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Redundancy & Wordiness
Redundancy and wordiness refer to using more words than necessary to convey a message, which can make our writing or speaking unclear or confusing.
What is Redundancy and Wordiness?
Redundancy and wordiness is when we use more words than we need to convey our message, making our writing or speaking less clear. To avoid redundancy, we should try to use the fewest words necessary to get our point across.
- Using active voice can help because it often requires fewer words than passive voice, making our sentences more concise.
- Avoiding repetitive phrases is key, as they add no new information and make our text longer than it needs to be.
- Using precise vocabulary helps to eliminate unnecessary words and phrases, making our language more efficient.
Why and When We Use It
- We use concise language to make our message clearer and easier to understand, which is important in both writing and speaking.
- Using fewer words can also make our writing or speaking seem more confident and professional.
- However, sometimes we might use more words to be polite or to add emphasis, so it's about finding the right balance.
Examples
- The book is good to read can be simplified to The book is good.
- Instead of saying the person who is standing over there, we can say that person.
- The new policy will be implemented on the first day of next month can be shortened to The new policy starts next month.
- Saying the reason why I am late is because of the traffic can be simplified to I am late because of traffic.
- The weather outside is very cold today can be said as It's very cold today.
Common Mistakes
- Wrong: The book is very interesting to read and it is good. Correct: The book is very interesting.
- Wrong: My friend who lives in New York is coming to visit me when a simple my friend is coming would suffice unless specifying the friend is necessary.
- Wrong: The food that I am eating now is delicious. Correct: This food is delicious.
Memory Trick
To remember to avoid redundancy, try reading your writing out loud. If it sounds like you're using more words than you need, simplify it. This trick can help you develop the habit of using concise language.
Where this matters in your exam
In IELTS writing and speaking, redundancy and wordiness can lower your score for clarity and coherence, so it's crucial to learn how to avoid them. For example, in IELTS Writing Task 2, using concise language can make your essays more readable and effective.
- Writing Task 2
Concise language in essays can improve coherence and clarity.
- Speaking Part 2
Clear and concise language during the speaking test shows good command of English.