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  • Hi. This is Rebecca, and I have a question for you. Is there anything wrong with the

  • sentences behind me? Let's have a look.

  • "The car was speeding too fast."

  • "We will progress forward this year."

  • "Do you have any other alternatives?"

  • And, "When are you returning back?"

  • Okay. Let's start with those four. So did you find anything wrong there, or did you

  • think they were perfectly okay? Well, I hope you said that there was something wrong because

  • there is. And what's wrong is that all of these sentences contain what is called in

  • English "redundant expressions". "Redundancy" means repetitive and unnecessary. That means

  • there are some extra words here that we don't need to use. So let's go back and see what

  • those redundancies are.

  • The first one, "The car was speeding too fast." So what's redundant? These words here, "too

  • fast". When you say that the car was speeding, that's enough because "speeding" means that

  • you're driving too fast. So you don't need to say that you're speeding too fast. Just,

  • "The car was speeding."

  • Next, "We will progress forward this year." Where's the problem? Here. You don't need

  • to say "progress forward". It's enough to say "progress" because "progress" means to

  • go forward. Okay?

  • Next one, "Do you have any other alternatives?" Where's the problem? Here. "Alternatives"

  • means other ideas, other options. So you don't need to say "other alternatives". Just,

  • "Do you have any alternatives?"

  • "When are you returning back?" Where's the problem? Here. You just need to say, "When

  • are you returning?" Because "returning" means "going back", all right?

  • Let's try a few others. "Could you repeat the directions again?" Where's the problem?

  • Over here. Because "to repeat" means to say something again, so "Could you repeat the

  • directions?" That's enough.

  • "Please continue on with your work." Where's the problem there? Here. "To continue" means

  • to go on. So you don't need to say "continue on", okay?

  • "They meet together often." That sounds like it's okay. A lot of people do use those kinds

  • of expressions. But it's not technically correct. You should just say, "They meet often" because

  • if they meet, they are together, right? We don't need to repeat it. That is a redundancy.

  • Last one here, "We reserved the seats in advance." Where's the problem? Over here. If you reserved

  • the seats, it means that you booked them in advance. So you don't need to repeat the words

  • "in advance".

  • Now, this is really important especially if you're writing an exam like the TOEFL or the

  • IELTS because examiners look out for these types of issues in your English language mastery,

  • okay? Let's look at a few more examples. There are, actually, hundreds of examples in English

  • of common redundancies. I'll tell you a little bit more about that in a second. But let's

  • look at a few examples.

  • "Still continues" -- can you say something "still continues"? Not really. You shouldn't

  • be saying that. You don't need the word "still". "It continues" means it's still going on.

  • All right?

  • Next one. You do hear this one quite often, but it's not really right. "It's a crisis

  • situation." We don't need the word "situation". "It's a crisis." That's enough.

  • Next one. Well, these two, let me read them to you first. "Completely destroyed"; "absolutely

  • necessary". Now, as such, it's really enough to say, "It was destroyed" or "It's necessary".

  • But it often happens that in English and in different languages, words sometimes become

  • weaker over time. So sometimes, we have a tendency to emphasize them. And that's what's

  • happening here. So you could leave this, or you could eliminate it. "Completely destroyed"

  • we use when we want to emphasize that it was really gone. But as such, the word "destroyed"

  • means that it's gone. Same here, "It's necessary" means that you need it. But sometimes, you

  • will hear people say, "It's absolutely necessary that you arrive on time for your interview."

  • So they're just trying to emphasize it. But technically, it's not necessary. Okay?

  • If you'd like a list of about a hundred redundancies like this, I've compiled a list for you which

  • you can download for free from our website, www.engvid.com. You can also do a quiz on

  • this subject and watch lots of other videos that will help you improve your English, okay?

  • Thanks for watching. Bye for now.

