Do not be guilty of using tautologies. Using them may confuse your listener or reader. Using tautologies will suggest that you do not understand the meaning of the words you use. Examine these sentences with tautological phrases:
- Mr. Podemos was given a “free gift”. You may have seen or heard such a sentence. A gift, by definition is free, so free is redundant and a mistake.
- The “end result” of the PSOE meeting was that Mr. Sanchez should resign. The “result” is the last part of an activity or action. “End” here is therefore wrong. Could you have a “beginning result”? No. So the correct sentence is this: the result of the meeting was that Mr. Sanchez should resign.
- It was 8pm in the evening when Mr. Sánchez resigned. “8pm” means a time in the evening. “In the evening” is redundant. Could 8pm be in the morning? No.
- There were a variety of different products on the table. The error? “Different”. If there is a variety, then, by definition, the products are different. Cut out (elimina) “different”.
So, cut out the words that could confuse mortals (mortales), or suggest that you are confused.
