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No Need to Repeat Yourself! by Susan Thurman

“I've said it before and I'll say it again.”

“I've said it before, but now I'll reiterate.”

“I've said it before and I'd like to repeat myself.”

We've all heard words like these before — and, odds are, hearing people repeat themselves drives most of us crazy. When it comes to writing, using redundant words or phrases not only diminishes the value of your work, it's also a waste of your reader's time.

Take a look at the following commonly seen or often heard redundant phrases and read the explanations about why they're redundant. (Get ready to smack yourself on the head as you mutter, “I should have thought of that” — but comfort yourself with the thought that you're certainly not alone in using these phrases!) Then start cutting your own redundancies.

Cease and desist. Will and testament. Goods and chattels. Legal documents are rife with redundancies, and the reason goes back to 1066. Before William of Normandy conquered England, English law had commonly been written in Latin and Old English. When William took control of England, Norman French gained stature. However, many people weren't fluent in all three languages. Since lawyers wanted to be certain their documents and proceedings were written precisely and were understood by everyone, they developed phrases that incorporated words with synonyms in Latin, Old English, and Norman French.

<tgroup cols="2" align="center"> <colspec colname="col1" colnum="1" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="1" align="left"/> <colspec colname="col2" colnum="2" colwidth="50%" colsep="0" rowsep="1" align="left"/> <thead> <tr> <td><p>Redundant Phrase</p></td> <td><p>Explanation</p></td> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td><p>advance planning</p></td> <td><p>Planning must be done in advance. Delete <emphasis>advance</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>A.M. in the morning</p></td> <td><p><emphasis>A.M</emphasis>. means <emphasis>morning</emphasis>. Delete <emphasis>in the morning</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>and also</p></td> <td><p>Use one word or the other, but not both.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>as an added bonus</p></td> <td><p>If something is a bonus, it must be added. Delete <emphasis>added</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>ask the question</p></td> <td><p>You can't ask anything except a question; delete <emphasis>the question</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>ATM machine</p></td> <td><p>The <emphasis>M</emphasis> in <emphasis>ATM</emphasis> stands for <emphasis>machine</emphasis>. Delete <emphasis>machine</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>basic essentials</p></td> <td><p>If they're the essentials, they have to be basic. Delete <emphasis>basic</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>cash money</p></td> <td><p>Is cash ever anything but money? Delete <emphasis>cash</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>close proximity</p></td> <td><p>You can't have far proximity, can you? Delete <emphasis>close</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>closed fist</p></td> <td><p>A fist must be closed. Delete <emphasis>closed</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>combined together</p></td> <td><p>Things that are combined must be together. Delete <emphasis>together</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>completely unanimous</p></td> <td><p>Something cannot be partially unanimous. Delete <emphasis>completely</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>continue on</p></td> <td><p>Can you continue off? Delete <emphasis>on</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>cooperate together</p></td> <td><p>You can't cooperate apart. Delete <emphasis>together</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>each and every</p></td> <td><p>The words mean the same thing; delete one.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>end result</p></td> <td><p>Can you have a result that's not in the end? Delete <emphasis>end</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>estimated at about</p></td> <td><p><emphasis>Estimated</emphasis> means <emphasis>about</emphasis>. Delete <emphasis>at about</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>exactly the same</p></td> <td><p>If something is the same, it must be exact. Delete the <emphasis>same</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>excised out</p></td> <td><p>You can't excise in, can you? Delete <emphasis>out</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>foreign imports</p></td> <td><p>Material that's imported must be foreign. Delete <emphasis>foreign</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>free gift (free gratis)</p></td> <td><p>If it's a gift or is gratis, it's free. Delete <emphasis>free</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>green in color</p></td> <td><p>As opposed to green in what? Delete in <emphasis>color</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>HIV virus</p></td> <td><p>The <emphasis>V</emphasis> in <emphasis>HIV</emphasis> stands for virus. Delete <emphasis>virus</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>honest truth</p></td> <td><p>If something isn't the truth, it isn't honest. Delete <emphasis>honest</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>important essentials</p></td> <td><p>If items are essential, surely they're important. Delete <emphasis>important</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>large in size</p></td> <td><p>The word <emphasis>large</emphasis> denotes size. Delete <emphasis>in size</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>mutual cooperation</p></td> <td><p>Cooperation has to be mutual. Delete <emphasis>mutual</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>my own personal opinion</p></td> <td><p><emphasis>My opinion</emphasis> means it's your own and it's personal. Delete <emphasis>own personal</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>overused cliché</p></td> <td><p>If a phrase isn't overused, it's not a cliché. Delete <emphasis>overused</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>past memory</p></td> <td><p>You can't have a future memory, can you? Delete <emphasis>past</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>PIN number</p></td> <td><p>The <emphasis>N</emphasis> in <emphasis>PIN</emphasis> stands for number. Delete <emphasis>number</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>P.M. at night</p></td> <td><p>P.M. means night. Delete <emphasis>at night</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>return back</p></td> <td><p>Here again, it's hard to return forward. Delete <emphasis>back</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>roast beef with au jus</p></td> <td><p>The au means <emphasis>with</emphasis>; delete <emphasis>with</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>safe haven</p></td> <td><p>By definition, a haven is a safe place. Delete <emphasis>safe</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>sudden impulse</p></td> <td><p>An impulse is sudden, or it's not an impulse. Delete <emphasis>sudden</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>sum total</p></td> <td><p>If you have a sum, you have a total. Delete one word or the other.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>totally monopolize</p></td> <td><p>A monopoly is total, isn't it? Delete <emphasis>totally</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>true fact</p></td> <td><p>By definition, a fact must be true. Delete <emphasis>true</emphasis>.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p>valuable asset</p></td> <td><p>If something is an asset, then it has value. 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EVERYTHING GRAMMAR AND STYLE BOOK</a></h4><p><a href="http://shop.everything.com/product/the-everything-grammar-and-style-book-2nd-edition">By Susan Thurman</a></p><div id="fp"><a href="http://shop.everything.com/product/the-everything-grammar-and-style-book-2nd-edition">Buy This Book</a></div></div></div> <div id="toc" class="pane"><div class="n3">Grammar and Style Sections</div><ul><li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/grammar/whats-in-a-word/">What's in a Word?</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/grammar/cracking-the-code-of-punctuation/">Cracking the Code of Punctuation</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/grammar/more-fun-with-punctuation/">More Fun with Punctuation</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/grammar/punctuation-pairs/">Punctuation Pairs</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/grammar/wrapping-it-all-up/">Wrapping It All Up</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/grammar/parts-of-speech-the-big-eight/">Parts of Speech: the Big Eight</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/grammar/more-pieces-of-the-puzzle/">More Pieces of the Puzzle</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/grammar/lets-have-a-few-words/">Let's Have a Few Words</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/grammar/pertinent-points-about-pesky-pronouns/">Pertinent Points about Pesky Pronouns</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/grammar/figuring-out-some-finicky-forms/">Figuring Out Some Finicky Forms</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/grammar/keeping-it-coherent/">Keeping It Coherent</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/grammar/shaping-strong-sentences/">Shaping Strong Sentences</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/grammar/in-plain-english-please/">In Plain English, Please</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/grammar/putting-pen-to-paper/">Putting Pen to Paper</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/grammar/the-final-dress-rehearsal/">The Final Dress Rehearsal</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/grammar/maximizing-your-means-of-expression/">Maximizing Your Means of Expression</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/grammar/getting-personal/">Getting Personal</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/grammar/literary-terms-you-need-to-know/">Literary Terms You Need to Know</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/grammar/latin-alive-and-kicking/">Latin: Alive and Kicking!</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/grammar/foreign-languages-in-everyday-american-english/">Foreign Languages in Everyday American English</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/grammar/appendix-a-999-of-the-most-commonly-misspelled-words/">999 of the Most Commonly Misspelled Words</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/grammar/appendix-b-root-words-prefixes-and-suffixes/">Root Words, Prefixes, and Suffixes</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/grammar/appendix-c-suggested-substitutes-for-wordy-phrases/">Suggested 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