On writing well: the meaning of tautology and how it negatively affects a narrative

The first time I read the word “tautology” I thought the suffix “logy” meant the study of something. However, in the realm of language, tautology is not considered the study of anything other than the analysis of an element of writing. Specifically, the unnecessary repetition of a word. Not that I can improve the definition of the three dictionaries that I use as a reference, but I think that tautology is easier to understand if it refers to the modification of one word with another that implies the same thing.

The all-time classic is a phrase we hear every day

“It’s exactly the same” is the most obvious case of tautology that we are routinely exposed to. Can there be the slightest difference between “same” and “exact” in any context? Is there anything wrong with saying “It’s the same” when talking about something that is identical? However, those who write texts, particularly for news anchors, seem to enjoy telling us that something is exactly the same every time. Or is it the exact opposite, as if “exactly” does something plus opposite.

Tautology comes in many forms

Many people have written in drafts of I was sent to edit that a character has looked up at the sky or at the ground. Unless someone is an astronaut, is it possible to look up into the sky? How about on the ground? Just like looking up at the sky, it’s possible to create a scenario where a person is looking down at the floor, but it takes some work.

Tautology also creeps into our rhetoric in subtle ways

An example I noticed in a dictionary was “widowed woman”. But what about the following examples: hurtful injury, unhappy frown, petty mockery, happy smile, gleeful jubilation, and black darkness?

However, if a connotation beyond the accepted obvious implication of hurt, frown, mockery, smile, glee, and darkness is desired, it is of course acceptable, if not desirable, to modify each noun. Light Wound, Frown, Sneer, Brief Smile, Mild Jubilation, and Eerie Darkness are paired with increased meaning due to the modifier.

Tautology is not limited to nouns

I recently read a line where a photograph was enlarged. Could it be enlarged in another way? The same as reduced smaller or dropped. Yes, theoretically someone can fall down stairs, but this is certainly not common enough to be accepted as an idiom, and it is what is acceptable for a language that largely determines the tautology.

Ask yourself, am I saying the same thing?

Variety keeps a fresh narrative and starts by making sure we’re adding meaning to the nouns and verbs we modify. When a writer pays attention to tautology, I usually find this author just as introspective in analyzing the central thoughts and making sure that these themes are not too justified by the text that follows.

What if I’m not saying the same thing?

One final remark, and it involves making sure that something is actually tautological. I was reprimanded a while ago for using the “much more” line. One scholarly fellow mentioned that an instructor of his in elementary school, no less, said that this phrase was redundant and therefore superfluous. I respected his comment and congratulated him on the good fortune of having such a precise teacher willing to share such good advice with such young children. But I ask anyone reading this article, would you rather have more in your paycheck next week, or would you rather have a lot more?