Monday, October 21, 2019
7 Redundant Adjectives
7 Redundant Adjectives 7 Redundant Adjectives 7 Redundant Adjectives By Maeve Maddox Redundancies abound in everyday speech: phrases that say the same thing twice. For example, two of the most common expressions that include a redundant adjective are ââ¬Å"free giftâ⬠and ââ¬Å"closed fistâ⬠: Credit cardsà offer free giftsà to new cardholders.à Still she came at me, so this time Ià hit her with a closed fist. 1. free gift A gift is a thing given willingly to someone without payment. The adjective free is redundant. 2. closed fist A fist is by definition a hand with the fingers folded inward toward the palm and held there tightly, typically in order to strike a blow or grasp something. The adjective closed is redundant. 3. verdant green The adjective verdant derives from a Latin word meaning ââ¬Å"green.â⬠Verdant came into English from a French word meaning ââ¬Å"becoming green.â⬠The English meaning of verdant is ââ¬Å"greenâ⬠or ââ¬Å"green with vegetation.â⬠An enthusiastic fertilizer manufacturer advertises a product that will provide the consumer with ââ¬Å"a verdant green lawn.â⬠Either verdant or green will do. 4. rubicund red The adjective rubicund derives from a Latin verb meaning, ââ¬Å"to be red.â⬠Something that is rubicund is red or reddish. This description from fan fiction can do without one of the adjectives: ââ¬Å"Drawing rivulets of blood, his fingertips glowed a rubicund red.â⬠5. overused clichà © The blogger who wrote this sentence could have saved an adjective: ââ¬Å"The overused clichà © I hate the most is ââ¬Ëoff the beaten path.ââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬ In reference to language, a clichà © is an overused expression. 6. unexpected surprise A surprise is an unexpected occurrence. The phrase is not uncommon on the Ngram Viewer, and is frequent online: Anà unexpected surpriseà greeted us upon ourà arrivalà home. Life is full of unexpected surprises. A foreigner in the dining hall was anà unexpected surprise. As ââ¬Å"unexpectednessâ⬠is part of the definition, itââ¬â¢s enough to say that something is a surprise. 7. universal panacea Panacea derives from a Greek word meaning, ââ¬Å"cure-allâ⬠and is defined in English as ââ¬Å"a universal remedy.â⬠Because panacea contains the meaning universal, itââ¬â¢s not necessary to tack universal onto it, as in this sentence written by a journalist: ââ¬Å"When Henry Grady was inviting Northern capital South, we were much more certain that industrialization was the universal panacea for all economic and social ills.â⬠Panacea is sufficient. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:35 Synonyms for ââ¬Å"Lookâ⬠Email EtiquetteTypes of Plots
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