Guest Author - Terrie Lynn Bittner

Adverbs modify verbs, other adverbs, and adjectives. You can often spot them by looking for the –ly at the end of the word. However, not all adverbs end in –ly, so it’s wise to practice recognizing them.

Mary walked slowly to the store.

Slowly is an adverb, because it modifies (changes) the verb “walked.” Until you came to the word “walked,” you didn’t know how she walked. She might have walked quickly, sadly, nervously, or any other adverb-type of walking.

Adverbs might seem useful in getting your message across. However, they are currently out of style. Yes, fashion counts in professional writing. Why are such useful words out of fashion? Look at the word, “walk.” It’s a pretty boring, meaningless word. What words could you use instead that would tell you more about how Mary traveled from home to the store? How about skipped? Did she trudge? Might she have flown (figuratively, of course?) Economy is the secret to solid, readable writing. Readers are in a hurry today. Few people read non-fiction just for fun. They are looking for information and they want it fast. That means we can’t afford to waste their time or our words. A skilled writer never uses two words when one will do the job.

If you use strong verbs in your writing, you won’t need many adverbs to modify your verbs. The verb should stand alone in telling you what it means. This takes practice, but learning efficient, powerful verbs can be fun, and will give your writing an intensity it never before had. Consider starting a list of your favorite powerful verbs.

Many adverbial phrases are wordy and can be reduced.

“Because of the fact that Martians prefer oatmeal to cold cereal, the cold cereal companies are leaving the planet.”

Replace the words “because of the fact that” with “because” and you have said the same thing in fewer words. The remainder of the phrase adds nothing of meaning to the sentence and isn’t needed. Removing those words leaves you even more words to use in imparting your wisdom, an important consideration when you’re writing for a publication with a tight word count.

Assignment: Go through your manuscript and mark all the adverbs. Then evaluate each one to decide if it’s necessary or if it could be eliminated by using a stronger word that doesn’t need modification. Keep only those adverbs that are essential in order to get the message across. Then head to the forum to play our Concise Writing Game. (See the URL in the related links list below.)