Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Tuesday Tip: Eliminating Repetitive Phrases




Repetitive words and phrases bog down your story and frustrate the reader, as they are a  waste of their time to read.  To avoid this, here are some phrases to watch out for in your writing.

           Phrase                            Reasoning

  • absolutely certain            A certainty is absolute.
  • actual experience            An experience has occurred, so it's actual.
  • advance planning            Planning occurs before an event (in advance).
  • ask a question                 What else would you be asking?
  • at the present time          "At present" is the same as "At this time."
  • blue in color                    It's apparent that blue is a color.
  • cash money                     Isn't cash always money?
  • combined together          Things must be together to be combined.
  • completely filled             If it's filled, it's thoroughly done (or complete).
  • each and every                These mean the same thing.
  • invited guests                  Guests are people with an invitation.
  • mix together                    You can't mix something apart.
  • month of July                  It's a well-known fact that July is a month.
  • repeat again                     To repeat is to reiterate something.
  • small in size                    Small obviously refers to a size.      
  • still remains                    If something remains, it's still there.
  • sum total                         When you have a sum, it's a total.
  • triangular in shape          It's obvious triangular is a shape.
  • unexpected surprise        By its nature, a surprise isn't expected.
  • unintentional mistake     A mistake isn't planned or on purpose.

Minor revisions can fix these errors in your writing and add clarity to the story. While it takes practice, this list can help you recognize repetitive phrases so your writing can become stronger.

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