MLP: Defeat repeat

Yes, your Mrs. Language Person has taken a summer break. Odds are so have you, dear Reader. Even now may you bask in the sunshine and miss this Snitty Old Bitty's admonition against repetition.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again," say you, but don't reiterate. Once you've said it, it's completely done. Catch that? If it's complete, it's done. One or the other will suffice.

Same goes for advance planning (one can't plan in retrospect) and absolute certainty. Certainty is always absolute. Combining them together (oops, there it is again; can anything be combined apart?) is needless or unnecessary (but both are uncalled for).

Beware or be careful, dear Reader, of redundancies in abbreviation. An automated teller machine is an ATM, but not an ATM machine. In HIV "v" is for virus. Neither your car's VIN nor your SSN needs another "number," lest you mean your Social Security number number. For the language butcher that's an added bonus (shudder).

More common redundancies to avoid follow. Consider them a free gift (not one that costs):

10 a.m. in the morning. When is a.m. not in the morning?

And also, and etc. (please, not "ect"). They mean the same so stick to one.

Ask a question. What else may one ask? Excise one out (or just excise it).

Raining outside. I'd love to see it rain inside. I have a sudden impulse (no!) to protest against (ah!) this same identical (ugh!) overused cliche (enough).

Return back. Unless time machines are real, one can't return forward.

Basic essentials. If they're basic, they're already essential. And important.

Month of... June. Is there a day called June? A year called May?

May possibly. Either it's possible or it may.

Autobiography of his life. If it's a biography it already describes a life.

Close scrutiny and close proximity. No such thing as lax scrutiny or far proximity.

Closed fist. If it's a fist, it's already closed.

Rectangular in shape, large in size. Rectangular or large. Shape and size obvious.

Completely unanimous. Unanimous includes everybody, so it can't be incomplete.

Consensus of opinion. There's no other kind.

Each and every, each individual. Are there each and some? A collective individual?

End result, sum total. A result can't be at the beginning. A sum is a total.

Sworn affidavit. That's what makes it an affidavit.

Mutual cooperation. Cooperation can't be one-way.

Safe haven, terrible tragedy. Are there dangerous havens and joyful tragedies?

My own personal opinion. Three strikes there. Your MLP feels faint.

Before MLP signs off today, she must admonish misusers of foreign imports from abroad (another three-for-one). "Sahara" means desert in Arabic, so no need for both; it's simply "the Sahara." The "P" in RSVP stands for plait (please) in French; no need to add please. "Carne" is Spanish for meat, so chili con carne is always with meat. With the Web, one needn't butcher any language, let alone our own.

That's a true fact.

Sholeh Patrick is an admitted word nerd and columnist for the Hagadone News Network. Contact her or MLP at [email protected].