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Tautological Pairs

Flags redundant verb + body-part combinations where the verb already implies the body part involved.

What It Does

Scans for verbs from a curated list (nodded, shrugged, blinked, etc.) and checks the following 4 words for redundant body parts. "Nodded his head" is flagged because nodding can only be done with the head.

Why It Matters

These invisible wasted words appear in virtually every first draft. They add nothing to the reader's understanding — you can't nod anything except your head, or shrug anything except your shoulders. Cutting them tightens prose and demonstrates craft-level word economy.

What Gets Flagged

Severity Example Why Suggested Revision
Information "He nodded his head." "nodded" already implies "head" "He nodded."
Information "She shrugged her shoulders." "shrugged" already implies "shoulders" "She shrugged."
Information "He blinked his eyes." "blinked" already implies "eyes" "He blinked."

Configuration

No configuration options. Includes ~28 verb-body-part pairs covering common physical actions.

Technical Details

  • Source: prose-craft
  • Scope: Sentence-level
  • Method: Verb lookup table + 4-word lookahead window for redundant nouns/adverbs