- Absolutely certain or sure/essential/guaranteed: Someone who is certain or sure is already without doubt. Something that is essential is intrinsically absolute. A guarantee is by nature absolute (or should be). Abandon absolutely in such usage.
- Actual experience/fact: An experience is something that occurred (unless otherwise indicated). A fact is something confirmed to have happened. Actual is extraneous in these instances.
- Add an additional: To add is to provide another of something. Additional is extraneous.
- Added bonus: A bonus is an extra feature, so added is redundant.
- Advance notice/planning/reservations/warning: Notices, planning, reservations, and warnings are all, by their nature, actions that occur before some event, so qualifying such terms with advance is superfluous.
- As for example: As implies that an example is being provided, so omit for example.
- Ask a question: To ask is to pose a question, so a question is redundant.
- At the present time: At present means “at this time,” so avoid the verbose version.
- Basic fundamentals/essentials: Fundamentals and essentials are by their nature elementary, so remove basic from each phrase.
- (Filled to) capacity: Something filled is done so to capacity, so describing something as filled to capacity is repetitive.
- Came at a time when: When provides the necessary temporal reference to the action of coming; at a time is redundant.
- Close proximity/scrutiny: Proximity means “close in location,” and scrutiny means “close study,” so avoid qualifying these terms with close.
- Collaborate/join/meet/merge together: If you write of a group that collaborates or meets together, you imply that there’s another way to collect or confer. To speak of joining or merging together is, likewise, redundant.
- Completely filled/finished/opposite: Something that is filled or finished is thoroughly so; completely is redundant. Something that is opposite isn’t necessarily diametrically opposed, especially in qualitative connotations, but the modifier is still extraneous.
- Consensus of opinion: A consensus is an agreement but not necessarily one about an opinion, so consensus of opinion is not purely redundant, but the phrase of opinion is usually unnecessary.
- During the course of: During means “in or throughout the duration of,” so during the course of is repetitive.
- Definite decision: Decisions may not be final, but when they are made, they are unequivocal and therefore definite, so one should not be described as a definite decision.
- Difficult dilemma: A dilemma is by nature complicated, so omit difficult as a modifier.
- Direct confrontation: A confrontation is a head-on conflict. Direct as a qualifier in this case is redundant.
- End result: A result is something that occurs at the end, so omit end as a modifier of result.
- Enter in: To enter is to go in, so throw in out.
- Estimated at about/roughly: An estimate is an approximation. About and roughly are superfluous.
- False pretense: A pretence is a deception, so false is redundant.
- Few in number: Few refers to a small number; do not qualify few with the modifier in number.
- Final outcome: An outcome is a result and is therefore intrinsically final.
- First began, new beginning: A beginning is when something first occurs, so first and new are superfluous terms in these cases.
- For a period/number of days: Days is plural, so a duration is implied; a period of or a number of is redundant. It’s better to specify the number of days or to generalize with “many.”
- Foreign imports: Imports are products that originate in another country, so their foreign nature is implicit and the word foreign is redundant.
- Forever and ever: Ever is an unnecessary reduplication of forever.
- Free gift: A gift is by definition free (though cynics will dispute that definition), so free is extraneous.
- Invited guests: Guests are intrinsically those who have an invitation, so invited is redundant.
- Major breakthrough: A breakthrough is a significant progress in an effort. Though major is not directly redundant, the notable nature of the event is implicit.
- [Number] a.m. in the morning/p.m. in the evening: The abbreviations a.m. and p.m. already identify the time of day, so omit in the morning or in the evening.
- Past history/record: A history is by definition a record of past occurrences, and a record is documentation of what has already happened. In both cases, past is redundant.
- Plan ahead: To plan is to prepare for the future. Ahead is extraneous.
- Possibly might: Might indicates probability, so omit the redundant qualifier possibly.
- Postpone until later: To postpone is to delay. Later is superfluous.
- Protest against: To protest is to communicate opposition. Against is redundant.
- Repeat again: To repeat is to reiterate an action, so again is unnecessary.
- Revert back: Something that reverts returns to an earlier state. Back is superfluous.
- Same identical: Same and identical are just that (and that). Omit same as a qualifier for identical.
- Since the time when: Since indicates a time in the past; the time when is superfluous.
- Spell out in detail: To spell out is to provide details, so in detail is repetitive.
- Still remains: Something that remains is still in place. Still is redundant.
- Suddenly exploded: An explosion is an immediate event. It cannot be any more sudden than it is.
- Therapeutic treatment: Treatment in the sense of medical care is by nature therapeutic, so the adjective is redundant.
- Unexpected surprise: No surprise is expected, so the modifier is extraneous.
- Unintended mistake: A mistake is an inadvertently erroneous action. The lack of intention is implicit.
- Usual custom: A custom is something routinely and repeatedly done or observed, and usual is redundant.
- Written down: Something written has been taken down. Down is superfluous.
MADD FICTIONAL 