I came across this printed announcement pinned on a notice board in a college:
This is to inform you that the meeting of all student representatives will start at 11 am in the morning and end by 1 pm in the afternoon. All representatives are kindly requested to attend the meeting. Those who cannot attend should get prior permission from the Vice-Principal.
You can see four redundant expressions (needless repetition of words) in the notice: 11 am in the morning, 1 pm in the afternoon, kindly requested and prior permission. The words ‘in the morning’ and ‘in the afternoon’ in the first sentence are unnecessary as they repeat the meanings of am and pm respectively. In the second sentence the adverb ‘kindly’ is unnecessary as the word ‘request’ contains the meaning of ‘kindly’. In the third sentence ‘prior’ is unnecessary as ‘permission’ refers to an act of getting authorisation in advance for something. These repetitive words / phrases should be eliminated from the notice to make it succinct. By avoiding redundant expressions in writing we can convey our message in a clearer and more effective way.
Here are more examples of redundant expressions:
We have booked five tickets in advance for the movie.
I would like to speak on a different topic. Is there any alternative choice?
We presented the chief guest with a bouquet of flowers.
When we entered the hall a cacophony of sound greeted us.
Collect all the component parts of the machine and keep them safe.
The two twins go everywhere together.
Write answers to the following questions given below.
The reason for this is because she does not want to attend class on Saturdays.
There are four different types of computer.
Even after two days of discussion on the issue, there was no consensus of opinion.
In sentence 1the term ‘in advance’ is unnecessary as ‘booking’ means ‘an act of reserving tickets in advance’. The word ‘alternative’ in the second sentence is just a synonym of ‘choice’. By definition, a bouquet is a bunch of flowers; therefore, the phrase ‘of flowers’ in the third sentence is unnecessary. Similarly, all the words / phrases in bold in the examples above are redundant and by eliminating them the sentences would be made better.
There are three main types of redundant expression:
1) adjectives that repeat the meaning already contained in the word they describe (past history, new innovation, final outcome)
2) adverbs that repeat the meaning contained in the verbs they modify (return back, attach together)
3) two or more words which have the same meaning (but nevertheless, ATM machine).
Examples:
I am not interested in your past history.
The student explained her new innovation at the national conference.
There are many factors which determine the final outcome.
She will return back to Mumbai after a week.
Don’t attach everything together.
She is not an influential person but nevertheless she tries to dominate others.
There is only one ATM machine in this part of Chennai.