It’s amazing how many duplicate terms have crept into business writing. These are second nature for many people, but picking them out can reduce document length and sharpen meaning. Let’s explore three areas: redundancies, prepositional fillers and jargon. Can you spot them in your writing?
(1)
| Redundant | Concise |
| actual truth | truth |
| advance warning | warning |
| basic fundamentals | fundamentals |
| collaborate together | collaborate |
| commute back and forth | commute |
| component parts | parts |
| consensus of opinion | consensus |
| customary practice | practice |
| depreciate in value | depreciate |
| divide in two | divide |
| end result | result |
| exactly identical | identical |
| factual evidence | evidence |
| first and foremost | first |
(2)
| Prepositional Fillers | Improved |
| In the state of/in conjunction with | in |
| On the topic of | on |
| Despite the fact that | although |
| Between the years of 2010 and 2011 | Between 2010 and 2011 |
| In view of the fact that | because |
| During the course of | during |
| On an annual basis | annually |
| In the majority of cases | usually |
(3)
| Jargon | Suggested Substitutes |
| viable alternatives | possibilities, alternatives |
| commensurate | equal to |
| facilitate | help |
| scenario | situation |
| optimize | enhance, improve |
| optimum | best |
| incentivize | reward, encourage |
| subsequent | next |
| verification | proof |
| cessation | stop, pause |
| submit | send |
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