Several times lately I’ve seen a silly error in blog posts and emails. It’s one that makes the writer look like perhaps he or she lost the train of thought, or maybe did a re-write and forgot to remove something. But, perhaps that’s not it, because I hear the same thing over the phone – even in answering machine messages.
What is it? I call it “Too much also.”
It goes something like this: “And, in addition, we also offer…”
Other times, you see it at both ends of a sentence. They start out with “also” and end with “too.”
If I wrote about my day in this manner, I might say “I’m finishing up copy for a web page this morning. I’m also writing an agent bio today too.” It sounds jarring, much like running across someone’s wake when you’re speeding across a lake.
Another version of this error is “presently at this time,” and its use is just as common.
These are both examples of redundancy, and both detract rather than add to the meaning and comprehension of a statement. So choose one and use it. You can use the other one some other time.
