Pointless repetition, or exciting new entries in fan-favourite franchises?
Pointless repetition: It's the enemy of sanity, good taste and common sense. Forget about grammar and linguistics and all the clever stuff we've crammed into our heads over the years - a lot of that stuff is damaging to the end-reader's health anyway, especially when applied directly to paper - pointless repetition goes beyond all of that into the realms of just, well, pointlessness...
Most often, it's an idea or a bit of phrasing that's repeated pointlessly within the same paragraph. Sometimes though, like today, the repetition takes the form of a kind of I-can't-decide-which-so-I'll-use-both mashup.
Think of today's villain like this: such as is equatable with i.e. and for example is equatable with e.g. So would you ever write i.e. e.g. together? No. So why put such as, for example, la la la? The problem is, that at first glance it might sound okay. You can rationalise it as 'examples within examples', or as adding an extra breath for the reader before entering a long list of la la las. But at the the end of the day, it's unnecessary repetition and therefore conflicts with the idea of good English, which always seeks to reduce in order to clarify. Yes, that's rather a sweeping statement, but I think you know what I mean.
So take a look at today's colourful, eye-straining picture below, and prepare prepare yourselves selves whilst I prepare prepare a larger piece about repetition in general genera for later this this week. Week.
(Click the link for a larger wersja (thanks Adam ;). Also - the theory behind 'Should I choose for example or such as in these situations might possibly also be explained using the idea above - think of them as e.g. and i.e. look at the context, and then take a shot).
Most often, it's an idea or a bit of phrasing that's repeated pointlessly within the same paragraph. Sometimes though, like today, the repetition takes the form of a kind of I-can't-decide-which-so-I'll-use-both mashup.
Think of today's villain like this: such as is equatable with i.e. and for example is equatable with e.g. So would you ever write i.e. e.g. together? No. So why put such as, for example, la la la? The problem is, that at first glance it might sound okay. You can rationalise it as 'examples within examples', or as adding an extra breath for the reader before entering a long list of la la las. But at the the end of the day, it's unnecessary repetition and therefore conflicts with the idea of good English, which always seeks to reduce in order to clarify. Yes, that's rather a sweeping statement, but I think you know what I mean.
So take a look at today's colourful, eye-straining picture below, and prepare prepare yourselves selves whilst I prepare prepare a larger piece about repetition in general genera for later this this week. Week.
(Click the link for a larger wersja (thanks Adam ;). Also - the theory behind 'Should I choose for example or such as in these situations might possibly also be explained using the idea above - think of them as e.g. and i.e. look at the context, and then take a shot).
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