What's it called when...

[vrdiver]

A pleonasm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pleonasm

VRD

[AleisterCrowley]

In some cases it may be a tautology, perhaps?

[Arborbridge]

Redundancy.

[vrdiver]

Redundancy.

Isn't "redundancy" the desired outcome for politicians who practise tautological pleonasms?

[Watis]

....people add in unnecessary extra words into a sentence or statement - for example, the current trend among politicians to add in the word 'absolutely' to try and make their lies more believable or, as in a car advert I read earlier, 'full' MOT until March 2020' (is there any other kind?)

Cheers

Verbosity?

Prolixity?

HTH,

Watis

[scrumpyjack]

Otiose

[Villa]

Those words would, in the context, be ‘empty intensifiers’.

[pochisoldi]

Those words would, in the context, be ‘empty intensifiers’.

Absol-flippin-lutely...

[Lootman]

Those words would, in the context, be ‘empty intensifiers’.

I think "intensifier" is a valid description but whether or not their use is "empty" is a matter of opinion. One could discount the use of any adjective or adverb on that basis and, indeed, some writing style books recommend that neither be used.

But to my mind they do add information. They don't add to the facts of what is being stated, but they do convey information about the utterer's degree of confidence and passion about the assertion. In other words they qualify the subject rather than the predicate of the sentence.

So for example when an [expletive deleted] fan says "I totally f'ing hate Spurs" that connotes more than a mere indication that he does not support them. It conveys a heartfelt visceral repugnance.

[redsturgeon]

Marketing

[XFool]

Marketing

Politics?

[Clariman]

It could be argued that this post caused my face to erupt into a very large jovial grin, combined with an equally large and frustrated yet momentary grimace, one might say.

Or in emoticon

I am writing my postgraduate dissertation and it amazes me how many [unnecessary] words I use. My [initial] draft had 18,500 words which I reduced to 15,000 [words] without removing any [real] content!

C

[AleisterCrowley]

I totally 100% agree with you!

[moorfield]

....people add in unnecessary extra words into a sentence or statement - for example, the current trend among politicians to add in the word 'absolutely' to try and make their lies more believable or, as in a car advert I read earlier, 'full' MOT until March 2020' (is there any other kind?)

Verbal Diarrhoea.

Or, less coarsely, Flannel.

[Dod101]

But for most MPs, why use one word when three will do?

Dod