Redundant and Stock Phrases
PROGRAM: “IN A WORD”
EPISODE: REDUNDANT AND STOCK PHRASES
[5 TO 10 SEC OF MUSIC]
[FADE MUSIC]
I’m Candace Schaefer with “In a Word,” your weekly communication tip.
There are lots of things we can get away with in casual conversation that just don’t work well in writing, especially more formal kinds of writing. For instance, you might hear someone use a phrase like “close proximity” or “brief moment,” and not even recognize the redundancy of those familiar expressions. Proximity, of course, implies closeness, and a moment is, by definition, brief—making both of those expressions pretty hollow.
Listeners tend to be forgiving of that kind of redundancy when we’re speaking. But when we’re writing, needless repetition can make our sentences sound wordy and unprofessional and even distract readers from our meaning.
In more formal writing, stock phrases like “each and every,” “full and complete,” and “tried and true,” can sound like hemming and hawing and may create the impression that we’re unsure of what we’re saying. Of course, these stock phrases are so common, we don’t usually recognize them for the verbal dead-weight that they are. Stock phrases can get into our heads, and into our writing, from many different sources. Anyone watching an infomercial has been offered a “free gift.” A coworker reading an editorial may pass on some “true facts” to you—leaving you tempted to ask if he knows any false facts.
Or perhaps a friend tells you a story about how an anonymous stranger offered him the unexpected surprise of a free gift at 6 PM in the evening.If you’re kind, you probably won’t point out that an anonymous stranger is simply a stranger, an unexpected surprise is just a surprise, and 6 PM in the evening is really just 6 PM. If you want to invigorate your writing (and keep from annoying your readers) you’ll learn to keep an eye out for that kind of trite expression.
Academic writing boasts its own collection of tired phrases. For instance, the expression ‘in order to’ appears frequently in academic prose, though it can always be replaced with just ‘to.’ “In the final analysis,” can be shortened to “finally.” And “at this point in time,” can become, simply, “now.” Of course, sometimes a writer chooses one of these phrases deliberately, to impart a relaxed or folksy feel to a passage or change the pacing of a sentence. But mostly, these worn-out, overblown constructions creep into our sentences when we’re not paying attention.
Be that as it may, in the final analysis, when all is said and done, ask yourself: do I really and truly need these tried and true expressions? Nope? Then, cut ‘em!
This has been “In a Word,” a program made possible by the Texas A&M University Writing Center and a production of KAMU FM on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station. For more writing and speaking tips, visit our website at writingcenter.tamu.edu. I’m Candace Schaefer, helping you make every word count.
[5 TO 10 SEC OF MUSIC]
EPISODE: REDUNDANT AND STOCK PHRASES
[5 TO 10 SEC OF MUSIC]
[FADE MUSIC]
I’m Candace Schaefer with “In a Word,” your weekly communication tip.
There are lots of things we can get away with in casual conversation that just don’t work well in writing, especially more formal kinds of writing. For instance, you might hear someone use a phrase like “close proximity” or “brief moment,” and not even recognize the redundancy of those familiar expressions. Proximity, of course, implies closeness, and a moment is, by definition, brief—making both of those expressions pretty hollow.
Listeners tend to be forgiving of that kind of redundancy when we’re speaking. But when we’re writing, needless repetition can make our sentences sound wordy and unprofessional and even distract readers from our meaning.
In more formal writing, stock phrases like “each and every,” “full and complete,” and “tried and true,” can sound like hemming and hawing and may create the impression that we’re unsure of what we’re saying. Of course, these stock phrases are so common, we don’t usually recognize them for the verbal dead-weight that they are. Stock phrases can get into our heads, and into our writing, from many different sources. Anyone watching an infomercial has been offered a “free gift.” A coworker reading an editorial may pass on some “true facts” to you—leaving you tempted to ask if he knows any false facts.
Or perhaps a friend tells you a story about how an anonymous stranger offered him the unexpected surprise of a free gift at 6 PM in the evening.If you’re kind, you probably won’t point out that an anonymous stranger is simply a stranger, an unexpected surprise is just a surprise, and 6 PM in the evening is really just 6 PM. If you want to invigorate your writing (and keep from annoying your readers) you’ll learn to keep an eye out for that kind of trite expression.
Academic writing boasts its own collection of tired phrases. For instance, the expression ‘in order to’ appears frequently in academic prose, though it can always be replaced with just ‘to.’ “In the final analysis,” can be shortened to “finally.” And “at this point in time,” can become, simply, “now.” Of course, sometimes a writer chooses one of these phrases deliberately, to impart a relaxed or folksy feel to a passage or change the pacing of a sentence. But mostly, these worn-out, overblown constructions creep into our sentences when we’re not paying attention.
Be that as it may, in the final analysis, when all is said and done, ask yourself: do I really and truly need these tried and true expressions? Nope? Then, cut ‘em!
This has been “In a Word,” a program made possible by the Texas A&M University Writing Center and a production of KAMU FM on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station. For more writing and speaking tips, visit our website at writingcenter.tamu.edu. I’m Candace Schaefer, helping you make every word count.
[5 TO 10 SEC OF MUSIC]