4.6 Some Final Words on Words

SOME FINAL WORDS ON WORDS
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Repetition

Ever since you started taking English classes, you were probably taught to avoid repetition at all cost. For the most part, that is correct. However, some repetition is good, and straining to avoid it can lead to poor writing.

Here are some examples of repetition that needn't be avoided.

The only lights that burned burned in the bathroom.

He wanted change and newness, but he wanted his wants to mature.

The company representative said that the first people to be laid off would be laid off in February.

Redundancy

Some words are simply redundant. For example:

He wandered to where the young turkey poults fed in the barnyard.

A young turkey is a poult. There is no need to say a young poult. Other examples of redundant words include ...

serious crisis
close proximity
necessary prerequisites
innovative new method
combined together
early pioneers
informative information
true reality

Weak Words

This has become an insidious component of modern writing. There is no need to qualify your active words with modifiers that add nothing of value.

She couldn't help but feel really angry at him.
He was very sorry he had done that.
I just knew he was going to say goodbye.
That was a pretty weak word you used there.
It was a rather moving song he wrote.
Actually, he wanted to avoid that trap
That was somewhat foolish of him to say.
I knew it was going to definitely happen.
He was basically a good person.
That was quite generous of him.

These are all totally useless words that only serve to water down writing. Get rid of these and other words like these. Get rid of them now.