Repeat offenders
Published Date:
20 November 2008
I profoundly disagree with Ian Stewart in his acceptance of the practice of journalists avoiding repetition at all costs (Readers' Ombudsman, 17 November).
Slavishly using a different word for the same thing is often confusing and invariably tedious.
What matters infinitely more than avoiding repetition is finding rhythm for a sentence. What is more, repetition can be effective in achieving emphasis, provided attention is given to balance.
Pronouns are useful too; there seems a great reluctance to use them.
What Ian Stewart is excusing often comes across as contrived, and, far from being elegant, as he alleges, it is cumbersome in the extreme.
To cite one recent example I read, a squirrel would have been better described twice as a squirrel, rather than as a furry rodent.
R A DUNBAR
Mortonhall Road
Edinburgh
The full article contains 135 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
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Last Updated:
19 November 2008 8:12 PM
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Source:
The Scotsman
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Location:
Edinburgh
