SOMETHING WENT HORRIBLY WRONG!
SEGMENT 1: REDUNDANCIES FOR DUNCES. AND WORDS YOU JUST DON’T NEED.
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A new blog about bad writing, and how you can fix it.
BY ELIOT KLEINBERG
With Lou Ann Frala
Originally posted January 17, 2021
Readers: People who add unnecessary words, in order to add emphasis, are what the Horribly Wrong team bluntly calls “cowardly writers.” They’re paranoid that they haven’t made their point. An extra word rarely means better writing. A series of powerful and brief sentences is all the impact you need. Be brave!
1. $500 dollars
2. 8 a.m. in the morning
3. At 12 midnight. At 12 noon.
4. Whether or not
5. Each and every
6. First and foremost
7. Rules and regulations
8. Residential neighborhood
9. Strangled to death
10. Fatally drowned
11. Completely destroyed
12. Trained professional
1. This literally says, “Five hundred dollars dollars.”
2. Just “8 a.m.” Or, “8 in the morning.” Not both.
3. Just “midnight” or “noon.”
4. Just “whether.”
5. Same thing. Really. It is. Look at it.
6. Same thing.
7. They are different in only the most technical ways. For your purposes, they’re the same thing.
8. What other kind of neighborhood is there?
9. Strangled presumes death.
10. Drowned presumes death. (“Was drowned” implies murder)
11. “Destroyed” presumes complete destruction, unless modified by “partly” or “partially.”
12. If you’re being paid, you got trained to some extent. For that matter, even amateurs and volunteers get at least some training. Redundant!
Next time: More redundant redundancies
Readers: “Something Went Horribly Wrong,” features samples of bad writing we see nearly every day. You can participate! Be our duly deputized “grammar police:” Your motto: “To protect and correct.” Send in your photos of store signs, street signs, newspaper headlines, tweets, and so on. It doesn’t have to be a grammatical error. It can be just what we call “cowardly writing.” Include your name and home town so we properly can credit you. You’re free to add a comment, although we reserve the right to edit or omit. Now get out there! Send to Eliot@eliotkleinberg.com
