presence of X" instead of "remove X"?

I sometimes come across "remove the presence of", e.g. "remove the presence of these compounds". You can try a Google search for the exact phrase "remove the presence of" (with quotes) and you can see ...
Syncopated's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
1k views

Long-lasting durability

If a sentence contains 'long-lasting durability,' is it redundant? For example: Robust plastic construction ensures long-lasting durability. Long-lasting and durability, do they mean the same thing? ...
Radhika Bakhai's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
2k views

Is "potential candidates" a tautology?

Is "potential candidates" a tautology? I am not sure whether the potential of succeeding candidacy is implied in the definition of candidacy. Usage: If there are many potential candidates ...
Oscar Chambers's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
348 views

Referring to a figure

I’m writing a paper that has a number of figures that compare two images, and I’m constantly debating whether it’s necessary to repeat the figure number when I compare those images in the text. For ...
Skater's user avatar
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-3 votes
1 answer
771 views

Why is the "have to" in "must have to" not redundant here?

We can use must have to to say that we conclude something based on what we know about a present situation ... I can't access the database. You must have to put in a password. (= a password is ...
Marcel's user avatar
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0 votes
2 answers
95 views

What is the meaning of "annihilated in detail"?

I ran across the phrase "annihilated in detail" while listening to Professor Garrett G. Fagan's instruction regarding the History of Ancient Rome. This comes from a lecture on Marius and Sulla with ...
David Eldridge's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
7k views

Is "pre-prepared" redundant?

I've noticed recently the "word" pre-prepared popping up in my daily life, and if my completely selection-biased anecdotes are any evidence, it seems to be catching on. Is there any reason why the '...
Bamboo's user avatar
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0 votes
3 answers
195 views

Is "new changes" redundant?

"Exam comes with 3 new changes" Three big changes have been introduced in this year's Form Three examination under a new format.
Yeohman's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
49 views

term for obvious "stuttering" in print

Is there a name for an obviously erroneous duplication of a word in a print medium? For example (with apologies to Mr. Lincoln)" "Four-score and seven seven years ago..." If someone is relatively ...
CE User's user avatar
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-1 votes
4 answers
416 views

Is "really redundant" redundant?

Have been having this argument for a while. Is saying "really redundant" or "very redundant" or something along those lines redundant in and of itself?
user333082's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
448 views

Is it correct to use both "On the other hand" and "instead" in a single sentence?

I have this sentence "On the other hand, you can go to this page instead." but I am not sure if the presence of both On the other hand and instead makes the sentence redundant.
JAT86's user avatar
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