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 thirty-seventh 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 Often in the Definitions

It’s time to clear out those uncalled-for redundancies.

In most cases, you should recognize the superfluous words when you scrutinize the definitions.

And maybe your muse will find story ideas among the changes and suggestions.

Can You Find Every Redundant Word or Phrase?

1. She screamed aloud when she saw the knife in his hand.
2. She bounced the baby up and down on her knee.
3. The company decided to hire on more maintenance workers.
4. They shared the milkshake together between the two of them.
5. He hoisted the middle barrel up into his arms and staggered away.
6. Several telemarketers called him throughout the course of the afternoon.
7. We saw fewer numbers of people today at the jubilee.
8. They entered into the dark corridor and shivered with anxiety.
9. They were very much in sync with one another.
10. The streets were blocked off so that nobody could get through.

Suggested Edits

Edit #1: She screamed aloud when she saw the knife in his hand.

to scream: utter a long, loud, piercing cry or cries

to utter: say something aloud

Alternate wording: She [screeched, shrieked, wailed] when she [noticed, recognized, spotted] the knife in his hand.

Edit #2: She bounced the baby up and down on her knee.

to bounce: cause something or someone to move up, back or away, once or repetitively.

Alternate wording: She bounced the [child, infant, toddler, tot] [in her arms, on her hip, on her lap, on the sofa].

Edit #3: The company decided to hire on more maintenance workers.

to hire: take on; employ a person for monetary compensation

Alternate wording: The company [chose, resolved, voted] to [employ, engage, recruit] more [caretakers, cleaners, custodians].

Edit #4: They shared the milkshake together between the two of them.

to share: partake of or enjoy something with others

between: shared by two or more people or things.

Alternate wording: They [divided, divvied (up), split] the milkshake.

Or you could describe a couple with a single milkshake and two straws. First date?

Edit #5: He hoisted the middle barrel up into his arms and staggered away.

to hoist: raise; lift

to raise: move up; push up

to lift: pick up; take up; scoop up; gather up

A case could be made for removing up in some of the preceding synonym phrases

Alternate wording: He [elevated, lifted, raised] the middle barrel [as high as he could, to chest level] and [lurched, stumbled, wobbled] away.

Edit #6: Several telemarketers called him throughout the course of the afternoon.

throughout: all the way through; during the entire period of time; during the course of

Alternate wording: Several telemarketers [annoyed, bothered, hassled, interrupted, pestered] him [after lunch, midday, just before supper].

Edit #7: We saw fewer numbers of people today at the jubilee.

fewer: a smaller number of

Alternate wording: We [accommodated, assisted] fewer [browsers, gawkers, shoppers, spectators] today at the [celebration, event, festival].

Edit #8: They entered into the dark corridor and shivered with anxiety.

to enter: go or come into a place

Alternate wording: They [crept, skulked, slunk, tiptoed] into the [creepy, menacing, mysterious, Stygian] corridor, and they [quaked with fear, shuddered, trembled].

Edit #9: They were very much in sync with one another.

in sync: in agreement with or matching one another

Alternate wording: They [acted as one, agreed about everything, finished each other’s sentences, worked as a team, functioned in tandem, stepped in unison].

Edit #10: The streets were blocked off so that nobody could get through.

to block: close off or stop; fence off; seal off

Alternate wording: The streets were [blockaded, crisscrossed with police tape, zigzagged with spike strips, rendered impassible by a series of roadblocks].

Master List of Redundancy Quizzes for Writers