Pleonasms

Pleonasms Pleonasms Pleonasms By Mark Nichol This post pertains to varieties of pleonasms, instances of verbal redundancy, which are usually a sign of careless or lazy writing (though some are employed for rhetorical effect). The word pleonasm stems from the Greek term pleonazein, meaning â€Å"to be excessive,† and is related to plenty, plural, and plus. One type of redundancy is onomastic pleonasm (that’s one of my favorite phrases), in which a word derived from a foreign language referring to a type of geographical feature is redundantly paired with the English equivalent of that word to describe some such feature, as with â€Å"Sahara Desert† (proper usage is â€Å"the Sahara†) or â€Å"Mount Fujiyama† (Fujiyama, or â€Å"Mount Fuji†). However, some redundancy is tolerated, as in the case of â€Å"the River Avon†/â€Å"the Avon River† (though the various rivers so named, like many others, are often referred to without the categorical name: â€Å"the Avon†) and â€Å"the La Brea Tar Pits.† Another is acronymic pleonasm, in which an acronym or initialism serves as an adjective for a noun already represented by one of the initials in the abbreviation, as in â€Å"ATM machine† or â€Å"CAD design.† (A related redundancy is â€Å"Please RSVP†; the acronym is an abbreviation of the French phrase â€Å"Repondez si’l vous plait,† meaning, â€Å"Respond, if you please.†) And speaking of abbreviations, e.g. (or its translation, â€Å"for example†) explicitly signals that one or more examples will be listed, so avoid tagging etc. onto the end of a list preceded by the abbreviation or the phrase (though etc. is not redundant to i.e., which means â€Å"that is†). Redundancies often occur in phrases in which the meaning of an adjective is implicit in the noun, as in â€Å"new recruit,† â€Å"specific example,† and â€Å"temporary reprieve† or phrases in which the redundancy follows, rather than precedes, the sufficient word (â€Å"add up,† â€Å"postpone until later,† â€Å"repeat again†). Also, edit phrases in which a stated quality is already implied (â€Å"few in number,† â€Å"green in color.)† Forgivable pleonasms include those in which the original meaning of a word has been subverted so that a clarifying adjective is required. For example, until a few decades ago, clocks were analogue, or mechanical. When digital timekeeping devices became the default type, it became necessary to sometimes qualify a description to â€Å"analog clock.† Likewise, in law and law enforcement, doublets such as â€Å"aid and abet† â€Å"breaking and entering,† and â€Å"cease and desist,† which are not literally redundant but appear so, persist. However, writers and speakers should both cease and desist employing such pleonasms as â€Å"each and every,† â€Å"first and foremost,† and (shudder) â€Å"way, shape, or form.† In addition, two words that are usually implicitly pleonastic are currently and different; in â€Å"He is currently on vacation,† the present-tense verb renders currently superfluous, and in â€Å"They tried a variety of different strategies,† different is extraneous because variety is sufficient to convey distinction. Another word to monitor is completely when it is paired with a verb that implies finality, such as destroyed or eradicated, and avoid qualifying necessary with a qualifier such as absolutely. Finally, Great Authors have employed pleonasm as a literary device, but unless you are a Great Author, minimize such flourishes as â€Å"I saw it with my own eyes.† 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 Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Dialogue Dos and Don'ts7 Tips for Writing a Film ReviewCapitalizing Titles of People and Groups