Don't say it again, MLP

Your ever-so-humble Mrs. Language Person was a stellar typist on those lovely old click-and-stick machines, yet now her arthritic old fingers slip on accursed little laptops (even less legible are her texts; woe to you who must decipher them).

Spellcheck is fine as far as it goes, but one mustn't rely. AI can’t (yet) think as well as its creators. If software suggests a word, Dear Readers, don’t buy it blindly. Caveat emptor.

To develop better grammar, it helps to build a strong foundation of knowledge and let it apply naturally to one’s own writing. In other words, read more books and choose them with care, and soon language both spoken and written elevates to such a level of clarity that communication flies with the smoothness and strength of a soaring eagle.

Trick of the trade: Write the item, advised MLP’s English teachers, then read it aloud, carefully correcting errors before exposing it to other eyes. Once habit in the “good old days" when language mattered, few bother today — even among published authors. Sigh.

Doing so also helps writers (or speakers) be concise. Case in point: redundancies, a.k.a. pleonasms (Greek for excessive).

Do you know where it's at? It's either where or at; not both. Better said, simply ask where it is.

Is it absolutely necessary to choose? Isn't necessity by definition absolute; is something qualified or conditional truly necessary? “Absolutely necessary” is redundant at worst, poor grammar at best. If necessity were negotiable, its lack of necessity would be made obvious (yes, that's passive voice).

Is that perspective somewhat, or very, unique? Neither is the correct answer. If unique, it’s one-of-a-kind and not subject to any degree of being the one and only.

When reading aloud, listen carefully for meaning and ask, are two words conveying the same idea? If so, they’re redundant.

Redundancies happen often with time. At 8 a.m., one needn’t add "in the morning." A.M. is morning. P.M. means after noon. A reservation or planning can’t be done after the event, so why call it an "advance reservation?" Ditto for “earlier/later in time.”

Similar problems exist for “best ever” (exception noted for instances comparing the best of a time period to best ever), “these ones” (shudder), “close proximity,” “each and every,” “cried tears” (what else could one cry?), “harmful injury” (has anyone ever benefited from an injury?) and “merge/mix/share together” (MLP would like to see something merge apart).

We see either a pair or we see twins, but a pair of twins suggests a trio of twins is possible (outside of the X-Files). Ever tried to place something in the palm of your foot (why add "of the hand" when in the palm will do)?

You may believe something, Dear Reader, or find it credible, but both are too incredible to believe.

MLP wonders why if one can't fall up or rise down, their opposites are habitually paired; why not simply fall or rise? It's the "exact same" (cringing) mistake, in her (painfully redundant) personal opinion. MLP’s opinion is obviously personal and it’s obviously her own, so please just stick with “her opinion.”

While more difficult to prevent without bothering to learn the referenced words, acronyms offer further opportunities for unnecessary doubling. SAT test, LCD display, ATM machine and PIN number each exemplify repetition of the last word signified by an acronym (Scholastic Aptitude Test, Personal Information Number, and so on). More understandable are repetitions of foreign words, such as chai (which means tea in several languages, making chai tea “tea tea”) and Sahara (which means desert in Arabic). On the other hand, with Google, mere seconds might enlighten more conscientious, or at least curious, English speakers.

Few care as MLP cares. Sigh.

There “still remain” (no!) many more examples in “true fact” (stop! If untrue, it isn’t fact). As you must be beyond annoyed by now, Dear Reader, MLP shall cease or desist; she wouldn’t be caught doing both.

• • •

Mrs. Language Person and Sholeh Patrick are columnists for the Hagadone News Network. Email sholeh@cdapress.com.