A flume can be either a natural, narrow sloping channel with a stream running through it or an artificial channel used to move water or even items like trees. I often think of it in the gold rush days here in Georgia, where a flume might have been used to transport water for washing dirt or rocks. The picture above has examples of both an artificial flume and, in the background, a natural flume.
“The team of men built a flume to float logs down to the river and then on to the saw mill.”
“During the gold rush of 1832, it was not unusual to see several flumes on every creek used to convey water for washing dirt and rocks in search of placer gold.”
“At the theme park in Orlando, they had a ride that mimicked a log flume.”
Duplicative is the adjective form of the word duplicate, but some sources cite a difference. A duplicate implies an exact copy, whereas duplicative might imply something that is a copy, but not an exact copy. A duplicative process might result in a product with variations. It might also be used to indicate a redundant or unnecessary effort.
“The bank’s audit revealed several duplicative or redundant processes that resulted in wasted time.”
“To shorten the essay, Jack removed several references that were duplicative and unnecessary.”
“After the merger, management found many duplicative departments that were combined to create a more responsive team.”
Combining the words flume and duplicative into a sentence is not so difficult, so let’s give it a try.
“The safety team discovered duplicative safety protocols in the flume design, which unnecessarily complicated the water flow.”
“After reviewing the amusement park’s map, the team realized the new log flume ride was duplicative of an older attraction.”
“The report criticized the construction of a second flume as duplicative and potentially harmful to nearby wildlife.”
