Jack Finney (most famous for writing Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and also Time and Again) wrote a short story titled Cousin Len's Magical Adjective Cellar.
It magically removes adjectives and adverbs from writing leaving “the most crisp, sharp writing you’ve ever seen”.
I had a poetry teacher who just hated adverbs. Was right on the verge of outright banning them from our writing until he started reciting to himself, "Turning, Turning in a widening gyre..." and had to admit they had some use.
The Second Coming is remarkably adverb free.
A poetry teacher who didn't like descriptive language? I mean, I understand that overuse can make for some florid junk, but did he really think poetry should read like an inventory list?
"while I pondered, weak and weary, over many a curious volume of forgotten lore."
OK, poetry, bad example.
But you'll get my adverbs and adjectives when you pry them from my cold, dead fingers.
Adverbs are generally considered to be a weak construction, a way to slather lots of frosting on a mediocre cake. Good writing prefers strong, active verb constructions. Adverbs should be used........sparingly.
(See a better construction would be to say something like, "Be stingy with adverbs." The active verb makes it more vivid.)
Adverbs are generally considered to be a weak construction, a way to slather lots of frosting on a mediocre cake. Good writing prefers strong, active verb constructions. Adverbs should be used........sparingly.
Unsurprisingly, I don't agree with this. I feel it's more of a guideline than a rule.
"Be" is active?
Yeah not so much.
Unsurprisingly, I don't agree with this.
Tell it to Strunk and White, missy.
