41 redundancies you should ditch
As Strunk and White wrote, ‘Omit needless words.’ Many common phrases include superfluous modifiers. Whether you’re writing or editing, get rid of them.
I’ve always believed that editing someone else’s work is easier than writing your own. Lately, though, I’ve been asked to “work my magic” on so many bad writing projects—blog posts, emails, articles—that I am not so sure anymore. Sometimes I just stare at the screen wondering, “What can I possibly do with this?”
Because I am not paid to stare at the screen, I have to start somewhere. A good place to start is to cut the clutter and eliminate redundant expressions. Below is a list of extra words that add nothing to your content. Eliminate such phrases to tighten the writing. (Redundant words are italicized.)
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