Avoiding repetition in a text
Look at these examples to see some different ways to avoid repetition in a text:
The composition of chimpanzee muscle was found to differ from that of humans, which explains their greater strength.
Featuring holes at an altitude of 2,895m, it is the only such golf course in the world.
Some birds can find their way without any landmarks, and we still don't know for sure how they do so.
Growing numbers of people are buying food that is grown without artificial chemicals. The popularity of organic produce is …
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
- Grammar test 1
Read the explanation to learn more.
Grammar explanation
We commonly use words like it, this/these, that/those, such and do so, as well as synonyms, to avoid repetition. This can make a text shorter, easier to understand and more interesting.
It, this and that in texts
It, this/these and that/those can all be used to refer to something that has just been mentioned or that has been mentioned previously.
It is used to refer to something we are already talking or writing about, with no particular emphasis.
We watched the latest episode last night. It was OK, but not nearly as good as the previous ones.
This (or these) is more emphatic and often shows that something is new or interesting. This often signals that more is about to be said about the topic.
More funding has been approved for primary schools in the area. This does not, however, solve the problem faced by …
That (or those) is also more emphatic than it and is used in a similar way to this. However, that suggests greater distance. For example, we can use that to distance ourselves from a particular idea:
They're idiots! … OK, sorry, maybe that was unfair.
A: I refuse to do this any more!
B: I understand you're upset, but I think that's going a bit too far.
Or that/those can refer to an idea mentioned further back in the text:
A classic mistake inexperienced hikers make is to pack things they don't really need. Such items can include shoes, extra toiletries and electronics.
(two paragraphs later)Those extra kilos of weight are soon left behind as hikers learn to reduce what they carry to a minimum.
That/those is also chosen over this/these to suggest greater physical distance:
Scientists believe that some animals may use the Earth's magnetic fields to find their way from A to B, even if that B is thousands of miles away.
That and those meaning 'the one(s)'
In more formal English, that and those can be used to mean 'the one' or 'the ones'. They are often followed by of and are used in this way to avoid repetition.
We compared our experience to that of a group of teenagers. (that = the experience)
They obtained better exam results than those of the same year group in other schools.
(those = the exam results)
Those who means 'the people who'.
She was among those who voted for the policy.
Those who are unable to attend the event in person are invited to view it online.
Such meaning 'of this or that type'
In more formal English, such can be used to refer back to the type previously mentioned.
Some species of ants can find their way using the memory of how many steps they have taken.
Such navigation methods are actually fairly basic compared with others in the animal world. (such navigation methods = methods of that type)
We can use such in this way before a/an + single noun or before a plural or uncountable noun. It is often used after expressions like no, the only, the few, the first, etc.
The library is free and open to the public 24 hours a day. It is the only such library in the city.
The group will meet once a month to report on progress. The first such meeting will be held in April.
Do so
Again, in more formal English, do so can be used to mean 'to behave in the way mentioned'. It is used to avoid repeating the verb.
Our company raised salaries, but few others in the sector did so.
Employees who have agreed to work overtime should be prepared to do so this month.
While some went vegan for the supposed health benefits, others reported doing so for ethical reasons.
Synonyms
A synonym is a word or phrase that has the same meaning as another word or phrase. We can use synonyms to avoid repetition.
Air pollution is a significant problem in many European capitals. Urgent action needs to be taken on this worrying issue.
Using synonyms can also make your writing more interesting and enjoyable.
Salmon use their sense of smell to travel back to the river where they were born. These aquatic homing missiles can travel hundreds of miles to return to their birthplace.
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.
- Grammar test 2
𝕚𝕥-𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤/𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕤𝕖 - 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥/𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕤𝕖 - 𝕕𝕠 𝕤𝕠 -𝕤𝕦𝕔𝕙 : "𝗧𝗼 𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻"
1-"𝕕𝕠 𝕤𝕠":
to avoid repetition of 𝚊 𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚋 𝚙𝚑𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚎 that has just been mentioned.
e.g.:
-Several countries 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, but only a few have actually 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐨.
