The Right Word: A Writer's Toolkit of Grammar, Vocabulary and Literary Terms - Waldram Sarah 2021
Cliches and redundancy
Vocabulary Builder
Roy’s repertory was extensive and his scent for the word of the minute unerring; it peppered his speech, but aptly, and he used it each time with a sort of bright eagerness, as though his fertile brain had just minted it.
Somerset Maugham
Cakes and Ale (1930)
This chapter examines some bad habits that can creep into writing and hinder its effectiveness: clichés and redundancy. What constitutes cliché or redundancy can be quite subjective, and to some degree all writing is susceptible to them. Used sparingly and deliberately, these elements can serve an effective purpose, but excessive or ill-considered use generally makes writing less forceful, less persuasive and less concise.
Clichés
A cliché is a fixed expression that has become stale through overuse. It’s useful to be able to recognise clichés and, unless they are intended for literary effect, avoid them when there is a more appropriate expression available. In everyday life, clichés may have a role; Somerset Maugham, for example, wittily points to those who ’have invented so wide a range of pithy and hackneyed phrases that they can carry on an amusing and animated conversation without giving a moment’s reflection to what they are saying and so leave their minds free to consider…more important matters’ (Cakes and Ale, 1930).
In writing too, it may be worth bearing in mind that one person’s cliché is another person’s useful shorthand or otherwise satisfying expression. The borderline between idiom and cliché is thin and sometimes blurry. As Dakin in Alan Bennett’s The History Boys (2004) puts it, ’Clichés can be quite fun. That’s how they got to be clichés.’
Problems arise, however, when set expressions no longer seem original, striking or vivid. One attraction of clichés is that many of them started life as fashionable terms. The first time curate was used to mean ’present material’ in a business rather than in a museum or art context, for example, it probably created a frisson. But the nth time it is heard, it is unlikely to leave the same impression.
Exceptionally, of course, the deliberate and knowing use of cliché can be very effective in pinpointing meaning. Often this is for humorous effect, especially when used satirically to highlight human behaviour.
Here is an A to Z list of some set words and expressions that, with all the provisos touched on above, may be best used only with care. Note that some, for example, it goes without saying and at this moment in time also suggest REDUNDANCY (see here below).
A
an accident waiting to happen
add insult to injury
agree to disagree
all in a day’s work
all things to all people
aka
armed to the teeth
at the end of the day
awesome
at this moment in time
awesome
B
bad hair day
beat a hasty retreat
been there, done that
beneath contempt
the best-laid plans
best practices
the big picture
big society
blissful ignorance
a bolt from the blue
boots on the ground
the bottom line
brave the elements
breath of fresh air
breathe a sigh of relief
bright and early
a bright future
a budding genius
but that’s another story
by leaps and bounds
by a twist of fate
C
the calm before the storm
a case in point
a commanding lead
commune with nature
compare apples and oranges
conspicuous by its absence
cool as a cucumber
crystal clear
D
dead as a doornail
defend to the death your right to...
deliver the goods
the depths of despair
don’t go there
down but not out
draconian measures
drastic action
draw a line in the sand
at the drop of a hat
E
empower
end of story
epoch-making
eternal reward
the eyes of the world
F
fake news
fall on deaf ears
far be it from me
fast and loose
a (media) feeding frenzy
the feel-good factor
fever pitch
few and far between
the finer things of life
first and foremost
flavour of the month
a fond farewell
food for thought
a foregone conclusion
from the sublime to the ridiculous
G
generous to a fault
a glittering occasion
the global village
going forward
gone but not forgotten
a graphic account
grind to a halt
H
hale and hearty
a hapless victim
the happy pair
a haughty stare
have the bandwidth
having said that
head over heels
the healing process
heave a sigh of relief
hedge one’s bets
history repeats itself
history tells us
I
ignorance is bliss
one’s inner child/self
innocent bystander
in no uncertain terms
in the same boat
iron out a difficulty
irreparable damage/loss
it goes without saying
it is interesting to note
it is what it is
J
just deserts
K
keep a high/low profile
L
a labour of love
the lap of luxury
last but not least
a lean and hungry look
leaps and bounds
a level playing field
life’s little lessons
long haul
lost in thought
lost in translation
low-hanging fruit
M
a mad dash
the marketplace of ideas
a matter of life and death
the moment of truth
a moot question
the mother of all…
a motley crew
movers and shakers
my better half
myriad
N
a necessary evil
needless to say
needs no introduction
never see the light of day
the new normal
nip in the bud
no spring chicken
not rocket science
not waving but drowning
O
off the beaten track
one’s own worst enemy
the only game in town
an open secret
overcome with emotion
P
pandemonium reigned
paradigm shift
a pillar of society
play the blame game
play your cards right
a plethora of…
plumb the depths
at this point in time
poster boy/girl for
powers that be
pull no punches
put one’s head above the parapet
Q
quality time
R
raise the spectre of
reach out
the realms of possibility
reign supreme
render a decision
reopen old wounds
retail therapy
ride an emotional roller-coaster
ring true
a risky business
rotten to the core
S
sadder but wiser
a sea change
seal one’s fate
second to none
a seething mass
sick and tired (of)
a sign of the times
silver lining(s)
six of one, half a dozen of the other
skeleton(s) in the cupboard
the sky’s the limit
the spice of life
stamp of approval
steep learning curve
a step change
synergy
T
think outside the box
thoughts and prayers
thrilled
throw the baby out with the bathwater
time immemorial
the tip of the iceberg
tip the scales
the thrust of the argument
touch base
turn the page
turn over a new leaf
U
uncharted waters
V
a vale of tears
a viable alternative
view with alarm
a volley of criticism
W
water under the bridge
a watery grave
wax eloquent
white as a sheet
wide-open spaces
a window of opportunity
win-win situation
woke
the wrong end of the stick
Y
yadda, yadda, yadda
Redundancy
Redundancy in language means unnecessary repetition, that is, using a word whose meaning is already conveyed by another word. It may alternatively be referred to as wordiness, verbosity or tautology. For example, since antiques are by definition old, the phrase an old antique is an instance of redundancy.
