Although I have many faults, being lazy isn’t one of them. HOWEVER, I do fall into lazy writing occasionally. I use cliched phrases when a quick twist would create something much more memorable. I drop in pet words — like “the” — without restraint. But I didn’t know I was a pleonasmist until I read this list of redundant phrases (pleonasms). Are you? Just ditch the word shown in parentheses: (many thanks to www.fun-with-words.com)
(actual) experience
(advance) planning
(advance) reservations
(advance) warning
all meet (together)
(armed) gunman
at (12) midnight
at (12) noon
autobiography (of my life)
(awkward) predicament
(baby) boy was born
(basic) fundamentals
cease (and desist)
cheap (price)
(close) proximity
cold (temperature)
commute (back and forth)
consensus (of opinion)
(difficult) dilemma
each (and every)
(empty) space
(end) result
estimated (roughly) at
filled (to capacity)
(free) gift
(frozen) ice
(general) public
green (in color)
join (together)
(natural) instinct
never (at any time)
(null and) void
(pair of) twins
(past) experience
(poisonous) venom
(pre-)recorded
reason is (because)
(regular) routine
(small) speck
(suddenly) exploded
surrounded (on all sides)
(unexpected) surprise
(actual) experience
(advance) planning
(advance) reservations
(advance) warning
all meet (together)
(armed) gunman
at (12) midnight
at (12) noon
autobiography (of my life)
(awkward) predicament
(baby) boy was born
(basic) fundamentals
cease (and desist)
cheap (price)
(close) proximity
cold (temperature)
commute (back and forth)
consensus (of opinion)
(difficult) dilemma
each (and every)
(empty) space
(end) result
estimated (roughly) at
filled (to capacity)
(free) gift
(frozen) ice
(general) public
green (in color)
join (together)
(natural) instinct
never (at any time)
(null and) void
(pair of) twins
(past) experience
(poisonous) venom
(pre-)recorded
reason is (because)
(regular) routine
(small) speck
(suddenly) exploded
surrounded (on all sides)
(unexpected) surprise
