Is "dead body" redundant?

DoctorK · Feb 7, 2012

I worked as a journalist for a number of years, and was taught to never use the phrase "dead body." In reporting, it's assumed that when you're referring to a body, the subject is deceased, rendering "dead" redundant.

However, in writing a novel, I'm wondering if the same is true. For example, my (revised) opening line:

The day before yesterday, Peter Fletcher found a dead body.

or

The day before yesterday, Peter Fletcher found a body.

I wouldn't want to have my manuscript chucked aside by an agent after reading that crucial first sentence and thinking, "dead body is redundant."

What do you think?

HapiSofi · Feb 7, 2012

I think that if you're writing in a context in which someone might be talking about a live body, "dead body" would be okay. Otherwise, "a body" is assumed to be dead, so "dead body" is redundant.

Were you taught not to use "corpse"?

DoctorK · Feb 7, 2012

I should have mentioned it's a MG book, so I think corpse is a little too formal. I'm thinking about the line from Stand By Me: "You guys wanna see a dead body?" vs. "You guys wanna see a corpse?"

In broadcast journalism you almost never hear corpse. "Firefighters recovered two bodies from the wreckage," vs. "Firefighters recovered two corpses from the wreckage."

Fenika · Feb 7, 2012

I have a living body (no zombie-ism for me, thanks). There are bio/med books on there on The Human Body. Etc. Dead body is in no way redundant, though I can see how some contexts the dead would be 'assumed'.

Even in CSI they say 'we've got a DB' for Dead Body (along with saying 'we've got a body' too. I think.)

Polenth · Feb 7, 2012

Newspapers aim for a consistent style between different stories, but as a fiction writer, that's not the aim. You want the unique voice of your characters to show. If your characters are going to call it a dead body, that's what you call it. If they'd call it a corpse, that's what you call it. There's no style guide to adhere to.

PorterStarrByrd · Feb 7, 2012

If it's clearly dead in context, it's reduntant, otherwise probably not. In speech people often deliver redundancies. In newpaper reporting not so much.

tmesis · Feb 7, 2012

'Body' doesn't necessarily imply 'corpse', but if your second and third sentences describe the appearance of the body or where it was found, then 'dead' is indeed redundant.

DanielaTorre · Feb 7, 2012

As tmesis said, it depends what comes after that sentence.

"The day before yesterday, Peter Fletcher found a body. It was laying spread-eagle behind the bleachers."

In which case you need not add "dead" before body.

For MG, I see nothing wrong with saying "dead body". I highly doubt they'll stop reading if it did.

kuwisdelu · Feb 7, 2012

DanielaTorre said:
"The day before yesterday, Peter Fletcher found a body. It was laying spread-eagle behind the bleachers."

In which case you need not add "dead" before body.

On the other hand, if you have:

"It was the smell of her body that hit me first. She was lying spread-eagle behind the bleachers. Her skirt was pulled up over her waist, her blouse and bra lay at her side, and her eyes were wide and wet. But it was her scent that made my head light and dizzy and my vision swim as I stared down at her. I reached out to touch her, but stopped myself, fearing the consequences. Should I? Shouldn't I? Wouldn't it be a sin? Wouldn't it be dirty? Dangerous? I didn't want to disturb her perfect, still form, nearly naked and inciting me into this treacherous act. My finger trembled. Would she be cold? Warm? Would any part of her react under the pressure of my savage touch? Forgive me, dear reader! I gave in."

Well...

Choose your own adventure!

a. She was dead, and as cold as her twin sister had felt beneath my fingers. (Turn to post #43.)
b. She smiled. (Turn to post #67.)
c. She slapped me. (Go back to post #-3.14)
d. And then a velociraptor suddenly appeared. (Turn to — too late: you're dead.)

PorterStarrByrd · Feb 7, 2012

pervert.

DoctorK · Feb 7, 2012

Well, this innocent question has spiraled usefully out of control.

Thanks for the input. The dead plays.

Bufty · Feb 7, 2012

lying spreadeagled unless spread-eagle is some kind of tar or seed or something.

DanielaTorre said:
...

"The day before yesterday, Peter Fletcher found a body. It was laying spread-eagle behind the bleachers."

PorterStarrByrd · Feb 7, 2012

ooop lying speadeagle d if ya wanna get technical

Tepelus · Feb 7, 2012

thothguard51 · Feb 7, 2012

"Cap, a floater was just reported off the east harbor pier."

"Cap, we got a homicide at 133 Broad St."

"So who found the body?"

