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I've seen both "kneel" and "kneel down" writing.

When I enterd "kneel down" in the software After the Deadline, it says it's a redundant expression. Is that correct?

Example sentence:

I went over to the edge of the cliff and knelt down.

wyc
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  • Did you mean to write "keel" three times or is it "kneel"? Keel is a different word, although it does mean to go down, too. – Julia Sep 28 '15 at 13:36
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    "Kneel down" is redundant in the slightest possible way. I wouldn't worry about it, unless you are working up a George Carlin-esque routine for open mic night. – Robusto Sep 28 '15 at 13:40
  • @Robusto Yeah, I could write it as a pre-kneeling down situation. – wyc Sep 28 '15 at 13:42
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    Minimalists often forget that less is sometimes less, not more. – Robusto Sep 28 '15 at 13:43
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    Who cares if it's redundant as long as it's grammatical. 99% of everything is redundant. If you feel that "knelt down" must be just "knelt", then I demand that "went over" be just "went", and "to the edge of the cliff" be just "to the edge". For that matter, what's the deal with this "I"? It should be clear from the context who it was, so just drop it. Totally redundant. "Went to the edge and knelt". Perfect! Now just drop the "the" and the "and", and you're done. – RegDwigнt Sep 28 '15 at 13:45
  • @RegDwigнt great, now there's another computer program telling me how to express myself. It's like Spock's revenge. We should call this After Spock's Deadline. – michael_timofeev Sep 28 '15 at 14:40
  • "Kneel down" is a companion to "sit down" and a counterpart to "stand up" in everyday use—although those two phrases have contrasting idiomatic phrases "sit up" and (in UK English) "stand down." But "lie down" (and not simply "lie") is a common way to express the act of positioning one's body horizontally on a bed; does the nonexistence of an idiomatic "lie up" make "lie down" redundant? Ultimately I agree with the implication of RegDwigнt's comment that we don't require every word in English speech to contribute something crucial to the idea being expressed in order to justify its existence. – Sven Yargs Sep 28 '15 at 18:25
  • No, it is not redundant. In a recent similar question (that asked about the meaning of the preposition), I argued that it functions as a telicity marker, signalling to the addressee that the action is perfective. The aswer is here http://english.stackexchange.com/a/259139/105642. – anemone Sep 28 '15 at 19:04
  • I was out in my canoe today, enjoying the sunshine. I knelt on the floor of the boat for some of the time. I was most comfortable kneeling with my bottom resting on the seat behind. I also knelt in a more upright position, with thighs and torso in a straight(ish) vertical(ish) line. I would call the first position just "kneeling" and the second "kneeling up". If I was flexible enough, I'd get my bum on my heels. I'd call this "kneeling down". It would make for more stability, but is never going to happen. – Margana Sep 28 '15 at 22:42
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    @anemone It's also an informality marker here ('I went over to the edge of the cliff and knelt' is grammatical and obviously synonymous – telicity is implied – but sounds far more formal). – Edwin Ashworth Sep 29 '15 at 23:05
  • Trying to picture kneeling up. – Janet Jan 30 '21 at 21:47
  • Kneeling up may be interpreted as being akin to sitting up, that is, kneeling but maintaining an upright stance (rather than sitting on one's haunches and bowing down). – Andrew Leach Jan 31 '21 at 08:44

1 Answers1

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Yes, "kneel down" is redundant.

However, it is still grammatically accurate and widely used.

Liam
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