1. Travis Perry says:

    Saying the same thing over again, redundantly, really can add emphasis. Or make a literal meaning clear, as you point out.
    It also can be useful in cases where someone may not have quite understood what you said the first time…say the thing again, with different phrasing…

    • Autumn Grayson says:

      Not to mention songs. Songs can be very redundant, and people still like them. And some of the redundancy, such as the chorus, is considered standard in terms of lyric writing.

  2. Peter Spolc says:

    All of this is part and parcel of the warp and weft of English usage. I’m here because of ‘lived experience’ – such a glaring redundancy! I like the way you provide an account of your forgiveness of certain (yet no less) redundant phrases. I often catch myself in breach of my own arguments (particularly on matters of pronunciation) and am forced to examine why I made such an exception. And the results of such inquiries can be surprising.

What do you think?