October 15, 2024
Everyone with an opinion on writing has a personal list of bad habits and abuses that induce eye rolling, teeth gnashing, and occasional intestinal discomfort.
I’m a trained editor, so my list is longer than most. But I have to say, at or near the top are stupid redundancies: using words in phrases that serve no purpose other than to pad a sentence and make the writer look (pick one) amateurish or foolish.
Smart people call them pleonasms. To me, it’s just bad writing. And here’s my hit list of a dozen that should send any writer (or editor) running for the hills:
1. Prior experience. Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t all experience prior?
2. Blatantly obvious. If it wasn’t blatant, it wouldn’t be obvious.
3. Visible to the human eye. As opposed to what, the human ear?
4. Exact duplicate. What is an inexact duplicate? A crayon drawing?
5. Outward appearance. All appearances are outward. Otherwise, they’d be X rays.
6. Set a new record. Can one set an old record?
7. Revolutionary new. I’m still waiting for a product to market itself as revolutionary old.
8. I thought to myself. Who else would you think to (unless, of course, you’re telepathic)?
9. Final outcome: News flash, all outcomes are final.
10. Unmanned drone. For the record, if it were manned, it would be an airplane.
11. Revert back. Just wondering how one can revert forward.
12. Advanced warning. If it wasn’t advanced, it wouldn’t be much of a warning, right?
Okay, I’ll climb off my soapbox now. But ignore these and their kin at your own peril (or the peril of being perceived as a lesser writer than you likely are).
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