What Are Redundancies?

These nuisances are superfluous words or phrases also known as pleonasms. Rather than augment writing, they slow action scenes and increase word count — without adding constructive details.

About The Quiz

This quiz, the fourteenth in its series, offers ten sentences containing redundancies, and ten suggested solutions.

They are edited examples from books, news media, television shows, and overheard conversations.

The Answers Are in the Definitions

In most cases, you should recognize the superfluous words when you scrutinize the definitions provided with the suggested edits.

Can You Find Every Redundant Word or Phrase?

1. The specialty shop sold many different kinds of dolls.
2. She dived into the water and disappeared from sight for two minutes.
3. A coconut dropped from the tree down onto his head.
4. The number of protesters dwindled down, until only one remained. Then he slunk away, dragging his picket sign behind him.
5. The boulder shattered the wagon into pieces.
6. Her incessant protestations of innocence were utterly meaningless.
7. He slashed the budget, completely eliminating the new coffee room and sundeck.
8. The safety protocols were only intended for an emergency situation such as an explosion in the lab.
9. After he left, she felt as though she had an empty hole in her heart.
10. It was patently obvious she would never be able to walk again.

Suggested Edits

Edit #1:  The specialty shop sold many different kinds of dolls.

different: not the same kind

If we rewrite the sentence, replacing different with its definition, we get: The specialty shop sold many not the same kind kinds of dolls.

Alternate wording: The specialty shop sold many [makes, types] of dolls.

Edit #2: She dived into the water and disappeared from sight for two minutes.

disappear: pass from sight

Alternate wording: She dived into the water and [evaded our surveillance, vanished] for two minutes.

Edit #3: A coconut dropped from the tree down onto his head.

drop: quickly move downward; fall (down)

onto: moving to a place or position on

Alternate wording: A coconut dropped from the tree [and bonked/hit/struck] his head.

Edit #4: The number of protesters dwindled down, until only one remained. Then he slunk away, dragging his picket sign behind him.

dwindle: die down; shrink

drag: to pull something with effort or difficulty

Unless the protester is walking backward, which is unlikely in this scenario, readers will assume the picket sign is behind him.

Alternate wording: The number of protesters [diminished, waned] until only one remained. Then he [plodded, skulked, trudged] away, dragging his picket sign.

Edit #5: The boulder shattered the wagon into pieces.

shatter: break something, or cause something to break, into pieces

Alternate wording: The boulder [crushed, demolished, destroyed] the wagon.

Edit #6: Her incessant protestations of innocence were utterly meaningless.

utterly: absolutely; completely

meaningless: having no meaning; without meaning

If something has no meaning, adding utterly can’t make the meaning any less than meaningless.

Alternate wording: Her [nonstop, unrelenting] protestations of innocence were [futile, irrelevant].

Edit #7: He slashed the budget, completely eliminating the new coffee room and sundeck.

eliminate: completely remove

Alternate wording: He slashed the budget, [cancelling, removing, scrapping] the new coffee room and sundeck.

Edit #8: The safety protocols were only intended for an emergency situation such as an explosion in the lab.

emergency: an unexpected and often dangerous situation that requires immediate action

Alternate wording: the safety protocols were only intended for [an accident, a crisis, a mishap] such as an explosion in the lab.

Edit #9: After he left, she felt as though she had an empty hole in her heart.

hole: an empty area or gap in an object or body

Alternate wording: After he left, she felt as though [a spear had pierced her heart, her heart had been crushed, her heart would stop beating].

Edit #10: It was patently obvious she would never be able to walk again.

patently: obviously; clearly

It’s obviously obvious why patently is redundant, right?

Alternate wording: It was [apparent, clear, evident] she would never be able to walk again.

How Did You Do?

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