Simple repetition isn’t necessarily a fault in speaking or writing. It may be necessary to make one’s meaning clear, or for emphasis or other stylistic effect:
Come close; come closer; closer still!
’But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you’
Edgar Allan Poe, The Raven (1845)
What makes for poor style, however, is anything that suggests the writer is not in control of the words being used or not aware of their meaning. That’s why grammarians don’t like redundancy.
Redundant expressions
Use of the phrase a hollow tube may suggest the writer doesn’t know that tubes are by definition hollow. Similarly, the phrases shuttle back and forth and yo-yo up and down give the impression of unawareness as to how shuttles and yo-yos move. A gift is always freely given, so, when shops refer to free gifts, it’s a redundant expression.
Abbreviations and acronyms present a high risk of redundancy, since it’s easy to forget what the letters in the abbreviation stand for. For example, since ATM stands for ’automated teller machine’, ATM machine is a redundancy. The same is true of:
✵ GPS system, since GPS stands for ’global positioning system’
✵ PIN number, since PIN means ’personal identification number’
✵ HIV virus, since HIV stands for ’human immunodeficiency virus’.
Of course, it may seem pedantic to insist on correction of these, since, for example, the phrases ATM machine and PIN number, though strictly redundancies, are, practically speaking, quite useful as a reminder of the acronyms’ meanings.
Some common word-based redundant expressions are given below; the words in small capital letters are not required, and each expression is followed by a brief explanation.
allude to INDIRECTLY
Allude already means ’refer to something indirectly’ or ’hint at something’. It is possible to say, for example,
She alluded to the buyer several times in our conversation but never actually mentioned his name.
assemble TOGETHER
Assemble means ’come together’, so there is no need to add together. The verbs gather and congregate have similar meanings, so likewise do not require a further together.
blend TOGETHER
Blend means ’mix substances together’; it’s unnecessary to add together. The same is true of fuse and merge, since both these verbs already imply two or more things mixing together to form one.
TERRIBLE catastrophe
A catastrophe is a terrible event or disaster. There’s no such thing as a catastrophe that’s not terrible. The same applies to the noun tragedy, which similarly does not need to be preceded by the word terrible.
consensus OF OPINION
Since consensus already means ’a view or opinion that is generally shared’, expressions such as general consensus and consensus of opinion are, strictly speaking, tautological. Occasionally a modifier can be justified, as in There was a consensus of feeling, but no consensus of opinion. It is advisable to consider whether or not consensus without modifiers already expresses what is intended.
SERIOUS crisis
A crisis means ’dangerous or worrying time’, so cannot be anything other than serious.
ON A daily BASIS
This long-winded adverbial phrase has the same meaning as the adverb it contains: daily. The same is true when other adjectives such as global, regular, continuing, weekly, monthly and hourly replace daily. In all cases, it is better to use simply the adverb, for example, regularly, rather than the whole phrase, on a regular basis.
SINGLE entity
Entity is a singular noun that means ’thing’. It’s generally not necessary to put single or one in front of it, since it’s already implied.
explode VIOLENTLY
To explode means ’burst or shatter noisily and violently’. A related redundancy is the expression violent explosion.
BASIC fundamental
A fundamental means ’basic element or principle’; it cannot be anything other than basic.
OPENING gambit
A gambit is an opening move in chess. Opening gambit is a cliché that reveals a (perhaps understandable) lack of appreciation of how a gambit in chess works.
