Part 6: Identifying Grammar Errors

Grammar: Repeatedly repeating redundant repetitions

Occasionally you may find a redundancy on the test. Something is redundant if it is extra, that is not required.

In some times and places, redundancies are good. For example, if I were on a space ship, I would hope there were redundant life control systems. If one failed, there would be another to fall back on.

However, in well written English sentences, we generally try to avoid redundantly repeating ourselves over and over again, redundantly.

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• Redundancies in adjectives and adverbs. While today it is popular to inflate adjectives, and in some cultural groups this is more common than others, we should avoid too many unnecessary words. Of course, there are stylistic exceptions, but in general business and work-world speech and writing we should remember to KISS.

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• Redundancies in nouns. This type of error may not be as common, however see mixed parts for notes in use of redundant adjectives with nouns.

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• Redundancies in verbs. This type of error may not be as common, and when it does occur usually takes the form of too many helping verbs:
  • WRONG: Having had been eating his dinner, he settled down to watch a video.
  • RIGHT: Having eaten his dinner, he settled down to watch a video.

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• Redundancies in mixed parts of speech.
  • More often than not we use modifiers and nouns or nouns and verbs together, which while may be grammatically correct can seem excessive. Often this may come from Œcarrying overı the mistaken word from another usage.
    • RIGHT:They were looking at the picture ->
    • WRONG:They were watching at the movie.

    The first sentence is correct, while the second should be watching the movie (no at)

  • Or, we may see cases where the adjective form of a synonym is used with the noun:
    • The laboring worker...
    • Pregnant with child...
    • Scholarly student...

  • Of course there are times when these may be used. Sometimes we wish to stress a point:
    • The laboring worker when all others are idle.
    • The woman who is pregnant and has another child.
    • The extremely hard studying student.

  • But care should be taken when using them.

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• Redundancies in other parts of speech. When we use like as a preposition, that is, to compare two things, we should not use words between the comparison, such as as, if, etc.
  • RIGHT: He has an appetite like a birdıs.
  • RIGHT: He has an appetite like that of a bird.
  • WRONG: He has an appetite like as a bird.

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