Posted: 15 Jan 2014 08:16 PM PST
Pleonastic expressions are common in conversation. We all use turns of phrase in which we repeat ourselves: “the books were few
few: adjective. amounting to a small number.
reservation: noun. an act of engaging a seat, room, place, ticket, vehicle, etc., in advance; positive: adjective. expressed without qualification; certain.
In casual conversation, speakers may be forgiven these verbal tics, but advertisers and journalists can be expected to aim to minimize redundancy in their copy.
Here are some examples from the web:
for free: If something is “free,” it is “given out of generosity and not in return for something else.” The formation “for free” has probably developed by analogy with “for nothing,” One can get “something for nothing,” A “free gift” is also pleonastic; the most common meaning of gift is “something given without charge,” i.e., “free.” It is enough for advertisers to announce that something is available free: “Buy a computer and get a printer free.”
unexpected surprise: a surprise is an unexpected occurrence or event.
pair of identical twins: Two children or young brought forth at one birth are twins. A pair is “a couple; a set of two.” It’s enough to say that the men are “identical twins.”
annoying pests: In the figurative sense, a pest is “an annoying person or thing.”
future prospects: The word prospects in this context refers to future occasions or events.
basic fundamental: Fundamental means “serving as the foundation or base on which something is built.” The adjective basicmeans “Of, pertaining to, or forming a base; fundamental.”
consensus of opinion: The word consensus is enough. It means “Agreement in opinion.”
brown in color, green color, red color: A color is a hue or tint. Brown, green, and red are colors. It is rarely necessary to say so when describing a weather map or other depiction in color. It’s enough to say, “The red indicates intense rain.”
good improvement: The word improvement includes the idea of “good.” There’s no such thing as “bad improvement.” The word can be modified in terms of degree. For example, “slight improvement,” and “minor improvement.”
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Thursday, January 16, 2014
Pleonastic Expressions - DailyWritingTips
Jacqueline is a fan of historical dramas as long as they're clean with some crazy plot twists. Often she writes with her darling Nash-cat resting on her arms, which makes for some interesting typing. She's a survivor of narcissistic head games, and adds bits and pieces taken from her experiences to her stories.
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