Is this sentence correct or could one avoid using "out" twice:
I have something important to say that's been stressing me out these days and I need to let it out
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Roger Sinasohn
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Rodrigo Gomes
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6Don't worry about using words twice in a sentence. This is mostly a matter of style. – Robusto Jul 05 '17 at 20:55
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With a sentence this colloquial — "stress out" and "let out" — I don't think you need worry about style (as that is what it is). There are no grammatical rules of this sort in English. – David Jul 06 '17 at 08:56
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FWIW, "get it off my chest" is an idiom that can replace ''let it out''. – Scott - Слава Україні Jul 15 '17 at 17:37
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It is indeed mostly a matter of style, but if you want to remove the dual "out", which is sometimes frowned upon due to the way it sounds so closely placed together, you could change the sentence to this:
I have something important to say that's been stressing me lately and I need to let it out.
Or if you are really set on using the idiom "stressing me out" you could change it to:
I have something important to say that's been stressing me out these days and I need to release it
[or "find a release for it."].
Kace36
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I would refactor it as follows:
There's something that's been stressing me out, that I simply have to say.
Major Fifth
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"Stressing me out" is merely a sloppy colloquialism for emphasis rather than a construct with literal meaning. If it had literal meaning we might compare it with "stressing me in" but that is meaningless.
Drop the "out" and your meaning is the same. If you wish to emphasise how stressed you are, try "stressing me hard" or "very stressing for me".
