Redundancy and Wordiness on the SAT
The Easiest Points You're Leaving on the Table
Master sentence structure, punctuation, and clarity with repeatable rules.
Guard the Sentence Core
Identify the subject and verb, then make sure punctuation does not split them or add extra ideas.
- Find the subject + verb first. That is the sentence core.
- Only add commas around extra information, never inside the core.
- Re-read the sentence without the modifier to test clarity.
Why Redundancy and Wordiness Matters on the SAT
Picture yourself writing an essay at midnight, scrambling for 200 more words to reach the page count. Almost everyone has resorted to padding with phrases like "In my personal opinion, I genuinely think and believe that..." to fill the gap. The SAT Reading and Writing section, however, is built to detect exactly that kind of inflated writing. The upside is that once you know how to recognize redundancy and wordiness, these questions turn into some of the easiest points on the entire test. There are no complex grammar rules to memorize and no tricky exceptions to remember. The only question is: does every word earn its place?
What Are Redundancy and Wordiness?
Let's separate these two close cousins:
- Redundancy means saying the same thing twice using different words. Think "free gift" (all gifts are free), "past history" (all history is past), or "advance planning" (all planning is in advance). The extra word adds zero new meaning.
- Wordiness means using more words than necessary to express an idea. Think "due to the fact that" when you could just say "because," or "at this point in time" instead of "now."
Both problems have the same fix: concision. A concise sentence delivers its full meaning in the fewest clear words, nothing missing, nothing wasted.
Why the SAT Cares About This
The SAT values clear, efficient writing. When you see a question where every answer choice is grammatically correct but they differ in length, you're almost certainly looking at a concision question. The test isn't checking whether you know a grammar rule, it's checking whether you can tell the difference between writing that's tight and writing that's bloated.
Here's the misconception that trips students up: "The longest answer must be the most thorough." On the SAT, the opposite is usually true. If a shorter answer preserves the complete meaning of the sentence, it's almost always the right one. The test rewards students who can cut the fat.
The Strategy: Three Steps
When you suspect a concision question, follow this process:
- Read the shortest answer choice first. Does it preserve the full meaning of the sentence? If yes, pick it and move on. You just saved yourself 30 seconds.
- Look for twins. Are there two words or phrases in the sentence that mean the same thing? ("Annual yearly," "combine together," "each and every.") One of them needs to go.
- Swap the filler. Can a multi-word phrase be replaced by a single word? ("Due to the fact that" → "because." "In order to" → "to." "In the event that" → "if.")
That's the whole strategy. No grammar tables, no exceptions. Let's practice.
Practice Redundancy and Wordiness with SAT-Style Questions
Work through these from easiest to hardest. Each one targets a pattern you'll see on test day.
Which choice most effectively eliminates redundancy in the underlined portion?
Which choice best maintains the sentence's meaning while eliminating wordiness?
Which revision is most concise without changing the meaning?
Which choice eliminates redundancy while preserving the writer's meaning?
Which choice is most concise?
Common Redundancy Traps to Memorize
The SAT recycles the same patterns. Burn these into your memory and you'll spot them instantly on test day:
- "In my opinion, I think / I believe", pick one or the other
- "Annual yearly" / "daily every day", the time word already says it
- "Past history" / "future plans" / "advance planning", the noun already implies the timeframe
- "Each and every", they mean the same thing
- "Combine together" / "cooperate together", "together" is built into the verb
- "Completely finished" / "totally destroyed", the verb already implies completeness
- "Due to the fact that" → "because"
- "In order to" → "to"
- "At this point in time" → "now"
- "In the event that" → "if"
Key Takeaways for Redundancy and Wordiness
- Redundancy = same idea expressed twice. If two words or phrases in a sentence mean the same thing, one of them has to go.
- Check the shortest answer first. If it preserves the sentence's full meaning, it's almost certainly correct. Don't overthink it.
- Every grammatically correct answer isn't the right answer. The SAT often gives you four clean sentences and asks which one is tightest. This isn't a grammar test, it's an editing test.
- Memorize the common traps. Phrases like "due to the fact that," "each and every," and "past history" show up constantly. Know them on sight.
Conclusion: The Core Rule for Redundancy and Wordiness
Redundancy and wordiness questions are among the most gettable points on the SAT Reading and Writing section. You don't need to memorize complicated grammar rules or diagram sentences, you just need to ask yourself, "Is anything here said twice?" Train your eye on the common patterns, always check the shortest answer first, and you'll pick up these points quickly and confidently.
Remember: shorter is usually better. If every word earns its place, the sentence is done. If a word repeats what another word already said, cross it out and move on.
