The elements of style by Strunken White is one of the most popular usage guides of modern times.

And one of the book's pieces of advice, omit needless words, may be the most memorable and repeated maxim.

It's an example of its own command.

It has no needless words.

And it appeals to any teacher whose students pad their ideas with fluff

to reach a required word count.

Despite its simplicity though, the maxim leaves us with one open question.

What makes a word needless?

Grammar girl here. I'm Mignon Fog Fogerty, your friendly guide to the English language. Stick around because after we talk about the times when it's actually

okay to be redundant, I'll talk about the oddball word leroping.

When you're trying to figure out if a word is needless, one simple test is to ask whether

the word adds meaning.

And the answer can vary from sentence to sentence. Consider personally.

At first, it seems to be redundant. Don't the following sentences mean the same thing? Personally, I want lasagna for dinner and I want

lasagna for dinner. Although it's true that both sentences mean the person

wants lasagna, adding personally to the beginning

acknowledges that other people are involved. With personally, it sounds like less of a demand,

or it can even convey a sense of resentment or superiority.

Personally, I want lasagna for dinner but you know we always end up having what George

wants. Personally, I never call mom before noon, but Edith seems to think

it's fine. Would those sentences mean the same things without personally? Yes, but the writers would also sound less put

upon and self-righteous without the word personally. Personally can also emphasize

...