Tautology refers to an expression or phrase which states the same thing in two different ways. Tautology is undesirable because it can make you appear foolish and wordier than you need to be. Sometimes, it can help add emphasis or introduce ambiguity; however, in most cases, it is best to choose one way to explain your meaning and eliminate the extra use of words. This also helps in boosting your understanding. Commonly, tautology has two definitions- one explains the meaning of verbal tautology, and the other explains logical tautology.
Verbal tautology includes using a few words which mean the same thing. For instance, ‘I went to see him personally’ is an example of verbal tautology as the adverb ‘personally’ explains the idea in the word ‘I.’
Logical tautology is true in every circumstance. For instance, it can be explained by using either/or statements that cannot be false. ‘Either the dog is brown, or the dog is not brown’; this sentence is always true.
