Writer: Use Adverbs With Caution!

I am dead to adverbs; they cannot excite me. To misplace an adverb is a thing which I am able to do with frozen indifference; it can never give me a pang. ... --and this adverb plague is one of them. ... Yes, there are things which we cannot learn, and there is no use in fretting about it. I cannot learn adverbs; and what is more I won't. - Mark Twain, "Reply to a Boston Girl," Atlantic Monthly, June 1880

How many times have you heard the advice, use adverbs with caution? Many writers are prone to the excessive use of adverbs (especially adverbs ending in –Y and –LY) to highlight subjects or emphasize a point. But did you know that careless use of adverbs can hurt your writing?

What Are Adverbs?

Adverb -- “: a word belonging to one of the major form classes in any of numerous languages, typically serving as a modifier of a verb, an adjective, another adverb, a preposition, a phrase, a clause, or a sentence, expressing some relation of manner or quality, place, time, degree, number, cause, opposition, affirmation, or denial, and in English also serving to connect and to express comment on clause content”(---The Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online) 

There are 5 types of adverbs (manner, time, frequency, place, purpose). Adverbs are used to compare, to give more detail or description. Below are some examples (Take note that not all adverbs end in –LY).

The italicized words are adverbs:

eat slowly 
lookedlovingly
write speedily
quickly left
really angry  
carefully checked
run faster  
almost cried  
very beautiful

Show, Don't Tell

The first book about writing I read was So You Want to Write a Novel by Lou Willett Stanek. In this book, she encourages writers to Show, Don’t Tell. Following this rule will help you avoid ineffective use of adverbs.

Compare the following sentences:

• Jenny angrily left the room.
• Jenny’s face flushed and her fists tightened as she slammed the door behind her.

The first sentence uses the adverb "angrily" to define how Jenny felt when she left the room.

The second sentence shows the reader how Jenny looked and how she acted. Upon reading the 2nd sentence, the reader understands that “Jenny was angry”.

Yes, imagination and practice are essential to express ideas without using adverbs. But the result can be rich, original and powerful writing.

Adverbs and Redundancy

Incorrect use of adverbs can lead to redundancy – another element of poor writing.  Consider this:

• If you really want to write well, it is extremely important to pay close attention to the words you actually use.
• If you want to write well, it is important to focus on the words you use.

Notice that the second sentence gets the message across even without additional words or adverbs.

Sometimes, I am guilty of using too many adverbs on my writing. After researching on this issue, it’s clear to see why adverbs should be used with caution. And that's what I'm going to do.

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Thanks,  
Rachel:)
 

Photo sources:

1. knife
2. show it!
3. redundancy