50 Redundant Phrases to Avoid

50 Redundant Phrases to Avoid 50 Redundant Phrases to Avoid 50 Redundant Phrases to Avoid By Mark Nichol In conversation, it’s easy in the midst of spontaneous speech to succumb to verbosity and duplication. In writing, redundancy is less forgivable but fortunately easy to rectify. Watch out for these usual suspects: 1. Absolutely certain or sure/essential/guaranteed: Someone who is certain or sure is already without doubt. Something that is essential is intrinsically absolute. A guarantee is by nature absolute (or should be). Abandon absolutely in such usage. 2. Actual experience/fact: An experience is something that occurred (unless otherwise indicated). A fact is something confirmed to have happened. Actual is extraneous in these instances. 3. Add an additional: To add is to provide another of something. Additional is extraneous. 4. Added bonus: A bonus is an extra feature, so added is redundant. 5. Advance notice/planning/reservations/warning: Notices, planning, reservations, and warnings are all, by their nature, actions that occur before some event, so qualifying such terms with advance is superfluous. 6. As for example: As implies that an example is being provided, so omit â€Å"an example.† 7. Ask a question: To ask is to pose a question, so question is redundant. 8. At the present time: â€Å"At present† means â€Å"at this time,† so avoid the verbose version. 9. Basic fundamentals/essentials: Fundamentals and essentials are by their nature elementary, so remove basic from each phrase. 10. (Filled to) capacity: Something filled is done so to capacity, so describing something as â€Å"filled to capacity† is repetitive. 11. Came at a time when: When provides the necessary temporal reference to the action of coming; â€Å"at a time† is redundant. 12. Close proximity/scrutiny: Proximity means â€Å"close in location,† and scrutiny means â€Å"close study,† so avoid qualifying these terms with close. 13. Collaborate/join/meet/merge together: If you write of a group that collaborates or meets together, you imply that there’s another way to collect or confer. To speak of joining or merging together is, likewise, redundant. 14. Completely filled/finished/opposite: Something that is filled or finished is thoroughly so; completely is redundant. Something that is opposite isn’t necessarily diametrically opposed, especially in qualitative connotations, but the modifier is still extraneous. 15. Consensus of opinion: A consensus is an agreement but not necessarily one about an opinion, so â€Å"consensus of opinion† is not purely redundant, but the phrase â€Å"of opinion† is usually unnecessary. 16. (During the) course (of): During means â€Å"in or throughout the duration of†), so â€Å"during the course of† is repetitive. 17. Definite decision: Decisions may not be final, but when they are made, they are unequivocal and therefore definite, so one should not be described as â€Å"a definite decision.† 18. Difficult dilemma: A dilemma is by nature complicated, so omit difficult as a modifier. 19. Direct confrontation: A confrontation is a head-on conflict. Direct as a qualifier in this case is redundant. 20. End result: A result is something that occurs at the end, so omit end as a modifier of result. 21. Enter in: To enter is to go in, so throw in out. 22. Estimated at about/roughly: An estimate is an approximation. About and roughly are superfluous. 23. False pretense: A pretense is a deception, so false is redundant. 24. Few in number: Few refers to a small number; do not qualify few with the modifier â€Å"in number.† 25. Final outcome: An outcome is a result and is therefore intrinsically final. 26. First began, new beginning: A beginning is when something first occurs, so first and new are superfluous terms in these cases. 27. For a period/number of days: Days is plural, so a duration is implied; â€Å"a period of† or â€Å"a number of† is redundant. It’s better to specify the number of days or to generalize with many. 28. Foreign imports: Imports are products that originate in another country, so their foreign nature is implicit and the word foreign is redundant. 29. Forever and ever: Ever is an unnecessary reduplication of forever. 30. Free gift: A gift is by definition free (though cynics will dispute that definition), so free is extraneous. 31. Invited guests: Guests are intrinsically those who have an invitation, so invited is redundant. 32. Major breakthrough: A breakthrough is a significant progress in an effort. Though major is not directly redundant, the notable nature of the event is implicit. 33. [Number] a.m. in the morning/p.m. in the evening: The abbreviations a.m. and p.m. already identify the time of day, so omit â€Å"in the morning† or â€Å"in the evening.† 34. Past history/record: A history is by definition a record of past occurrences, and a record is documentation of what has already happened. In both cases, past is redundant. 35. Plan ahead: To plan is to prepare for the future. Ahead is extraneous. 36. Possibly might: Might indicates probability, so omit the redundant qualifier possibly. 37. Postpone until later: To postpone is to delay. Later is superfluous. 38. Protest against: To protest is to communicate opposition. Against is redundant. 39. Repeat again: To repeat is to reiterate an action, so again is unnecessary. 40. Revert back: Something that reverts returns to an earlier state. Back is superfluous. 41. Same identical: Same and identical are just that (and that). Omit same as a qualifier for identical. 42. Since the time when: Since indicates a time in the past; â€Å"the time when† is superfluous. 43. Spell out in detail: To spell out is to provide details, so â€Å"in detail† is repetitive. 44. Still remains: Something that remains is still in place. Still is redundant. 45. Suddenly exploded: An explosion is an immediate event. It cannot be any more sudden than it is. 46. Therapeutic treatment: Treatment in the sense of medical care is by nature therapeutic, so the adjective is redundant. 47. Unexpected surprise: No surprise is expected, so the modifier is extraneous. 48. Unintended mistake: A mistake is an inadvertently erroneous action. The lack of intention is implicit. 49. Usual custom: A custom is something routinely and repeatedly done or observed, and usual is redundant. 50. Written down: Something written has been taken down. Down is superfluous. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Punctuating â€Å"So† at the Beginning of a SentenceHow Long Should a Paragraph Be?Honorary vs. Honourary

