50 Redundant Phrases to Avoid

by Mark Nichol

In conversation, its 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: 1. Absolutely certain or sure/essential/guaranteed: Someone who is certain or sure is already without doubt. Something that is essential is intrinsically absolute. A guarantee is by nature absolute (or should be). Abandon absolutely in such usage. 2. Actual experience/fact: An experience is something that occurred (unless otherwise indicated). A fact is something confirmed to have happened. Actualis extraneous in these instances.

3. Add an additional: To add is to provide another of something. Additional is extraneous. 4. Added bonus: A bonus is an extra feature, so added is redundant. 5. Advance notice/planning/reservations/warnin g: Notices, planning, reservations, and warnings are all, by their nature, actions that occur before some event, so qualifying such terms with advance is superfluous. 6. As for example: As implies that an example is being provided, so omit an example. 7. Ask a question: To ask is to pose a question, so question is redundant.

8. At the present time: At present means at this time, so avoid the verbose version. 9. Basic fundamentals/essentials: Fundamentals and essentials are by their nature elementary, so remove basic from each phrase. 10. (Filled to) capacity: Something filled is done so to capacity, so describing something as filled to capacity is repetitive. 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, andscrutiny 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 theres 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 isnt 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. 21. Enter in: To enter is to go in, so throw in out.

22. Estimated at about/roughly: An estimate is an approximation. About androughly are superfluous. 23. False pretense: A pretense is a deception, so false is redundant. 24. Few in number: Few refers to a small number; do not qualify few with the modifier in number. 25. Final outcome: An outcome is a result and is therefore intrinsically final. 26. First began, new beginning: A beginning is when something first occurs, so first and new are superfluous terms in these cases. 27. For a period/number of days: Days is plural, so a duration is implied; a period of or a number of is redundant. Its better to specify the number of days or to generalize with many.

28. Foreign imports: Imports are products that originate in another country, so their foreign nature is implicit and the word foreign is redundant. 29. Forever and ever: Ever is an unnecessary reduplication of forever. 30. Free gift: A gift is by definition free (though cynics will dispute that definition), so free is extraneous. 31. Invited guests: Guests are intrinsically those who have an invitation, soinvited is redundant. 32. Major breakthrough: A breakthrough is a significant progress in an effort. Though major is not directly redundant, the notable nature of the event is implicit.

33. [Number] a.m. in the morning/p.m. in the evening: The abbreviations a.m. and p.m. already identify the time of day, so omit in the morning or in the evening. 34. Past history/record: A history is by definition a record of past occurrences, and a record is documentation of what has already happened. In both cases, past is redundant. 35. Plan ahead: To plan is to prepare for the future. Ahead is extraneous. 36. Possibly might: Might indicates probability, so omit the redundant qualifierpossibly. 37. Postpone until later: To postpone is to delay. Later is superfluous.

38. Protest against: To protest is to communicate opposition. Against is redundant. 39. Repeat again: To repeat is to reiterate an action, so again is unnecessary. 40. Revert back: Something that reverts returns to an earlier state. Back is superfluous. 41. Same identical: Same and identical are just that (and that). Omit sameas a qualifier for identical. 42. Since the time when: Since indicates a time in the past; the time when is superfluous. 43. Spell out in detail: To spell out is to provide details, so in detail is repetitive.

44. Still remains: Something that remains is still in place. Still is redundant. 45. Suddenly exploded: An explosion is an immediate event. It cannot be any more sudden than it is. 46. Therapeutic treatment: Treatment in the sense of medical care is by nature therapeutic, so the adjective is redundant. 47. Unexpected surprise: No surprise is expected, so the modifier is extraneous. 48. Unintended mistake: A mistake is an inadvertently erroneous action. The lack of intention is implicit. 49. Usual custom: A custom is something routinely and repeatedly done or observed, and usual is redundant.

50. Written down: Something written has been taken down. Down is superfluous.

50 Problem Words and Phrases by Mark Nichol Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to conceive written communication. So many pairs or trios of words and phrases stymie us with their resemblance to each other. Heres a quick guide to alleviate (or is it ameliorate?) your suffering: 1. a while / awhile: A while is a noun phrase; awhile is an adverb. 2. all together / altogether: All together now We will refrain from using that two-word phrase to end sentences like this one altogether.

3. amend / emend: To amend is to change; to emend is to correct. 4. amount / number: Amount refers to a mass (The amount saved is considerable); number refers to a quantity (The number of dollars saved is considerable). 5. between / among: The distinction is not whether you refer to two people or things or to three or more; its whether you refer to one thing and another or to a collective or undefined number Walk among the trees, but Walk between two trees. 6. biannual / biennial: Biannual means twice a year; biennial means once every two years. 7. bring / take: If its coming toward you, its being brought. If its headed away from you, its being taken.

