A common redundancy:
"Each and every day, I eat oatmeal."
That's a healthy breakfast but not a healthy sentence
The phrase "each and every" is redundant because the words "each" and "every" mean the same thing. So it's as if you said, "I'm wearing a red and red shirt."
Try to ban the phrase "each and every" from your writing. Just use "each" or "every."
Thank you and thank you.
Ask Me a Question
If you have a writing, grammar, style or punctuation question, send an e-mail message to curiouscase at sign hotmail dot com.
Add Your Own Criminal Sentence!
If you find a particularly terrible sentence somewhere, post it for all to see (go here and put it in the Comments section).
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I'm having a hard time accepting this. Wouldn't it be acceptable for emphasis?
Thanks for your comment.
This is a style issue more than a right or wrong issue. Still, I feel it's redundant to say "Each and every night you must brush your teeth." I suppose I could grudgingly allow it for emphasis, but it's becoming a cliche. I feel it's a lazy phrase that's used instead of something more imaginative.
Post a Comment