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How to avoid repetition in an essay, a la Shmoop.

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You know when you go to a family reunion, and your Aunt introduces you to your long-lost

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Third Cousin Marty?

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You've never met before, and from the looks of him, you're hoping you never will again.

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Anyway, we're guessing your conversation goes something like this:

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"Hey."

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"Hey."

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"What's up?"

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"Not much, not much. What's up with you?"

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"Not much, you know, not much."

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"Yeah."

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"Good."

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"Good, yeah." Well, all that repetition results from a little

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condition we like to callÉ

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A Complete and Utter Lack of Anything To Say.

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And this is one of the primo vera problemos that leads to too much redundancy in your

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writing. Yes, we saw all those red marks up on your

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Jane Eyre essay.

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But never fear! The Repetition Busting Squad is here!

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To get your paper fresh and clean next time, just follow these simple stepsÉ

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First, take a look at your notes, and ask yourself:

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What is my main argument in this essay?

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Then make a list of the evidence you are using to develop that argument.

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If you've only got two supporting points for a ten-page essay, you'll quickly find yourself

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caught in that redundancy quicksand. Because no matter how hard you stretch 'em,

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bend 'em, and flex 'em, those two little points just won't cover it.

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Kind of like that little tank top your Cousin Marty was trying to squeeze intoÉ

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Next, consider the difference between repeating your main pointÉ

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Éand restating it.

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As you write, you'll end up coming back to your central argument throughout your essay.

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It's inevitable.

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But please don't pull the ol' Copy-and-Paste, okay?

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Imagine you are building a house.

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You've already laid the foundation, but now, you're adding the floorboards.

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The whole thing looks kinda different, doesn't it?

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You should never be repeating exactly the same argumentÉ

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Ébecause the supporting point you've just discussed has made the reader consider your

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original thesis in a new light. Cool, huh?

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Bet you never knew just how powerful your writing could be.

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Oh, and one last tip:

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If you find yourself repeating the same word or phrase over and over again, you know what

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to doÉ

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Éjust consult your handy-dandy Dictionary-Thesaurus-Shmooptionary-Key to Unlocking the English Language.

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This is the 21st century, so there're no excuses. And if you ever see Cousin Marty again, you

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can impress him with your fresh, rhetorical gymnastics:

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"Hey."

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"Well hello."

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"What's up?"

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"Nothing so titillating here, my old chap."

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"Huh?"

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"I'm great."

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"Oh."

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"Indubitably."

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WeÕre guessing he wonÕt be bothering you much anymore.

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