[lastudpated]
Redundant means “more than is needed.” Redundancy is the state of having more than is needed. For example, if something changes in your workplace and there is no longer any work for you to do, you become redundant.
Redundant applies to works and the use of language as well. For example, if someone says “reverse the car backward,” then that is a good example of the use of redundancy. Since the word “reverse” means to drive backwards, the word “backward” is redundant in the sentence.
Another example of redundancy in speaking or writing is when someone says “I will try my “utmost” best.” Since the words “utmost” and “best” both mean to your greatest ability, one of those words become redundant. Nevertheless, it may still be used for “emphasis” in informal writing or speaking or in quoted speech in formal writing.
In literature, redundancy is better to avoid, but there are other real life situations where redundancy is a good thing. For example, in the information technology world, critical data may be backed up in hard drives in case the hard drive in use crash. Then a third layer of hard drive backup is added just in case both the first and second hard drives fail at the same time. Since it is very unlikely that the first and second hard drives would fail at the same time, the third layer of backup is said to be “redundant.”
But in this case, such redundancy is a good thing since it gives people the peace of mind that their information is absolutely safe!
Have you ever seen the big trucks with extra wheels? Some of those wheels will never be used! They are redudant. But in this case, redundancy is a good thing!
In writing and speaking, try to avoid redudancy, but in real life safety, use it!
Here are some more examples of redudancy in literature.
- Close promixity. Both “close” and “promixity” mean the same time, yet the word combination “close promixity” is accepted as correct usage by most universities.
- Reverse backwards.
- Utmost best.
What other examples of redudancy can you think of?
