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Pleonasms: Repetitive & Redundant We have all heard someone say something like this: "It was an unexpected surprise when a pair of baby twins was born at 12 midnight." What is a surprise if not unexpected? What are twins if not a pair? Who can be born but a baby? When is midnight if not at 12? The expressions we use are full of redundancy. Your friend could just as well have said: "It was a surprise when twins were born at midnight." Many stores try to tempt us with free gifts, but how could a gift be anything but free? You would surely feel it to be an unfair use of the word "gift" if you were to be charged for it! These redundant expressions are called PLEONASMS. Slide 2 Pleonasms: Repetitive & Redundant One way to cut the clutter in our writing is to eliminate pleonasms. Because we so often see and hear redundancies (such as "free gifts" and "foreign imports"), they can be easy to overlook. Therefore, when editing our work, we should be on the lookout for repetition and be ready to eliminate expressions that add nothing to what has already been said. Redundant expressions make writing longer, not better. The phrases just weigh down our writing with unnecessary words. Slide 3 Pleonasms: Repetitive & Redundant Click HERE for a list of common pleonasms.HERE Slide 4 Dept. of Pleonasms & Redundancies I needed a new beginning, so I decided to pay a social visit to a personal friend with whom I share the same mutual objectives and who is one of the most unique individuals I have ever personally met. The end result was an unexpected surprise. When I reiterated again to her the fact that I needed a fresh start, she said I was exactly right; and, as an added plus, she came up with a final solution that was absolutely perfect. Based on her past experience, she felt we needed to join together in a common bond for a combined total of twenty four hours a day, in order to find some new initiatives. What a novel innovation! As an extra bonus, she presented me with the free gift of a tuna fish. Right away I noticed an immediate positive improvement. And although my recovery is not totally complete, the sum total is I feel much better now knowing I am not uniquely alone. Slide 5 Dept. of Pleonasms & Redundancies SOURCE: George Carlin "Count the Superfluous Redundant Pleonastic Tautologies." When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops? Hyperion, 2004 Slide 6 Can you spot the Pleonasm? Slide 7 Slide 8 Slide 9 Slide 10 Slide 11 Slide 12 Slide 13 Slide 14 Slide 15 Slide 16 Slide 17 Slide 18 Slide 19 - Slide 20 Slide 21 Slide 22 IN. Slide 23 Slide 24 Slide 25