Does It Make What You're Saying More Important?

Tautology is saying the same thing twice. We don’t often realise we are doing it, but we commonly emphasise a word by adding another word with the same meaning either in front or after the word we are using. 

Common examples are:

• Past history 

• Near future

• Completely finished

• False illusion

• New innovations

• 8am in the morning

• Foreign import

• True facts

 If you pull the words apart, you see how the words are different yet say the same thing or that common sense says you don’t really need both words!

Example: 

Past history – history refers to the past and the past is history so there is no need to use both words. You could use either as: 

History tells us ….

OR 

In the past …

Tautology doesn’t make what we’re saying more important, we’re just using more words to say what we mean. By eliminating tautology, we can make our writing clear and concise.

Are they any examples of tautology that you commonly use?

The Importance of Proofreading

Proofreading a document you have written yourself in preparation for publishing seems like a simple task. Unfortunately when we proofread our own work, we often read what a document should say and not what it does say or we miss simple errors. By having a fresh set of eyes look over your work, the tiniest of errors is usually picked up. I often cringe at some of the errors I come across when reading correspondence for other businesses or even mainstream publications. Businesses like Absolute Marketing Communications offer proofreading services. If you don't have the resources to pay someone to proofread your work have someone who hasn't read your document give it a once over.