Remember that in your essays in the Analytical Writing section of the GRE, "long" doesn't necessarily mean "good." If a lot of that length stems from wordiness, you are on your way to a poor score. Every word has to count.
All types of prolixity will be frowned on, but redundant combinations such as
«Les Fausses Confidences was premiered for the first time in 1737. »
will make your correctors particularly dyspeptic. If «premiere» (as a verb) means «to show or perform publicly for the first time,» why would anyone want to say «the work was performed for the first time for the first time in 1737″?
Just write:
«Les Fausses Confidences was premiered in 1737.” Or «Les Fausses Confidences had its premiere in 1737.”
When you take a misstep in the form of a redundant combination like "premiere for the first time," not only are you adding gratuitous words, but you are blunting the expressiveness of the language.
This practice of bolstering a word with another word that replicates part of its meaning abounds in mediocre media outlets, unfortunately. More examples I have seen recently that make me wring my hands:
"return back"
"progress-forward"
“penetrate through”
“adequate enough”
Anyone who says "return back" reveals an abysmal ignorance of etymology. «Re-» is a Latin prefix that means «again; back, back”. So why would someone want to say "come back back"?
Or “Please RSVP”? «SVP» stands for «Por favor» — «please», in French. (and the “R” for “respond» — «answer»)
The GRE scorers will hold you to high standards — the standards of the careful writer, who avoids such nonsense. Know the etymology of the words you use, and let the word do its own work.
Técnicas Lingüísticas Aplicadas
June 2015