The street was littered with bodies after the tanks rolled through, some still alive, but barely.

Notice, in none of the above examples, I didn't need to use the word dead as it's obvious...

Jamesaritchie · Feb 7, 2012

If you write, "We found a body", no one is going to think you found a live one. It is context, but "dead body" is, at best, wordy.

HistorySleuth · Feb 7, 2012

DoctorK said:
However, in writing a novel, I'm wondering if the same is true. For example, my (revised) opening line:

The day before yesterday, Peter Fletcher found a dead body.

or

The day before yesterday, Peter Fletcher found a body.

I wouldn't want to have my manuscript chucked aside by an agent after reading that crucial first sentence and thinking, "dead body is redundant."

Jamesaritchie said:
If you write, "We found a body", no one is going to think you found a live one. It is context, but "dead body" is, at best, wordy.

Now personally, I think it's kind of hard to tell by just a sentence out of context. For example:

The day before yesterday, Peter Fletcher found a body.

***

"9-1-1. What's your emergency?"

"Yes. I'm, I'm on the thruway going east, near exit 43. I think, I mean I don't really know. I mean I know where I am but there's a woman's body..."

"Try to calm down, sir. Can you tell me your name?"

"It's Peter, Peter Fletcher."

"Good. Thank you. Now Mr. Fletcher, tell me what you see."

"OK. OK. Right. I think it's a woman. It looks like a woman anyway. I mean I haven't gone over and looked yet, but it's definitely a body up against the fence back by the tree line."

Etc, etc. So at this point yes there is a body, but we don't know if it's a dead body or not because he hasn't gone over there, or checked for pulse, etc. So without reading the whole scene as to what is going on around said body, who is to say said body is not alive? She could be alive and unconscious. However, if the scene describes obvious death descriptively, than I would agree, adding "dead" to 'body" would be redundant.

---The day before yesterday, Peter Fletcher found a body.--- At that point I don't know yet if said person is alive or dead without reading the scene. And maybe, you don't want me to know yet either.

But in and of itself, I don't think saying a body was found assumes death. I'd need more.

Jaligard · Feb 7, 2012

DoctorK said:
I should have mentioned it's a MG book.

If it's middle grade, it is almost certainly a dead body. If you can get that wide-eyed fascination into the sentence, even better.

DanielaTorre · Feb 7, 2012

Bufty said:
lying spreadeagled unless spread-eagle is some kind of tar or seed or something.

"Spread-eagled" is a perfectly acceptable way of spelling, thank you very much. No correction needed.

Nexus · Feb 7, 2012

My unprofessional opinion is that it is hardly redundant.

We all have bodies. Saying dead body is, perhaps, not smooth - but not redundant.

If someone says, "Do you like my body?", they are not referring to their dead body.

If there is a person outlined in chalk, one can simply say, "the body", rather than the dead body.

If one is having a sex scene that also happens to have a dead person nearby (I know, sounds weird but stick with me hypothetically), then one might want to clarify a "lover's body" versus a "dead body".

Otherwise, there really is no need for "dead" in the phrase "dead body"

DoctorK · Feb 7, 2012

@HistorySleuth - it's closer to Exit 45, actually (setting the story primarily in Rochester).

What I'm hearing is that it may not be technically incorrect, could very well be unnecessary, and probably wouldn't be so bad as to make an agent put the thing down straight away. I'm leaning toward keeping the dead. I think it fits with the voice of the 14-year old POV MC.

kuwisdelu · Feb 7, 2012

Kay: So what do you think?
Jay: Whew! Very interesting. She got a whole "queen of the undead" thing going on...
Kay: What about the body?
Jay: Great body...
Kay: The dead body.

F.E. · Feb 7, 2012

DanielaTorre said:
Bufty said:

lying spreadeagled unless spread-eagle is some kind of tar or seed or something.

Click to expand...

"Spread-eagled" is a perfectly acceptable way of spelling, thank you very much. No correction needed.

I think Bufty was trying to let you know that you had probably wanted to use "lying" in your post:

DanielaTorre said:
"The day before yesterday, Peter Fletcher found a body. It was laying spread-eagle behind the bleachers."

Susan Coffin · Feb 7, 2012

If I read a body was found, I think dead.

HistorySleuth · Feb 7, 2012

DoctorK said:
@HistorySleuth - it's closer to Exit 45, actually (setting the story primarily in Rochester).

Wow. I must have had that whole subconscious thing going on, being from Wyoming County .... that, or subconsciously thinking I wanted to go back to BestBuy for a laptop.

Is "dead body" redundant?

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