# Using the same word twice in a sentence



## Holly_M (Feb 22, 2015)

I'm sorry if this topic has been raised before, but I did a search and couldn't find anything.

My question is, is it ever OK to use the same word twice in a sentence? I've just done it in the previous sentence :redface2:! For effect of course! :smug:

I realise you shoud probably try to find an alternative, but when you've done that and can't come up with anything, is it OK then? Is it ever acceptable?

The word I'm referring to is the word _and. _I suppose I could just cut the sentence down, but then the meaning may be lost, if you see what I mean.

Here's the sentence I'm referring to here, where _and_ is used twice:

We sped past a stonewalled house in a thickly frosted field and I thought how peaceful it looked and so far removed from Belfast town centre 

The sentence doesn't seem to work half as well when I take out the _and, _instead using a comma.

Thanks by the way.


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## Deafmute (Feb 22, 2015)

> We sped past a stonewalled house in a thickly frosted field and I thought how peaceful it looked and so far removed from Belfast town centre



We sped past a stonewalled house in a thickly frosted field. I thought how peaceful it looked, so far removed from Belfast's town center.

That is how I would write it. Flows much better.


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## shadowwalker (Feb 22, 2015)

Nothing whatsoever wrong with using words more than once in a sentence, especially such common ones as 'and' and 'the'. Sometimes it flows better if you don't, but sometimes the impact is lost.


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## Riis Marshall (Feb 22, 2015)

Hello Holly

If it reads smoothly, do it. I do it occasionally for emphasis.

He shot at everything that moved: rabbits and squirrels and pheasants.

Done too often it can look tiresome but sometimes as a break from the standard use of commas and ands, I think it's just fine.

You can also do the opposite and leave out the and. He shot at everything that moved: rabbits, squirrels, pheasants.

Breaking the rules occasionally is okay so long as (1) you know what rule you're breaking, (2) the result feels right and (3) it's a consistent part of your style.

All the best with your writing.

Warmest regards
Riis


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## Carousel (Feb 22, 2015)

We sped past a stonewalled house in a thickly frosted field. I thought how peaceful it looked and so far removed from Belfast's town center.


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## Bloggsworth (Feb 22, 2015)

Holly_M said:


> I'm sorry if this topic has been raised before, but I did a search and couldn't find anything.
> 
> My question is, is it ever OK to use the same word twice in a sentence? I've just done it in the previous sentence :redface2:! For effect of course! :smug:
> 
> ...



We sped past a stonewalled house in a thickly frosted field, thinking how peaceful it looked and so far removed from Belfast town centre


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## Jeko (Feb 22, 2015)

> My question is, is it ever OK to use the same word twice in a sentence?



Of course. The art of repetition is one of the key tools at a writer's disposal.

The example you gave reads incorrectly to me, but not because of the repeated 'and'. It's just a case of unclear grammar.


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## Kevin (Feb 22, 2015)

There's always alternatives, 'while'  or ', and' ,  even ';'.  If I get too stuck on it I usually just break it into two sentences.


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## Holly_M (Feb 22, 2015)

Thank you everyone for your replies. Some great suggestions there. Thanks again.


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## Holly_M (Feb 22, 2015)

Cadence said:


> Of course. The art of repetition is one of the key tools at a writer's disposal.
> 
> The example you gave reads incorrectly to me, but not because of the repeated 'and'. It's just a case of unclear grammar.



I've changed the line completely. Thanks for pointing that out.


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## bazz cargo (Feb 22, 2015)

There is a subtle difference in using 'and' inside dialogue or internal monologue and the way it would be used in the rest of the text. Context is everything.


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## Gamer_2k4 (Feb 23, 2015)

Repetition is a powerful rhetorical device, and one I'm fond of.  Wikipedia has a list of the different sorts here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repetition_(rhetorical_device)

For an example from my own work, consider this passage:

_"We have no leader, we have no Guardians, we have no riflemen, we have no troops, and we have no morale! This is a battle we can't win! This is a war we can't win, at least not here!"_

Here, I use "we have no" five times in the first sentence to drive home the seriousness of their situation.  I do the same with "This is a _____ we can't win" in the next two sentences for rhetorical effect.  Whether or not it works is up to the reader, I suppose.


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