Skill: Vocabulary
Category: General English & Academic English
Level: Upper-Intermediate
Positive Redundancy
Sometimes using the same words in writing over and over, decreases the quality of your work and negatively impacts on the outcome. So authors usually use synonyms and antonyms in their writing for positive redundancy. The utilization of positive redundancy helps readers to read ideas more than once but with different vocabulary. In this way, the meaning is reinforced, but the language is new.
For example: Peter had not been graced with wealth, but he was given a kind mother who inseminated in him a sense of hard work and pride.
In the above example, the word given is used as a synonym for the word graced to avoid repeating the same word.
Therefore, understanding and using various words with the same meaning is a must in writing that should be taken into account.
1- Writing about advantages:
Advantage (noun) A good aspect that something has which makes it more useful than other things.
Ex: Studying at public universities has more advantages than studying at private universities.
Merit (noun) the quality of being good and deserve praise.
Ex: The people know the merit of studying at public university.
Ex: The principal saw no great merit in this suggestion. (it means the ideas was not a good one.
good point (noun) a good feature that something has.
Ex: Each English system has its good and bad points.
plus point (noun) good characteristics that something has
Ex: Regular exercises have many plus points for your health.
Ex: Understanding many foreign languages has many plus point.
the good/ great/ best thing about (noun) used to mention a good feature of something
Ex: His sense of humor was the great thing about him.
2- Writing about disadvantages
drawback (noun) a disadvantage that shows something is not so good; however, it has some advantages.
Ex: The major drawback of this method of teaching is that it doesn’t involve students in the lesson.
downside (noun) the disadvantage of a situation which seems to be very good in some way.
Ex: The downside of watching television is that it is a time-consumer.
Ex: Eating fast food has many downsides for your health.
bad point (noun) bad feature which something has.
Ex: For all its bad points, this software is one of its kind.
Ex: There are good points and bad points about co-education in university.