BROAD general terms
It’s acceptable to write either general terms or broad terms. They mean the same thing. But the phrase broad general terms is a redundancy. The temptation to add broad should be resisted in other contexts too. The following noun phrases, for example, are both correct and adequate: general issues, general vicinity, general topics, general education, general surveys.
PAST history
History by definition is in the past.
CURRENT/PRESENT incumbent
An incumbent is the current holder of an office or post, so preceding the word with current or present is unnecessary.
UNIVERSAL panacea
A panacea is a supposed cure for all diseases or problems, so the idea of universality is already implied.
CHIEF/LEADING/MAIN protagonist
A protagonist was originally the main character in a play, so the idea of ’main’, ’leading’ or ’chief’ is already implied.
FUTURE prospects
Prospects are possibilities, usually favourable ones, that are hoped for in the future. It’s not necessary to state that twice.
ORIGINAL prototype
A prototype is already a first or original model of something from which later versions develop. For example,
Engineers are testing a prototype [not original prototype] of the car.
reason WHY
Some linguists argue that the reason why is redundant, while others disagree. The safest course is to avoid using it. It is better to say
The reason [not reason why] he failed is that he did not work hard enough.
NEW recruit
A recruit is a newly enlisted member of the armed forces, or someone who has just joined an organisation. There’s no need to specify that a recruit is new.
recur AGAIN/OVER AND OVER/REPEATEDLY
To recur means ’occur again’. It is possible to say
The problem kept recurring.
But the following is tautologous:
The problem kept recurring again and again.
reiterate AGAIN
To reiterate means to repeat something. So unless one is repeating again something already repeated once or more, it’s not necessary to use again with reiterate.
TOTALLY/COMPLETELY unanimous
Unanimous means ’completely in agreement’:
The judges were unanimous in their verdict.
Any addition of completely or totally is redundant.
various DIFFERENT…
Various means ’of different kinds’. If various is used, different is not required, and vice versa.
in any way, SHAPE OR FORM
Way is a noun of very general reference and it’s not made more specific or otherwise changed by adding shape or form to it. This expression is mainly used for emphasis. It usually refers to something that is already abstract, making the sense of shape, and to some degree of form, not entirely appropriate.
FROM whence
The expression from whence has occurred frequently over the centuries, most notably in translations of the Bible. Nonetheless, it’s best to avoid use of from with whence, because whence already means ’from where’.
Empty words
Avoiding empty words is important in writing for clarity, precision and getting a message across. It’s best not to be too swingeing, though, since sometimes extra words are fulfilling a purpose.
English is remarkable for the flexibility of its vocabulary and grammar. This allows for essentially the same words to be combined in different ways, and thereby slightly shift the focus, tone or register. For example,
There were children playing in the park. [factual in tone]
Children were playing in the park. [descriptive in tone]
Many constructions in English have the effect of making language sound more indirect and formal. Used appropriately, these constructions can be very effective. It is better to avoid them when they serve no purpose, however.
Sentences beginning with grammatical expletives
It’s useful to begin a sentence with a ’placeholder’ word like it or there when the verb comes before its subject or has no complement:
There are a dozen good reasons why you shouldn’t be here now.
There is a way.
It’s not that I don’t want you to come.
However, it is advisable to avoid these constructions when the subject of the sentence can be made more vivid and the whole more succinct. Thus,
There is a need for more people to read this article,
can be rephrased as
More people need to read this article.
And
It is necessary for students to report to their form rooms at the start of the school day,
can be revised to read
Students must report to their form rooms at the start of the school day.
The pointless passive
Passive constructions are useful when there is a good reason to conceal or ignore the agent in a sentence:
All the applications had been filed by the deadline.
Does anyone know why the doors have been left unlocked?
However, the passive voice is merely cumbersome when a valid subject exists for a sentence. Thus, instead of
In his diaries it is made clear that . . .
it is possible to write
His diaries make clear that . . .
Needless fillers
CONJUNCTIONS (see chapter 1, here) serve the useful purpose of relating ideas to each other. They should not be used needlessly however, and it is certainly better to avoid wordy conjunctive phrases that could be either replaced by a single word or deleted entirely. For example,
I went into the kitchen in order to make a pot of coffee
is better expressed as
I went into the kitchen to make a pot of coffee.
Other phrases with a quasi-linking function that are best treated with caution include
it should be noted
as a matter of fact
it is significant that
as previously stated
it has been determined that
the reason that
the question is
one must recognise that
Very often such phrases are better simply omitted, and the rest of the sentence reworked slightly as required.
Verbs, not verbal nouns
Certain colourless verbs such as make and use may combine with verbal nouns in constructions that could be expressed with an ’action’ verb in the active voice. For example, it would be advisable to consider replacing is used to detect with detects, make the arrangements for with arrange, and do the calculations with calculate.