The Queen’s English — Oh, I Already Said That!

 

 

One of the most common failings is the redundant phrase, i.e., using words in a single phrase which have duplicate meanings.  Public speakers may do it for the sake of emphasis, but more often the bet is they think that the use of a redundant phrase makes them appear erudite.  Quite the opposite should be the case; they should be given dunce hats and sent to the corner.

                During the Watergate hearings, someone (I believe it was John Dean) repeatedly used the phrase “at that point in time.“  It was a sad moment for grammarians as the phrase suddenly fell into the vernacular and has been commonly (mis)used since.  It was redundant then and is redundant now!

                The following are some very common redundant phrases:

 

                “Past experience has demonstrated . . .” Both past and experience deliver the message; I would drop past.

 

                “The consensus of opinion of the group . . .” The opinion of the group necessarily implies a consensus.

 

                “The toll charge was high.”  Can you think of a toll that isn’t a charge?

 

                “His suit was specially tailored.”  If it was tailored, the tailor had only one person in mind.

 

                “Her statement was factually accurate.”  It isn’t a fact if it isn’t accurate, true?

 

                “He’s good at forecasting the future.”  Forecasting deals only with the future (unless of course you’re watching “Back to the Future”).

 

                “I’ll wager a bet . . . ” A wager is a bet.

 

                “At this period of time, we must . . .”   A period with nothing further refers only to time (except, of course the little dot at the end of this sentence). Two other common redundancies which are closely related are the present time (at the present suffices) and John Dean’s point in time (either “at this point” or “at this time” gets you there).

 

                “He was introduced for the first time.”  Delete for the first time (unless you’re as bad with names as I am!).

 

                “We achieved the exact same results.”  Use either, but not both.

                “His job was investigative research.“  Investigation is research, and vice versa.  Either works alone.

 

                “We must anticipate the future course of events.”  Have you ever tried to anticipate the past?  Delete future.

 

                “They were left with several different options” or “there were several different participants.”  In both cases different can be deleted, and the meaning remains unchanged.

 

                “The solution was clearly obvious.” A wasted adverb:  clearly adds nothing.

 

“The meeting was postponed until later.“    Postponed is enough.

 

                Then there are the dreaded overweighted acronyms: EIN number, IRA account, HIV virus, SAT test all contain the abbreviated noun which is commonly used with them (e.g., EIN is the “employer’s identification number”).

 

                This list is hardly exhaustive.  Watch for these creatures; they lurk in dark places in endless supply.

 

— Ken Butera