How do you spot and eliminate redundant words in your writing?

Don't look now, but in some cultures, a nod shows disagreement, and a shake of the head, agreement.... There is even claimed to be a cultural border in Italy, to the north of which a nod is positive, but south of which nodding has a negative meaning. Villages on that border are claimed to have a high incidence of sore necks..

This usually happens when the writer is trying to convey emphasis. Using adjectives correctly creates moving pieces, however, it can be done incorrectly. Reading aloud to someone with a critical background is helpful, in more ways than spotting redundancies. Another suggestion is to walk away from the page for a while and come back to it with a more discerning eye.

Double negatives are a common redundancy. When a sentence uses two negative words in contradiction, that is a double negative. The double negative "I didn't do nothing" can be rewritten as "I didn't do anything." Misused adverbs can create redundancies, as well. Adverbs are descriptive words that modify verbs. You can identify most adverbs by their suffix "-ly" (quickly, lovely, probably). One example of a misused adverb is "happily smiled." We already know that smiling indicates happiness. If you want to describe "smiled," describe something about the smile that the reader would not already know or assume. "Wistfully smiled" or "smiled greedily" tell us something about the smile that was not obvious.

Look for unnecessary adverbs and adjectives. Many adverbs are redundant when they are combined with a verb that does the job alone (e.g., running quickly - "quickly" is unnecessary). If the adjective does not add value or understanding to the noun to which it is attached, then omit it.

In most circumstances, it is simple to eliminate a redundant word. "The final outcome was a success" becomes "the outcome was a success." For other sentences, you may need to examine your sentence structure to confirm whether the redundancy removal necessitates a rewrite.

Good writing is thoughtful writing, and it takes practice to perfect. If you want to avoid redundant words and other troublesome grammar, it's best to take a break before you do any editing. We are better prepared to uncover errors when we proofread with a clear head. It's also helpful to share your writing with a trusted colleague or friend. Think of them as your first "reader," and keep your mind open to any constructive criticism they may share. They are more likely to notice issues that the writer overlooked.

Read the MS out loud. Your ears will pick up the redundancy before your conscious mind will. Print the doc & read the piece through without making the corrections. Put a mark in the outside margins if there's something that needs fixing in that line or paragraph. Don't stop to stop to think - iyou'll lose your short-term memory of the words that came before! Too much to read at one sitting? Next reading go back to the most recent checkmarks & start from there to reset the triggers in your brain for the task. One final point: At the end, start again at the beginning & read till your first checkmark. You pick up words & phrases that weren't redundant yet!

Good article but your incorrect use of the question mark is distracting. You don't just slap a QM on a statement without recasting the sentence. Not good in a proofreading forum.

Ask yourself if there’s a different verb that can absorb the meaning of the adjective. Use as little adverbs as you can. Help yourself with punctuation to delete conjunctions.

Removing redundancy increases clarity, which makes your writing easier to understand. And why are you writing if you don't want to be understood?