I do a lot of editing stuff just for fun (-ahem-), and one of the things that I notice a lot and which really, really bothers me is redundancies. Not to sound bitchy, folks, but here’s a quick lesson: if you look at a sentence and it has two words that mean basically the same thing, chances are you only need one of those words. For example:
“I am totally and completely in love with you.” If you’re totally in love with someone, you’re obviously completely in love with them. If you’re completely in love with someone, you’re obviously totally in love with them. (Not to mention that this sentence is highly cliché and should probably be avoided at all turns.)
“She’s also very good at cooking as well.” “Also” and “as well” mean the same thing; you don’t need both of them.
“Thank you for coming; I’m so glad you could make it.” If you’re thanking them for coming, you’re obviously glad they could make it (or at least you’re going to pretend you’re glad they could make it).
Moral of the Story: I think my main problem with redundancies is that they break up the flow of the sentences. Unless you want to write teenage chick literature, which genre apparently has no standards for what is considered good writing, pay attention to what you’re saying and don’t say the same thing twice.
Wordemic 