Posted on 12/12/2024 8:15:28 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Much like eating a pint of ice cream while watching guilty-pleasure television, using adverbs, tempting as it may be, is best done sparingly. Just ask author Stephen King, who declared, “The road to hell is paved with adverbs,” in the writing guide/memoir On Writing. Where did King get the idea that adverbs are such a negative part of speech? And despite his feelings on the topic, isn’t it possible to use them in a manner that adds color and intrigue? Let’s examine why King might have his curious opinion and how adverbs are used — for better or worse.
Adverbs are similar to adjectives, which are used to describe nouns. Adverbs, however, can describe verbs, adjectives, entire sentences, and even other adverbs. Generally, adverbs end in “-ly” — and “generally” just so happens to be one. But there are plenty of exceptions to the “-ly” rule, including words such as “soon,” “almost,” and “often,” just to name a few.
The most common use for adverbs is to modify verbs and describe how a certain action is performed. You may say, “They jogged happily down the street,” or “The musician sang beautifully.” “Happily” and “beautifully” are adverbs that modify the verbs “jogged” and “sang.” King’s complaint isn’t without merit, though. While they can provide detail and context, as in the examples above, adverbs are often superfluous. For example, “Beatrice yelled loudly” is redundant, given the word “yelled” already implies loudness.
When modifying adjectives, adverbs are intensifiers that add strength to the descriptor. For example, someone may be “exceptionally strong” or a hill could be “very large.” King might give the writing advice that if you’re using “very” or “really,” chances are there’s a more descriptive word you can choose instead of a clunky adverb/adjective combo; rather than “very large,” say “enormous.”
If you’re using an adverb to modify a complete sentence, the adverb should appear at the start: “Clearly, she didn’t study for the test.” Other examples of this kind of adverb usage include “actually,” “basically,” “fortunately,” and so on. Lastly, adverbs can alter other adverbs, as in, “She never fully accepted the truth,” or “The kid ran around the room very energetically.” These add extra emphasis when you’re trying to hammer home a point.
In general, using adverbs is straightforward in a grammatical sense. In King’s diatribe against adverbs, he goes on to say, “Good writing is often about letting go of fear.” To make your writing stronger and more interesting, let go of your fear and take the red pen to those adverbs. Replace them with stronger nouns and verbs that convey your meaning better than a basic adverb such as “very” ever could.
Totally…
“Big League”
Importantly in this case is an adverb modifying the sentence and is serving as a kind of interjection like watch out. Used properly it is good writing because it emphasizes that the point in the indicated sentence must be understood to understand what is being talked about.
Firstly, I’m guilty and forever hard wired to point #2.
Secondly, I can still barely work out the whole “whom/whomever” vs “who/whoever” distinction. I think there was a Freeper, ten years ago, who rightfully ripped me apart on that one.
RE: “Big League”
Yeah I can see how “big league” can sound like “bigly” to some listeners, which led to widespread jokes and memes about Trump using a non-existent word.
But I don’t mind it entering the American lexicon, much like the word “ain’t” did. :)
Hey...no diagramming sentences...
Musk failed English.
No doubt a high rate of speed.
I immediately thought of that.
“Interjections” is my favorite.
Fresh baked bread? (no comma)
or
Freshly baked bread?
I only see older people using adverbs these days.
I mourn the death of the adverb.
I feel bad about his situation.
I feel badly about his situation.
I got dinged once for using the second form. Also, which is right if I want to tell someone I'm sick? (I feel bad??)
I'm a word geek and collect collective nouns (e.g., a murder of crows). I'm up to 1100 of them. A long time ago I submitted one for consideration (a rumble of gangs) but was told it has to be used in a published work and I could never work it into any of my books (all technical programming books). I forgot who is the qaulifying committee is.
Gosh....loved doing that...I think 6th grade
I agree, bigly.
Read later.
I’m often stumped by adverb placement. Should it be “Him quickly ran” or “Him ran quickly”?
I have a corollary: The number of gratuitous adjectives an antique gaslight media article/headline contains is directly proportional to the quantity of Astroturf, gaslight, projection and lies it contains.
Kings book, “On Writing” is one “how to” book that I found interesting and useful.
It was so much better than any English teacher/professor.
If you want to write so that people will read your story or report, I “highly” recommend it.
Especially on DIY Youtube videos.
Along with "go ahead and". I know, not an adverb, but bugs the _____ out of me.
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