Tesla AutoPilot Review †Becoming a Car Supervisor

Tesla AutoPilot Review – Becoming a Car Supervisor Autopilot –assistance for driving If we say that the present day automobile industry is greatly developed, that can be even a huge understatement. This industry is one of the best developed nowadays and is evolving with ultra-rapid speed. Modern cars design and modeling can impress even an experienced automobile expert. But in any sphere, yet thoroughly investigated from many sides, there can be still found a lot of interesting facts and details. Among all the new features that the motor-car world provides for us, there can be distinguished the autopilot functions. First of all it is an assistant for any driver, but at the same time it is promised to make the driving process the most secure, eliminating the human factor. This feature is often argued, whether it is useful or not and whether it should be present. Apparently, Tesla Inc. has achieved great results in autopilot construction and the company devotes a lot of efforts to this aspect. Autopilot feature –life-saving or superfluous function? In regard to any situation there can be found different opinions and thoughts. And the situation with automation definite life areas, such as car driving, is not an exception. Attempts to automate the driving process have been takes a long time ago and for the present moment it is significantly developed. And anyway there are many doubts concerning autonomous driving, as when it comes to influencing the human’s participation in any process, it has much speculated and argued. If it will be adjusted for urban driving, it will be possible for almost all the drivers to use it all the time. On the one hand, autopilot-enabled cars will be really safer and will make the lives of drivers easier on the roads. Most of the drivers, who had a chance to try it, provided positive feedback and were rather happy to use it. Just imagine that you can safely talk by your cell-phone, repeat your notes before the lecture or review your essay, while you autopilot does the driving. But on the other hand, no computer system is perfect and flawless, no matter how complex and â€Å"clever† it is. And in urban conditions the system will not read road signs or obey stop signs. But anyway, this technology is worth attention of society and this contribution into technology development is significant. It has a great meaning for automobile technologies development and improvement. Autopilot is your safe assistant First of all, an autopilot function was designed and developed to make the driving process the most secure and safe. When some process is controlled by a computer, there can be no discredit that it is deprived of such human factors, as fatigue, bad health condition, blindness etc. Automation means that the process is going on constantly and no unexpected events can take place. And anyway, at the same time it means that the driver should be prepared to take control of the vehicle at any moment. In some way the driver is supposed to be â€Å"on alert† to interfere into the process of driving and to control it. But, for example, this system wonderfully suits for long-distance trips and can intensely help a driver to control the car in bad weather conditions. It has many sensors and the radar that can control a car, no matter what conditions are around. Autonomous driving is the future It is usual that new and unknown to some extent thing can appear as something strange and cause â€Å"fearful† feelings. The point feature is one of such things and it has many of those who adore it and also those, who think that it is superfluous. Anyway, Tesla autopilot proved that it makes the driving safe and there are known cases, when it greatly helped drivers in various situations. Tesla Autopilot is constantly developed and improved, so in future we will undoubtedly see new features and this function will be â€Å"must-have† for any driver some day.