1. Sack-a-Doo!

    Sack-a-Doo! Contributor Contributor

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    Tautology and Redundant Words

    Discussion in 'Word Mechanics' started by Sack-a-Doo!, Aug 5, 2016.

    I stumbled onto this article this morning. It's aimed at business writers, but I fear it applies to some of us as well. In fact, I should have included it on the list of things I look for while doing rewrites, but I forgot:

    http://howtowritebetter.net/tautology-are-you-guilty-of-wasting-words/
     
  2. Shadowfax

    Shadowfax Contributor Contributor

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    I'll double-check these numbers...you mean you've already checked them once? I suppose I should be reassured, but if you didn't find the mistake you made on your first draft during your first edit, why would you find it on your second?
     
  3. Michael Pless

    Michael Pless Senior Member

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    "My (very own) personal opinion," is one that gets me every time. And perhaps Ms St. Maur would like to revisit her final sentence:

    "Here are some of of them, along with some of of[sic] my own favourites." :eek:;)
     
    Last edited: Aug 7, 2016
  4. Sack-a-Doo!

    Sack-a-Doo! Contributor Contributor

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    Sounds like you either doubt my process or think I'm an idiot... or is this a case of using second person as a substitute for 'people in general?'
     
  5. Tenderiser

    Tenderiser Not a man or BayView

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    I love the title of this thread :D
     
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  6. Sack-a-Doo!

    Sack-a-Doo! Contributor Contributor

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    Thanks! I stole it. :D
     
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  7. BayView

    BayView Huh. Interesting. Contributor

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    I agree that it's important to avoid unnecessary tautology, but I sometimes think we get too caught up in trying to "tighten" and end up sacrificing rhythm and style. I read some of the re-writes people offer in various critique threads and cringe - they've sacrificed a lot of nice language in order to make a sentence slightly shorter.

    If words are truly useless, they should go. But "use" shouldn't only be defined in terms of adding new information.
     
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  8. Sack-a-Doo!

    Sack-a-Doo! Contributor Contributor

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    Yes, as my father-in-law would say, "There's a difference between picking your nose and ripping it off your face." :)
     
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  9. Shadowfax

    Shadowfax Contributor Contributor

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    No, that was my attempt at another tautology for the collection...
     
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  10. Sack-a-Doo!

    Sack-a-Doo! Contributor Contributor

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    Oh. Beg pardon. I missed it.
     

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