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editing, editing tips, Overused Words, Self-editing, Strong vs Weak Words, Strong Words, Weak Words, writers, writing, Writing Advice, writing tips
This isn’t a Strong vs Weak Words post. It is more like a “Why Use so Many Words?” post. We use these expressions every day, but the words are redundant. The writerly term for the phrases is “tautology.”
If it is out of stock, we don’t have it! (Photo credit: quinn.anya)
According to Mr. Wick E. Pedia, a tautology is “using different words to say the same thing, or a series of self-reinforcing statements that cannot be disproved because they depend on the assumption that they are already correct.
Here are seven examples for you. I will share bunches more in future posts, but I can’t wait to see what you have to add. Comment here and I will do a post summarizing your “ack” phrases.
It takes a great amount of time to read Robin’s blog.
Why, why, why bother?
It takes time to read Robin’s blog.
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Each and every time I log-on to Robin’s blog, I learn something new.
Robin Coyle? You are kidding, right?
When I read Robin’s blog, I want to tear out my hair.
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It is a true fact Robin knows what she is talking about.
Amen, sister!
Robin doesn’t know what she is talking about.
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The one and only blog I read is Robin’s.
Again, why waste your time?
One blog I avoid is Robin’s incessant blah, blah, blah, barf.
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Robin wore a dress green in color to her award ceremony.
She looks good in green. Matches her skin.
Robin’s green dress was a fashion mistake.
~~~~~
Robin approached the stage to accept her Pulitzer at a great rate of speed.
Is the nomination committee on drugs?
Robin’s speed as she took the stage took out an old lady.
~~~~~
In my personal opinion, Robin is the best blogger on the planet.
Are you on drugs?
My opinion? Robin can’t write her way out of a paper bag.
Is there any other kind of access? (Photo credit: mikecogh)
Robin Coyle 
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If you want to read lots of extra, useless words, go for anything corporate or business related. After 15 years of writing for that market, I’ve seen it all, but mostly the worst of it. And I love it when I cut it off and it’s all back in with the next version! Corporatese should be banned for good.
Ha! I worked for 10 years for a non-profit working to prevent child abuse. The same blah, blah, blah exists there! People love their useless words!
But I bet you didn’t see a lot of bleeding edge, leading edge, cutting edge and best in class.
Nope. But I did see measurable results, low-hanging fruit, and parallel benefit.
Oh, nice, I’m almost jealous.
Another eye-opening and inciteful post (blazing new trails), Robin. I sure love these. Keep them coming.
I’ve got more up my sleeve! I just need to get past the situation with my dad. Stay tuned.
Excellent post. I was worried at the title, but tautology is a good topic. I’m sure first drafts are littered with examples, but that’s what editing is for 🙂
Thank goodness for the delete key.
My professor always hated my “within”s when “in” worked just fine. 😉
Good one. I just nuked 4 “within-s” from my manuscript!
This is a great good post.
Yours is a great good comment, remark, and note.
😀 🙂
I think using all those extra words is something we all learned in high school English class:
“I want a 500-word paper on what you did this past summer,” said Miss Coyle, senior English teacher at WordPress High School.
Little Russel, with his hand high in the air and tears starting to flow from his beautiful hazel eyes: “Miss Coyle, I tried last year in your class to write 500 words and only got to 495. I didn’t do anything extra this summer.”
“Yes, Little Johnny. I remember you from last year,” Miss Coyle softly said, trying to comfort Little Russel with her sensual voice. “This year, start your paper with this sentence: ‘This past summer I did more than last summer.’ That ‘s nine words so you should be okay this time around. Do you need last year’s paper as a guide? I have it right here.”
“Yes, Miss Coyle, Yes!” exclaims Little Russel. “Oh, thank you. That will make it so much easier. I won’t have to think as much this year about what I did, leaving me more time to go to the Zoo.”
So there we have it. Another student set to get a passing grade on Miss Coyle’s not-well-liked first English paper of the semester.
Russel is camping here! Russel is camping here!
Brilliant! I give you an A+ on your comment and a homework pass for my next assignment. You should be happy about that because the next essay topic is “Describe what makes Miss Coyle a great blogger.” You would be at a loss for words.
By the way, I never did tell you that I get a kick out of most of your posts about strong vs. weak words. “Just” and “That” were my favorites because those are two important words to add to your text when you’re trying to reach a minimum number of words. In other words, in the era of Google.
The Google algorithms like posts that are between 300 and 700 words, and they really are pretty stringent about the difference between 299 and 300, mainly because it’s an algorithm making the decision. Google figures that 300 words is the minimum to make the post newsworthy, read worthy, relevant, etc. Over 700 words and the (rightly) believe that too many people will be bored and not read the whole thing.
There are a few bloggers whom I follow who have posts that are so long that it would take me thirty minutes to read (just) one post. So I read the first paragraph or two, skip to the bottom to “like,” and move on. Then, of course, there are posts like yours that entice me to write a 300-word comment…….lol
I didn’t know that about Google.
