It has been observed that sometimes people use two or more words to imply one meaning making the sentence look clumsy and unprofessional. Often this makes the words redundant. Sometimes, it can be used to as a self-reinforcing pretence of significant truth.

This can be likened to tautology which the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines as ‘a statement in which you say the same thing twice in different words when this is unnecessary’. For example, the musicians sang in turns one after the other.

Wikipedia also defines it as a logical argument constructed in such a way, generally by repeating the same concept or assertion using different phrasing or terminology. A tautology simply states the same thing twice.

Sometimes, some of these expressions may be permitted in certain context which is also determined by the meaning the writer tries to infer.

However, in some cases, replicating a word in a sentence weakens the expression of the language making it sound not only unprofessional but unrefined.

A professional writer should be wary of redundant combinations which makes a work unappealing to readers.

Below are some examples.
- An expectant pregnant mother
- Speeding too fast
- Moving slowly at a snail’s pace
- Reiterate again
- A bold audacious person
- Retrace your steps backward
- Other options
- Evacuated out
- A human person
- Go on and continue
- Couple of husband and wife
- Forest of trees
- Merge together
- Vamoose and leave
- A pair of two shoes
- Refurbish again
- Surgical caesarean section
- Rebuilding the building
- Progress forward
- A baby cot bed
- A tortuous ordeal
- An old obsolete bag
- Archaic and unfashionable dress

Credit: DWT