What is Redundancy? - Redundancy, related to wordiness, is your enemy on the ACT. Redundancy is essentially the addition of extra fluff that is not necessary to the effectiveness of the sentence.
Redundancy on the ACT- You might be wondering: how do I know when the ACT is testing for redundancy? They won’t make it clear with neon lights and pointing arrows, after all. You’ll have to be on the lookout for redundancy at all times while taking the ACT.
How to Fix Redundancy in Writing - The easiest way to fix redundancy is to prioritize concise writing. Take out details that are unnecessary, and look out for synonyms in the same sentence. Let’s look at another example: She combed her hair meticulously and carefully.
Redundancy vs. Wordiness - Similar to redundancy, wordiness is frequently tested on the SAT and ACT. Wordiness is beating around the bush and fluffing up sentences to add detail, whether it’s necessary or not.
Final Thoughts - Similar to the SAT, the ACT prefers a clear, concise style of writing. Wordiness and redundancy are the opposite of clear and concise, so you should always be on the lookout for them during the test.
Wordiness on ACT English - On the ACT, wordiness is a grammatical error in which extra words or phrases are added to a sentence unnecessarily. Concise writing is preferable because conciseness makes a sentence more understandable and easier to follow.
Wordiness Strategy - Approach each question with the mindset that shorter = better. When answering ACT English questions, start by looking at the shorter answer choices.
Redundancy Strategy - Look at the shortest answer choices first. Plug the shortest answer choice back into the original sentence. If the sentence maintains its meaning and is grammatically correct, that's the right answer.