English: redundancies?

Tutoring English, you try to discourage redundancy. The tutor observes an apparent redundancy that perhaps isn’t.

Sometimes the phrase “for some reason” is used. For example, someone might say, “I didn’t think you’d want coffee, for some reason.”

For a long time I believed that “for some reason” was redundant. After all, isn’t there “some reason” for any given premise?

However, I’ve come to believe “for some reason” likely isn’t redundant. It suggests that there is a reason, perhaps even known to the speaker, that they’re choosing not to contemplate. It’s a phrase used often in paranormal or mystery contexts.

I hope to post more “redundancies”:)

Jack of Oracle Tutoring by Jack and Diane, Campbell River, BC.

Leave a Reply