REDUNDANT PHRASES (Part 1)
The reason for that.... because
Redundant: The reason that we stopped for the night was because we were tired.
Redundant: Because we were tired, we therefore stopped for the night.
Better: We stopped for the night because we were tired.
The above phrases indicated that "reason that", "because" and "therefore" need not be repeated because they mean the same thing. It is better to use one of the phrases only in order to make your sentence concise, but still clear.
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Underlying... behind
Redundant: The underlying motive behind his kind words was so that he could borrow money from me.
Better: The underlying motive for his kind words was so that he could borrow money from me.
Better: The motive behind his kind words was so that he could borrow money from me.
The above example shows that "underlying" and "behind" mean the same thing in the context of this sentence. Two sentences below it illustrate the various ways you can improve this sentence.
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30 years old in age
Redundant: One of the dinosaurs in the exhibit is 100,000 years old in age.
Better: One of the dinosaurs in the exhibit is 100,000 years old.
Notice that the first sentence used "years old" and "in age". These mean the same thing. What else could "years old" refer to other than age?
