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What Is Redundancy in English?
Redundancy in the needless repetition of words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs, or ideas.
Redundancy is when we use two or more words together that mean the same thing, for example,
‘adequate enough’. We also say something is redundant when a modifier’s meaning is contained in the
word it modifies, for example, ‘merge together’. When we write, we should try to be as clear and concise
as we can be. If we learn how to get a message across without adding unnecessary words, readers are
more likely to read what we write.
Here are some common examples of redundant phrases:

“Small in size” or “large in size”
“True facts”
“Basic fundamentals”
“Past history”
“Smiled happily”
“Evolve over time”
“Consensus of opinion”
Be Careful of Overusing Adverbs

Adverbs are often the source of egregious redundancies, and writers should be careful not to overuse
them. Stephen King, one of the most successful novelists out there, is certainly not a fan of them: “I
believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs, and I will shout it from the rooftops” (118). If you notice
that your writing includes an inordinate amount of “–ly” adverbs, then you might need to examine your
documents more closely. Here are some other examples of unnecessary “-ly” adverbs:
“Shouted loudly”
“Raced hurriedly”
“Whispered softly”
“Deliberated thoughtfully”
“Finished completely”
“Jumped quickly”
What is a Pleonasm?
A pleonasm is a literary term, literary tool, and literary device.
Well, that was redundant! A pleonasm is when one uses too many words to express a message. A
pleonasm can either be a mistake or a tool for emphasis.
Pleonasm (pronounced ˈplē-ə-ˌna-zəm) is derived from the Greek phrase pleonasmos meaning
“excessive.”
Examples of Pleonasm
I heard it with my own ears.

When one hears something, we can presume it is with one’s own ears. The addition of “with my
own ears” is a pleonasm.
“Let me tell you this, when social workers offer you, free, gratis and for nothing, something to
hinder you from swooning, which with them is an obsession, it is useless to recoil …”
In this example, the terms “free,” “gratis,” and “for nothing” have very similar meanings. The
words are repeated to create linguistic and literary effects. In this way, the words free and nothing are
highlighted. This is a semantic pleonasm.
He sees that you have arrived.
The insertion of the conjunction “that” is optional and considered unnecessary by some.
We’re eating fried squid
Because calamari is by definition fried squid, the adjective “squid” is a pleonasm which can be
omitted.
“All this I saw with my own eyes, and it was the most fearsome sight I ever witnessed…”
The term “my own” is pleonastic, since the word “my” would have been enough to show
possession. However, “own” is added to emphasize and clarify the meaning of the phrase.
Types of Pleonasm
Syntactic Pleonasm
A syntactic pleonasm happens when based on the arrangement of words in a sentence, certain
grammatical forms can be omitted.
Examples:
There’s not no reason why.
I do care about you.
They see that you’ve arrived.
Semantic Pleonasm
Semantic pleonasm occurs from redundancy, or unnecessary repetition of an idea or description of it.
Examples:
They offered free gifts to us.
He lives down south of us.
We ate beef hamburgers.
What is Cliché?
A cliché is a saying, image, or idea which has been used so much that it sounds terribly uncreative.
The word “cliché” was originally French for the sound of a printing plate, which prints the same thing
over and over. Using clichés is considered bad writing and speaking because they make it sound like you
didn’t put any thought into your words. Good writers and speakers try to use thoughtful and original
language rather than clichés in their work. Synonyms for cliché include platitudes and banalities.
Examples of Cliché
Because clichés are, by definition, common and overused, they can be found frequently but you may not
notice them because we take them for granted. Here are a few examples:
“Every cloud has a silver lining”: Which means that even in a bad situation, you can usually find
something good.
“Diamond in the rough“: something or somebody with a lot of potential.
“Going bananas!”: going crazy.
“Easy as pie“: very easy.
A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. : This cliché is from Juliet’s speech in which she
claims that it does not matter that Romeo comes from her family’s enemy house, the Montague. Like
many Shakespeare quotes, this phrase was so creative when Shakespeare wrote it, that now other people
have overused it—to mean that the names of things are not important compared to their qualities.
“Cold as ice“: very cold or not friendly.
“Take a chill pill“: to relax.
“Don’t judge a book by its cover“: don’t judge something based on its appearance.
“Driving me crazy!”: annoying somebody to the point of almost insanity.
What is Intensifier?
In English grammar, an intensifier (from the Latin for "stretch" or intend," also known as a booster or an
amplifier) is a word that emphasizes another word or phrase. Intensifying adjectives modify nouns;
intensifying adverbs commonly modify verbs, gradable adjectives, and other adverbs. The opposite of an
intensifier is a downtoner, which lessens the emphasis on the word or phrase it's modifying.
Examples of Intensifiers
"Oh, I am so not in the mood for this. I've just been shot!"
"The woodwind has a slightly greater scope than the violin."
"The women I had as very close friends were very independent women, very progressive. They're
very sensitive about social change."
What are abbreviations in English?
An abbreviation is just a short version of a longer word or a phrase. For example, the word ad is an
abbreviation of advertisement, and the word don’t is an abbreviation of do not. Abbreviations are
prevalent in both speaking and writing. They’re present in most languages as well, so abbreviations in
English aren’t the only ones.
The purpose of abbreviations is to make communication more efficient by using smaller words. This is
most apparent in acronyms, one of the types of abbreviations we discuss below. An acronym takes the
first letter (or letters) of a set of words and adds them together to create a brand-new word. In this way, an
acronym replaces a long string of words with just a single one, making communication that much easier.
Types of abbreviations: What are the 5 abbreviation types?

