Unnecessary Modifiers

辰什么辰

Reader:王婷
Reading Time:3.1-3.8
Reading Task:Unnecessary Modifiers

Summary of the Content:
The chapter identifies five types of redundant modifiers:
Redundant Modifiers: Duplicating meaning (“new innovations,” “female businesswoman”).
Self-Evident Modifiers: Statements implying the obvious (“proper readjustment”, “necessary knowledge”).
Intensifiers: Weakening adjectives (“very important”, “completely eliminate”).
Qualifiers: Undermining certainty (“fairly significant”, “somewhat”).
Cliches: Overused phrases (“arduous tasks” , “vigorously promote”).
Examples like “red in color” → “red” illustrate how removing modifiers strengthens precision.

Evaluation:
Pinkham’s critique of “intensifiers” (e.g: “absolutely essential”) is eye-opening, showing how they dilute rather than strengthen meaning. Her focus on “concrete over vague” encourages replacing cliches with specific verbs (e.g: “vital” instead of “very important”). The chapter’s practical approach helps readers recognize why “adequate knowledge” is better as “know enough.”

Reflection:
I’ve guilty of overusing “really” or “extremely” in essays (e.g: “really crucial”). This chapter teaches me to rely on strong verbs/adjectives instead: “crucial” alone suffices. In translations, I’ll avoid literal “的” structures (e.g: “successful completion” → “completion”) to maintain English conciseness.