Hi. This is Rebecca, and I have a question for you. Is there anything wrong with the

Subtitles and vocabulary

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A2 US speeding progress repeat returning destroyed problem

English Vocabulary: Find the Mistake

  • 27 3
    Gabriel Kuo posted on 2014/09/23
Video vocabulary

Keywords

situation

US /ˌsɪtʃuˈeʃən/

UK /ˌsɪtʃuˈeɪʃn/

  • noun
  • Place, position or area that something is in
  • An unexpected problem or difficulty
progress

US /ˈprɑɡˌrɛs, -rəs, ˈproˌɡrɛs/

UK /'prəʊɡres/

  • noun
  • Act of moving forward
  • verb
  • To move forward or toward a place or goal
  • other
  • To move forward or onward; advance.
  • To advance or develop towards a better state.
  • To make progress; develop or improve.
  • other
  • Advancement or development towards an improved or more advanced condition.
  • The process of improving or developing something over a period of time.
  • Advancement or improvement in development, skills, or knowledge.
  • Forward or onward movement towards a destination.
  • other
  • To cause to advance or develop.
crisis

US /ˈkraɪsɪs/

UK /'kraɪsɪs/

  • noun
  • Unstable situation of extreme danger or difficulty
  • A situation that has reached a critical phase.
  • A time of intense difficulty or danger.
  • A decisive moment.
  • A time of intense difficulty, trouble, or danger.
  • A time of intense difficulty, trouble, or danger.
  • A situation that has reached a critical phase.
  • A time when a problem, illness, etc. is at its worst point
  • A situation related to environmental damage.
  • A state of instability or danger.
  • A difficult or painful experience in a person's life.
  • A politically unstable situation.
  • A turning point in a disease.
English

US /ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ/

UK /ˈɪŋglɪʃ/

  • adjective
  • Relating to England, its people, or its language.
  • Relating to England or its people or language.
  • Of or relating to England, its people, or their language.
  • Concerning the culture and people of England
  • noun
  • A course of study focusing on the English language and literature.
  • Language of the UK, USA, Nigeria and elsewhere
  • A person from England.
  • A style or manner characteristic of England.
  • A version of something translated into the English language.
  • Person's name
  • other
  • The English language.
  • other
  • The English language.
  • other
  • To translate into English.
word

US /wɚd/

UK /wɜ:d/

  • noun
  • Unit of language that has a meaning
  • Promise
  • Short remark or piece of information
  • verb
  • To express something by choosing particular words
wrong

US /rɔŋ, rɑŋ/

UK /rɒŋ/

  • noun
  • Action that is harmful, unjust or illegal
  • adjective
  • Not morally or socially acceptable
  • Not right, incorrect; not true; bad
  • Being inappropriate or unsuitable
  • verb
  • To harm someone or treat someone unfairly
problem

US /ˈprɑbləm/

UK /ˈprɒbləm/

  • adjective
  • Causing trouble
  • noun
  • Something difficult to deal with or causes trouble
  • An issue or fault in a computer system or software.
  • A situation that is unwelcome or harmful; a difficulty.
  • Question to show understanding of a math concept
  • A person who causes difficulties or is hard to control
advance

US /ædˈvæns/

UK /əd'vɑ:ns/

  • noun
  • An approach or overture, especially of a sexual nature.
  • Forward movement by an army
  • An improvement or development.
  • A sum of money furnished beforehand.
  • A development or improvement.
  • A sum of money paid early.
  • A development or improvement; an instance of progress.
  • An attempt to seduce someone
  • An unwanted or unwelcome approach or suggestion, especially of a sexual nature.
  • other
  • To put forward (a fact or theory) for consideration.
  • To develop or improve something.
  • To provide money as a loan.
  • To pay (someone) money before it is due.
  • To promote someone to a higher rank or position.
  • To supply beforehand; to furnish on credit.
  • verb
  • (Of an army) to move forward
  • To change or improve
  • To increase in price or value
  • To make progress or develop in a particular way.
  • To move forward in a certain direction
  • To try to seduce someone
  • other
  • To make amorous or sexual advances.
  • To move forward; to make progress.
  • other
  • Progress or improvement.
meet

US /mit/

UK /mi:t/

  • verb
  • To provide something that is necessary
  • To come together at a certain time or place
  • noun
  • Sporting competition e.g. swimming
technically

US /ˈtɛknɪkl:ɪ/

UK /ˈteknɪkli/

  • adverb
  • In an exact and particular manner
  • According to the facts or strict interpretation of a rule or law; in a technical manner.
  • According to the facts or the exact meaning of something; strictly
  • With technical skill or expertise.