-The company advised customers 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗳𝘁𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆; failure to 𝕕𝕠 𝕤𝕠 could expose them to security risks.
-𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲, failure to 𝕕𝕠 𝕤𝕠 may result in rejection.
2-"𝕤𝕦𝕔𝕙":
of this type / kind.
e.g.:
-𝗔 𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀 was spotted in Tunisia, the first 𝕤𝕦𝕔𝕙 sighting in nearly a decade.
-It is one of the few 𝕤𝕦𝕔𝕙 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 that still stand in our city.
-He really 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 and always makes 𝕤𝕦𝕔𝕙 errors.
--> Such: refers back to the type of errors just mentioned (errors with the past participle).
3-"𝕚𝕥": with no particular emphasis.
e.g.:
-I bought 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲. 𝕚𝕥 is very fast.
-I visited 𝗘𝗴𝘆𝗽𝘁. 𝕚𝕥 was breathtaking.
-𝗜 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝘁h𝗲 𝗼𝗶𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹. 𝕚𝕥 caused a lot of malfunctions..
4-"𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤/𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕤𝕖":
It points forward (nearly things).
e.g:
-The government announced new 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 today, aiming to reduce unemployment across the country. One of 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕤𝕖 involves allocating a set number of operational robots to companies.
-We’ve reviewed 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. 𝕋𝕙𝕚𝕤 is what we should choose.
-Thousands have lost their jobs due to 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧. 𝕎𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤, many city residents may have to relocate to rural areas for work.
5- 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥/𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕤𝕖:
refers back to something already mentioned.
e.g.:
-You always 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺, and 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 doesn’t follow the rules.
-𝗔 𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗵𝗶𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝘀𝘁 yesterday. 𝕋𝕙𝕒𝕥 caused major flooding in several towns.
-Many 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 are facing climate challenges. 𝕋𝕙𝕠𝕤𝕖 with limited resources are most affected.
Both tests were useful exercises. Such teaching ways help us to improve & refine those required skills to make the sentences interesting.
These two activities were so beneficial, and that helped me to enhance my grammar towards the usage of so, that, this, those, these. By the end of the lesson I was be able to identify the difference between them.
It was great. i like it so much.
well done
Avoid redundancy and you would score higher in an English exam. That technique is of huge importance. So, I think that this lesson is crucial and a reminder of how English is.
Hi team,
1) For Task 1) 5., "Most myths and legends have some element of truth in them."
2) One of the examples: “It was OK, but not nearly as good as the previous ones.” How is the meaning different if we remove ‘nearly’ from this sentence?
3) One of the examples: “Such navigation methods are actually fairly basic compared with others in the animal world.” Why isn’t ‘such a navigation method is’ used in this sentence?
Thank you very much.
Hi _Yan_,
Yes, you could. In this sentence 'element' is similar to words like 'type' and 'kind', which can be used in plural or singular form without any change in the meaning.
If we say 'A is not as good as B then we know which is better but not by how much. B might be a lot better or just a little bit better.
If we say 'A is not nearly as good as B then we know that B is a lot better.
You can say either 'such a + singular' or 'such + plural'. It's similar to the first question you asked in that the meaning is essentially the same. 'Such a method' is like 'a method like this' while 'such methods' is like 'methods like this one'.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi Peter,
Thank you very much for your reply.
A) To clarify, so for 3), does it matter if the example mentioned actually cover several examples (i.e. could we first describe several navigation methods by different species and then still use 'such a method' to mean 'a method like these methods') [currently, it is just one example (just one [ants'] navigation method)]
B) Furthermore, when we are to choose to say either 'such methods' or 'such a method', the basis is really, in our mind, whether we want to say another method like this (or these [if we can mentioned several examples as per my Q under A]) OR other methods like this one (these). Is this correct?
Thank you so much.
Hello again _Yan_,
Yes to both questions. I think you've got it. Well done!
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team