Redundancies/Clichés
1. What They Are (and Why to Avoid in Technical Writing)
| Term | Definition | Example (redundant / cliché → concise) |
|---|---|---|
| Redundancy (tautology, pleonasm) | Unnecessary repetition where same meaning repeated via extra words | "completely finished" (finished is already complete) → finished; "revert back" → revert; "future plan" (plan is future) → plan; "basic fundamentals" → fundamentals; "added bonus" → bonus |
| Cliché | Overused, worn-out phrase that has lost impact, seen as unoriginal | "at the end of the day" → finally; "last but not least"; "needless to say"; "in this day and age" → today |
Both bloat technical prose and reduce clarity/credibility.
1. advance planning → planning
2. end result → result
3. free gift → gift
4. past history → history
5. personal opinion → opinion
6. revert back → revert
7. repeat again → repeat
8. 12 noon/midnight → noon/midnight (12 is redundant)
4. How to Fix
- Redundancy: delete extra word(s).
- Cliché: replace with precise, original phrase or omit.
Worked: "We need to completely eliminate the error." → "eliminate" (completely is redundant, eliminate already complete). "The project was quite unique" → "unique" (unique is absolute, no quite).
5. Exam Points
- Define redundancy and cliché with one example each — 3-5 marks, frequent.
- List 5 redundancies and correct them (e.g., revert back → revert) — 5 marks, very frequent (common to ask to correct 5 sentences).
- List 3 clichés and give concise alternatives — 3-5 marks, frequent.
- Show "advance planning" etc. as redundant — 5 marks, frequent.