Zero-repeat scan
Scan the following long-form text for repeated words, phrases, or constructions that are distinctive enough to create an unintentional echo. A very experienced editor would catch these even when they appear thousands of words apart.
What to flag:
1. Specific or unusual words repeated more than once (e.g., "relentless" appearing in paragraph 2 and paragraph 14). Common utility words (the, very, important, great) are excluded unless they appear in a repeated pattern.
2. Repeated modifiers or intensifiers that are distinctive enough to stand out (e.g., "deeply flawed" and "deeply personal" in the same piece).
3. Identical structural patterns reused with different subjects (e.g., "zero funding" and "zero experience," or "the kind of X that Y" appearing twice).
4. Repeated figurative language or imagery (e.g., two separate metaphors involving water, or calling two different things "a machine").
5. Distinctive phrases or collocations used more than once, even if slightly varied (e.g., "at the end of the day" appearing near both the opening and the closing).
What to ignore: genuinely common words and phrases that a reader would never notice repeating. Use editorial judgment — the test is whether a careful reader might feel a faint sense of déjà vu.
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