8. compare to / compare with: Comparing to implies similarity alone; compare with implies contrast as well. 9. compliment / complement: To compliment is to praise; to complement is to complete. 10. comprise, consist of / compose, constitute: Comprise means include, so test by replacement is included of is nonsense, and so is is comprised of. The whole comprises the parts or consists of the parts, but the parts compose or constitute the whole. 11. connote / denote: To connote is to convey (Air quotes connote skepticism or irony); to denote is to specify (A stop sign denotes the requirement to halt). 12. continual / continuous: Continual events are frequently repeated, or intermittent. Continuous events are uninterrupted, or constant.

13. credible / credulous: To be credible is to be authoritative; to be credulous is to be gullible. 14. deserts / desserts: If you eat only cake, pie, ice cream, and the like, you eat just desserts. If you have it coming to you, you get your just deserts as well. (However, the connotation is negative, so hit the gym.) 15. different from / different than: The former phrase is preferred in formal writing; but differently than is always correct usage. 16. discreet / discrete: Discreet means subtle; discrete means separate. (He discreetly reminded them of their discrete meanings.) 17. each other / one another: One another is preferred in formal writing when more than two of something are being discussed.

18. economic / economical: Economic refers to the science of economics;economical suggests frugality. 19. elemental/elementary: Whats elemental is essential or integral to nature; whats elementary is basic. 20. ensure / insure / assure: To ensure is to guarantee, to insure is to indemnify, and to assure is to comfort or convince. 21. epidemic / endemic / pandemic: An epidemic is the outbreak of disease in a limited place and time; an endemic disease is a recurring one peculiar to a place or population; a pandemic is pervasive over a wide geographical area. 22. forgo / forego: To forgo is to go without; to forego is to go before (and is generally used only in the forms foregoing and foregone, which are themselves rare).

23. gibe / jibe / jive: To gibe (soft g, as in gym) is to taunt or insult (thoughjibe is an alternate spelling), to jibe with is to coincide or fit, to jive is to deceive. 24. historic / historical: Something historic is remarkable for its impact on history; something historical is simply an event in history. 25. home in / hone in: To home in is to close in; to hone in is to confuse one word for another. (Hone in has no meaning.) 26. jealousy / envy: Jealousy is resentment; envy is covetousness. 27. lay / lie: Lay is transitive, associated with a direct object Lay that pencil down. Yesterday, I laid that pencil down. That pencil has been laid down. Lie is intransitive, not so associated Lie down. Last night, I lay down. It was my plan to have lain down already.

28. leach / leech: To leach is to dissolve by percolation; to leech is to remove blood with a leech or to exhaust; as a noun, it means a parasitic worm or the human figurative equivalent, or the edge of a sail (also spelled leach). 29. libel / slander: Libel is written defamation; slander is the spoken equivalent. 30. may / might: May refers to factual or possible; might is appropriate for the hypothetical or counterfactual. 31. nauseous / nauseated: To be nauseous is to cause sickness. To be nauseated is to feel sick. 32. notable / noticeable / noteworthy: Something notable is worthy of note. Something noticeable is capable of being noticed. Noteworthy is a synonym of notable, though the former implies the unusual and the latter the commendable.

33. partly / partially: Partly means in part; partially means incomplete or, rarely, is an antonym for unfairly. 34. peak / pique: To peak is to reach the pinnacle; to pique is to arouse interest or to bother. 35. people / persons: People has assumed primacy; persons is reserved mostly as a synonym for bodies (those belongings carried on their persons). 36. persuade / convince: To persuade someone is to motivate them to do something; to convince someone is to lead them to understand or believe. 37. predominantly / predominately: Both forms are correct, but predominantly predominates. 38. purposely / purposefully: Whats done purposely is done on purpose; whats done purposefully is done with a purpose.

39. regrettably / regretfully: Regrettably is a synonym for unfortunately;regretfully means just that full of regret. 40. repetitive / repetitious: Both terms have acquired a negative connotation, but the former retains a more neutral meaning. 41. sensual / sensuous: Sensual has an erotic connotation; sensuous refers more neutrally to what is pleasurable to the senses. 42. since / because: Informally, these terms are interchangeable, but in formal writing, since should be used only to refer to time. 43. stationary / stationery: To be stationary is to stand still; stationery refers to letter-writing materials.

44. that / which: That is used restrictively (The pencil that is sharp among more than one pencil, the one with that characteristic); which is employed nonrestrictively (The pencil, which is sharp one pencil alone, possessing that characteristic). The distinction is rarely observed other than in American English. 45. tortuous / torturous: A tortuous experience is a winding one; a torturous one is painful. 46. transcript / transcription: A transcript is a thing; a transcription is the process of creating it. 47. verbal / oral: Verbal refers to both written and spoken communication, but oral is useful for distinguishing the latter from the former. 48. while / although / whereas: Informally, while is a synonym for the other two terms, but in formal writing it should be reserved for temporal connotations.

49. wreak / wreck: These terms do not share etymological origin; you wreck a party, but you do so by wreaking havoc. 50. whether / if: Both words are correct in expressing a choice, but the former is more appropriate in formal writing (I cant decide whether to go), whereas the latter is better reserved for reference to possibility or probability (Ill go if you do). Source:
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