Stuck in One Place

Redundancy is common in our language, and we use many of the redundant phrases without even realizing it. Blazing inferno, terrible tragedy, and heavy downpours are three examples that I included in my book; these are said so often that we don’t even realize the redundany. Wait, I already said that–who’s being redundant now? Anyway, stuck in one place is another such redundant phrase.

Stuck has several definitions, but in this case, it means brought to a standstill, such as The car was stuck in the snow drift. If you’re at standstill, you’re in one place; therefore, stuck in one place is a redundant phrase–unless you have some metaphysical ability to be in more than one place at a time.

–Paul

Paul’s book–Literally, the Best Language Book Ever;

Sherry’s Grammar List

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