Today we’re very pleased to have Karen Conlin from Grammargeddon with us! Without further ado:

If I’ve told you once . . .

There’s repetition, and there’s repetition.

It’s something editors warn writers about all the time. Don’t repeat the same sentence structure throughout a paragraph. Don’t begin every sentence with the same word. Don’t use the same phrase every time X happens.

And yet, if it’s done well repetition is a powerful tool. The thing is knowing how to do it well and knowing when not to indulge.

When done well, repetition makes prose sound nearly like poetry. When done badly, it makes prose sound like—well, like bad prose.

He got up from the chair and walked to the window. He opened the window and looked out. He saw a rose garden across the street and noticed a woman walking. He closed the window and leaned his head against…