Relationships & Partners and Writing Skills Tips. (A Writing Advice Guide Book

Repetition Vs Repetitious

Repetition-is the simple repeating of a word, within a short space of words

But repetitious-is another term for repetitive.
-Lumna10.

Repetition is a double-edged sword. Used properly, it will add rhythm, logic and authority to your writing. Used inappropriately, it will make your writing boring and ineffectual; in other words, it will become repetitious. But what makes for skilled repetition? How can you avoid becoming repetitious?

Have you ever seen a courtroom drama on TV or in the movies? Remember when the lawyer delivers a powerful closing speech? Usually, the speech has a great deal of repetition. It might sound something like this:

-The defendant is a good man. Has he ever been convicted of a crime? Has he ever abandoned his family or failed to care for his loved ones? Has he ever done anything but good for his community? The answer, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, is no, no, no!

Here, repetition works by reinforcing the lawyer's point. Each of the lawyer's statements is distinct and justified, creating a tone of authority.

Now let's shift to the dangers of repetition. First of all, there's the repetition of ideas. Ideas should be restated only for emphasis. Otherwise, you should make your point and then move on. If you're reporting on the hazards of smoking, for example, don't discuss second-hand smoke in every section of your essay.

Repetitious writing also creeps into sentences. Take a look at this example:
- I'm so tired and sleepy. Gosh, I'm exhausted. I can barely keep my eyes open.
I'm ready to go to bed.

Not only is this writing repetitious, it's also irritating! The above sentences should simply state,
I'm sleepy and ready for bed.
(Unless you're really trying to depict an irritated character as I did with Bloom in Chapter 14: Fear of Failing. Her attitude gets more irritating as Darcy continues to fail at stopping to annoy her.)
So, when revising your work, beware of repetitious writing. Always ask yourself if your statements are necessary and if they are saying something new.

Writing Exercise Prompt
1. This is a two-part exercise. First, write a long paragraph marred by repetitious writing. Next, write a paragraph that uses effective repetition.