There are a few different ways to shorten words, and not all of them can be used on every word. Before
we discuss the types of abbreviations individually, here’s a quick list of them so you know what to expect.
We’ll describe how each of these terms is commonly used, but you should be aware that exact definitions
sometimes vary.
Clipping: removing entire syllables to make words shorter

Clipping abbreviation examples:
 ad (advertisement)
 exam (examination)
 app (application)
 rhino (rhinoceros)
 flu (influenza)
 Liz or Beth (Elizabeth)
Contractions: removing certain letters to make words shorter, and sometimes combining two or more
words, with missing letters replaced by an apostrophe
Contraction abbreviation examples:
 can’t (cannot)
 could’ve (could have)
 it’s (it is or it has)
 I’ll (I will)
 Mr. and Mrs. (Mister and Missus)
 Dr. (doctor)
 Jan. (January)
 Ave. (Avenue)
 Apt. (Apartment)
 pt (pint)
 in (inch)
 lbs (pounds)
 ft (foot or feet)
Initialism: combining the first letters of multiple words, with the result pronounced as individual letters
Initialism abbreviation examples:
 FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation)

 UFO (Unidentified Flying Object)
 CEO (Chief Executive Officer)
 CCTV (Closed Circuit TeleVision)
 FDR (Franklin Delano Roosevelt)
 MBA (Master of Business Administration)
 FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Acronyms: combining the first letters of multiple words, with the result pronounced as a new word
Acronym abbreviation examples
 PIN (Personal Identification Number)

 NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)
 RAM (Random Access Memory)
 scuba (Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus)
 radar (RAdio Detection And Ranging)
 zip code (Zone Improvement Plan code)
Textese (online slang): a modern form of communication that uses individual letters, numbers, and
symbols to reduce typing time
Textese abbreviation examples
 lol (laugh out loud)

 btw (by the way)
 imo (in my opinion)
 idk (I don’t know)
 wat (what)
 bc (because)
 wknd (weekend)
https://www.writerswrite.co.za/19-examples-of-redundancy/
https://writingcommons.org/article/writing-concisely-and-avoiding-redundancy/
https://literaryterms.net/pleonasm/
https://literarydevices.net/pleonasm/
https://literaryterms.net/cliche/
https://www.thoughtco.com/intensifier-grammar-term-1691176
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/types-abbreviations/

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What Is Redundancy in English?

Redundancy in the needless repetition of words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs, or ideas.

Here are some common examples of redundant phrases:

Be Careful of Overusing Adverbs

A pleonasm is a literary term, literary tool, and literary device.

I heard it with my own ears.

What are abbreviations in English?

Types of abbreviations: What are the 5 abbreviation types?

Clipping: removing entire syllables to make words shorter

 FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation)

 PIN (Personal Identification Number)

 lol (laugh out loud)

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