With the exception of a couple of Amanda’s letters, my posts are short. My eyes glaze over if someone posts too many words. It “just” takes too long to read and more often than not, the content isn’t “that” great. Even if the content is good, there isn’t enough time to slog through all the blog notifications and read every word.
Guilty as usual 😦
Really? I find that hard to believe.
Here’s one for you, straight from God’s country (Iowa):
Colored Crayons.
As in: Kids, do you want to draw a picture with your colored Crayons?
Yes, my mom-in-law says that, and then hubs picked it up and I could just about tear my hair outta my head every time they say it.
Wait a minute . . . my mom says California is God’s country.
Colored Crayons . . . maybe your mother-in-law lets the kids use only white crayons when you aren’t around. So, using the COLORED ones are a special treat.
I recall a university lecturer talking about these years ago, which is amusing as I don’t recall what the lecture was. As a very obvious example he used “The red rose is red”, then moved on to some less obvious examples. On occaision these can be used if trying to make a point about something (context relevant of course). For example “wore a dress green in color, much like her mood, to her award ceremony”. It is still a tautology but in itself draws the mind to highlight the colour, and unbalances to the other part of the sentance, rather than it being a minor detail. A subtle technique if used right, but not one to be used often.
Good point. I like how you compared the color of her dress to her mood.
This had me in stitches, Robin. I work with a lady who always says, ‘In my mind, I’m thinking…bla, bla’. I always say to her ‘Where else do you think?’ but she just doesn’t get it. 😀
Glad I made you laugh. In my mind I’m thinking about my own personal opinion that you are entitled to your own personal opinion in your mind. Ouch. That hurt to type!
So true… It’s like why mention the hat that you are wearing on your head… ? 😉
I wear my hat on my foot. It is very becoming.
Excellent! Very much enjoyed!
So glad you like it!
Ahh, that pretty, sickly green color, huh. 😉 Here’s my problem with too many words … most of my life I tended to feel misunderstood. So, when I write, I explain in too many details because I think I’ll be misunderstood. What a blessing to have my writer’s group to catch me when I don’t catch it myself after the editing process. They tell me, “I get it already.” Thanks, Robin.
They say to make your point and move on. Sometimes I like to belabor the point to drive it home, but that ends up diluting the point, doesn’t it?
Personally, I prefer false facts. So I guess I like Paul Ryan? 🙂
From now on I will hand out false facts.
I’ll try to remember these thanks. 🙂
Welcome!
As I read your post topic, I thought of Australia’s football commentator, Rex Mossop, who was so famous for tautology, they were called “Mossopisms. He even has a Wiki entry. An example, “now the referee’s giving him a verbal tongue lashing”… 😉
That is funny. I looked him up. Classic lines with tautologies!
Now I have something new for my eyes and brain to search for. A writer’s work is never done!
No rest for the weary, right?
News media? Seems repetitious to me. How about right wing conservatives, or the liberal left wing? I have heard so many of these, and I cannot think of any. Must be my old age.
Old age? Never!
😎
I’d never barf on your blog, Robin. Great Post!
Thank you for not barfing on my blog. It is hard to clean up the keyboard!
I know. You might as well just get yourself a new one!
Ooh, I never knew there was a specific term for all of those fluff words. I love learning something new.
And I see a lot of confessions here on the comments thread. I think all of us writers are guilty of some tautology 😉
Loved the bit about Mr. Wick E. Pedia. How clever!
Mr. Pedia and I are close friends.
Yes, that was my feeling – are you suggesting that I precis my bog, instead of going round and round the mulberry tree?
Being long-winded is much quicker than being taut!
You will see in future posts how many tautologies we use without noticing them. Once I noticed, they hurt my ears!
Tautology sounds like the study of stretching.
It is the study of stretching . . . stretching a 60,000 word manuscript into a 70,000 word manuscript!
Guilty. String me up.
I would never string you up. Plus, if I did, I would need to string everyone up! We all use tautologies from each and every day. See . . . I used one right there!
Nothing’s coming to mind, but I know I’ve cut out lots of redundant, repetitive words from my WIPs. 😉
You are so dang funny.
This isn’t quite tautology because, rather than saying the same thing twice, it doesn’t actually say anything: ‘Participation was, in the main, non-participatory’. Huh wuh?
Love it! The line says nothing!
Isn’t it shocking? It’s from the thesis I’m proofreading at the moment (sigh). Another gem from later on in the same chapter was ‘future recommendations might recommend changes’. Really? D’you think?
That is a terrible line! I’d love to know the topic of the thesis. Can you share it?
It’s on sustainable tourism (or at least, I hope it is)
In this whole wide world, there is no blogger better than Robin. Every single day I tell that to myself. Forever and ever her wisdom will astound me.
Ha ha ha smarty pants. You are my one and only. Forever and ever. Over and over. Amen.
Ha ha!! Touché.
Popeye was here. Paying attention and taking notes.
Ok! From now on, I shall call you Popeye!
You shortened me up. 🙂
Like short-sheeting your manuscript.
Right. 🙂
what–are you trying to cut my columns and posts in half – without reiteration I would have to find something new to say
That would not be a problem for you, my dear!
not so sure Robin