Get Rid of Empty Words

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Instant Quiz

Can you correct the error in the sentence below? Scroll to the bottom of today’s post for the answer.

My grandmother used to think that wearing a copper bracelet would relieve her arthritis pain, but that’s just a misnomer.

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My husband and I recently leased a new car. We selected the car we wanted from a list of closeout vehicles on the dealership’s website. The sales associate asked if we knew the VIN. I was impressed!

Many people would have said VIN number. That’s not quite correct. A VIN is a vehicle identification number. You don’t need to put number at the end: vehicle identification number number.

Similarly, you don’t need to say ATM machine: it’s an Automatic Teller Machine. Nor is it necessary to say Jewish rabbi, actual fact, or free gift.

Whenever someone says “Can I ask a question?” my response is “You just did!”

There’s no difference between “What’s the current time” and “What’s the time?”

Unnecessary words can clutter your writing. Develop the habit of looking for these redundancies – and getting rid of them. Your writing will be better for it!

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Instant Quiz ANSWER

A misnomer is an incorrect name – saying that a whale is a fish, for example.

My grandmother thought that wearing a copper bracelet would relieve her arthritis pain, but that’s not true.  CORRECT

What Your English Teacher Didn’t Tell You is available in paperback and Kindle formats from Amazon.com and other online booksellers.[image error]

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