Redundancies - Bloggercises

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My astrologer’s advice to me the other day was not to over-complicate things.

My advice to my astrologer is not to over-write things.

Consider the following sentences. 1. With a full moon winking alluringly at Ursa Major this week, it is best not to over-complicate things. 2. With a full moon winking alluringly at Ursa Major this week, it is best not to complicate things.

Grammatical considerations aside, there is no difference in meaning.

The definition of complicate is “to make complex”. There is no such word as over-complicate. If there were, things would get over-messy.

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Posted By: Chris Champion - Category: Grammar, Redundancies, Writing

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A writer's tool kit: redundancies

September 22nd 2009 23:56

Some follow-up thoughts reinforcing yesterday's post on the issue of overused words, which is a subset of the broader subject of redundancies.

The need to explain is human but is poor writing.

The best way to be boring is to leave nothing out.

It is poor writing to include every detail - it is good writing to know what to leave out.

The human imagination can provide far more detail than writing ever can, so leaving the message largely to the reader's imagination is the way to deliver the most powerful message.

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Posted By: Chris Champion - Category: A writer's tool kit, Redundancies, Writing

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Bloggercises: Redundancies 5

February 21st 2009 22:57

This is a simple exercise aimed at helping you become a better writer. The exercise is not difficult. It is not a test. The aim is to foster the habit of checking for redundant words or phrases. Text cleared of redundancies shows that you care about your message. The rule holds for poetry, trash talk, descriptive prose, commentary etc.

In each of the following sentences, remove or change words to make the writing tighter. The answers are below.

This now explains a lot about yesterday's events.

This is very, very poor writing.

Meet me at 4am tomorrow morning.

It makes no difference whether you like it or not.

Sections C and G need to be attached together.

He was just standing there, an anonymous stranger.

Are you seriously asking for my personal opinion?

Much wisdom can be found in the old proverbs.

It was long, thin and shiny in appearance.

I have been held up by an unexpected emergency.

INTERLUDE
The world is quickly becoming aware of the vibrancy of Vietnamese art. It reflects both the ancient influence of China and the influence of the recent French colonial period. Image:
Season of Red Leaves, Oil on canvas, by Truong Tuan Kiet; www.vietnam-oilpainting.com

This explains a lot about yesterday's events.

This is poor writing.

Meet me at 4am tomorrow.

It makes no difference whether you like it.

Sections C and G need to be attached.

He was just standing there, a stranger.

Are you seriously asking for my opinion?

Much wisdom can be found in proverbs.

It was long, thin and shiny.

I have been held up by an emergency.

With help from grammar.about.com

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Posted By: Chris Champion - Category: Redundancies

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