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Questions tagged [redundancy]

Questions about redundant constructions, pleonasms, etc.

Questions about redundancy in English.

Redundancy is where the same information is repeated in a phrase, for example:

  • a variety of different items
  • an added bonus
  • unconfirmed rumor
218 questions
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Is "time period" a redundant expression?

It seems to me that "time period" is frequently used in speech and writing. But isn't it redundant? These books were written during different time periods These books were written at different times These books were written during different…
Herman Toothrot
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Is saying "candor and honesty" grammatically correct?

I recently read the sentence Thank you for your candor and honesty. Is that grammatically correct? To me it seems redundant as candor is a synonym for honesty. Does candor have other meanings that would not make it redundant in this sentence?
Scott Chamberlain
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Is it redundant to use "or not" at the end of a sentence weighing two options?

Possible Duplicate: “Whether or not” vs. “whether” For example: "I was unsure whether to pity him." "I was unsure whether to pity him or not."
DAWR
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Is "per each" redundant?

I have come accross "per each" several times when editing scientific papers, but it sounds unnatural and even redundant. Doesn't "per" mean "for each" already, thus making "per each" redundant or incorrect? Example: "The video sample has three audio…
Pablo Virus
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Is "may or may not" redundant?

(Note: I'm not talking about the same kind of redundancy as in this question). Is "may or may not" correct, or is it a redundant version of "may or not"? I've seen both, and I don't know which one(s) is (are?) correct: The position of lecturer is…
user541686
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5
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4 answers

"Currently online now"

About 12,600,000 results in Google for this exact phrasing: "Currently online now". Is it a kind of online jargon? It sounds redundant to me; shouldn't it be either "currently" or "now"? Examples of usage: many of your friends are currently online…
rems
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Is "naturally flavored with other natural flavors" redundant?

I see this on many fruity soda cans, like Fanta, Sunkist, and Minute Maid, where it will read "Orange Soda - Naturally Flavored with Other Natural Flavors" If they're all natural flavors, isn't it just plain redundant to say "Natural Flavors, with…
yuritsuki
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Is 'co-conspirator' redundant?

I've noticed in the news that multiple individuals involved in a crime are referred to as co-conspirators. Etymonline gives the origin of conspire: conspire (v.): late 14c., from Old French conspirer (14c.), from Latin conspirare "to agree, …
batpigandme
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Is the phrase "spherical ball" redundant?

In a computer science course, our professor was explaining the idea of object oriented programming using the analogy of soccer. While reading the Wikipedia article on Association Football, it said this: Association football, more commonly known…
yuritsuki
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Is "barista bar" redundant?

I am editing something that mentions a "barista bar." Is this redundant? Is it like saying a "bartender bar"? If I'm not mistaken, a barista is the Italian word for a male or female bartender, and refers more casually to servers at a coffee bar. So…
debbiesym
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Additionally ... also

[disclosure: I'm not a native speaker of English] I work as a university professor. When writing up lecture notes as well as research papers, I have a tendency to write things like the following. A Monte Carlo simulation shows that Factor A is a…
Koldito
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Necessitate the need?

I was reading an article that stated that a certain weapon "necessitated the need for" more training. To me, this sounds incorrect, as "to necessitate" means "to cause something to be needed" (Cambridge dictionary); therefore, following it with "the…
Nams
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Is it redundant to use "troubleshooting" and "problem" in the same sentence?

Is it ok to say something like "Troubleshooting hardware and software issues", or as troubleshoot already implies there is a problem, the sentence is somewhat redundant
user29020
3
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4 answers

"May or May Not" Redundancy

I may or may not contact you later. Isn't this redundant? Unless I'm missing something, the meaning can be expressed equally well with: I may contact you later. Or even: I might contact you later.
Maxpm
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Examples of "ATM Machine" silly repeats?

Swedes often say CD Skiva as in Compact disk disk. In English you sometimes say ATM machine as in Automated teller machine machine. What are other examples of such redundant endings?
Kit Sunde
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