Figures of speech are literary devices which are used to convey ideas that go beyond their literal meaning.
In English, there are more than 200 different types of figures of speech. Tautology is one of them.
Tautology Meaning
Tautology is a figure of speech where the same ideas are repeated using various words. It is often referred to as redundancy. It helps in strengthening the idea in the reader’s mind. In modern writing, it is considered faulty.
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- Will you please repeat the last sentence again? (Repeating is an action which happens again. Hence, the term ‘again‘ is unnecessary when the word ‘repeat‘ is used.)
- I was astonished, amazed and surprised. (The words ‘astonished‘, ‘amazed‘ and ‘surprised‘ are synonyms.)
Tautology Examples
“Polonious: What do you read, my lord?
Hamlet: Words, words, words.”
—Shakespeare, Hamlet
“The stars, O astral bodies!”
—Anonymous
“With malice toward none, with charity for all.”
—Abraham Lincoln
Also, Read
Metaphor
Metonymy
Synecdoche
Personification
Types of Figures of Speech
Figures of Speech
Examples of Figures of Speech
