Saying the Same Thing Twice

辰什么辰

Reader:王婷
Reading Time:3.19-3.25
Reading Task:Saying the Same Thing Twice

Summary of the Content:
This chapter addresses three forms of repetition:
Simple Restatement: Repeating an idea in different words (“we must succeed and achieve success”).
Self-Evident Statements: Stating the obvious (“to increase soil fertility by applying fertilizer”).
Mirror-Image Statements: Positive-negative pairs (“we must accept it and not reject it”).
Examples like “rectify the situation in which there are no laws” → “stop lawlessness” show how to merge clauses for brevity.

Evaluation:
Pinkham uses humorous examples (“low voter turnout is an indication of fewer people”) to critique redundant logic. The theme— “One clear statement is better than two”—aligns with Graves and Hodge’s rule against “feeble-minded repetition.” Her focus on deleting tautologies (e.g: “past history” → “history”) helps readers avoid wasting words.

Reflection:
I once wrote “I agree and concur with this view”, “unaware both mean “agree.” This chapter teaches me to combine ideas: “I concur with this view.” In academic writing, clarity trumps word count—repeating ideas weakens arguments, so “the plan failed due to errors” is better than “the plan failed because of mistakes and errors.”