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Writing Tip: Pleonasm

Renee Stevens

Entry posted by Renee Stevens in Writing Tips - Skills

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For Tip Tuesday we are bringing you another interesting little tid bit that is brought to you by Cia. Enjoy and we'd love to hear your thoughts.

Pleonasm


More weird writing terminology

 


So here's another weird word to describe a common writing mistake. A 'pleonasm' is a phrase where redundant words are used to express the meaning of the sentence. Like... a free gift. A gift is always free, because it is given to you. So obviously the use of the word 'free' is redundant but so common we don't even notice it anymore.

 

In writing, being clear without being redundant is important, especially when you write a story that has a word limit. Watching for pleonasms can help you condense your writing and help you be as concise as possible. Just for fun, I've included a list below of common pleonasms that are used that most people don't even notice anymore!

  • all together
  • invited guests
  • cash money
  • end result
  • total sum
  • cease and desist
  • aid and abet
  • advance warning
  • attatched together
  • completely annihilated
  • conniption fit
  • dead corpse
  • frozen ice
  • HIV virus
  • original source
  • return back
  • sharp point
  • puppy dog
  • bunny rabbit
  • ATM machine
  • armed gunman
  • close proximity
  • filled to capacity
  • empty space
  • natural instinct
  • past experience
  • suddenly exploded
  • surrounded on all sides
  • unexpected surprise
  • commute back and forth


Can you think of any other Pleonasm's? If so, share em below!

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6 Comments

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Andy78

In the same vein as HIV virus you also have HPV virus and CMV virus - along with dozens of others which I won't bother listing

 

Heavenly angel/saint

 

With colours: blood red, sky blue, jet black, flesh pink

 

One I recently read was sugary-sweet; I just had to have a giggle.

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MJ85

I feel like these can be separated between phrases that are always "pleonasms" regardless of the sentence context, and ones that might not be redundant in some situations. Some that might not always be redundant (at least I think so)...

 

"invited guests"

"original source"

"suddenly exploded"

 

As opposed to others like "unexpected surprise" that would probably always be a pleonasm.

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Palantir

These pleonasms always bug me every time I hear them!

 

However, like MJ85, I think many of the above are not always redundant. As well as the situation exceptions, some of them have become acceptable through common usage.

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Zombie

Maybe truer to say some have become acceptED through common usage?

 

Here's another one "(at this) moment in time" - never fails to get the vein on my temple pulsing :)

 

Re "empty space" - I think people often say this when they mean "unused space" e.g. in a building

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rlmarc

Pleonasm seems to be an anagram for neoplasm, which means cancer,,, so are pleonasms a form of word cancer?

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Jammi

I just thought of another won that is used fairly often. Whisper softly

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