Should Writers Eliminate Adverbs? What to Cut—and What to Keep

From Edie: Martin Wiles answers the question, "Should writers eliminate adverbs?" Learn when adverbs strengthen your writing, when they weaken it, and how stronger verbs can make your fiction and nonfiction more powerful.

Should Writers Eliminate Adverbs? What to Cut—and What to Keep

by Martin Wiles @LinesFromGod

To ax or not to ax. That was the question. But what was the answer? 

I sat in front of an agent, pitching my manuscript and hoping the agency she represented would show interest and take me on as a client. Well, that didn’t happen, but she did give me one piece of advice I haven’t forgotten—not that I agree completely with the advice, although it was pertinent. “The first thing I tell a client is to wipe every ly word from their manuscript.” 

As an English and writing teacher, writer, and freelance editor, I, too, caution my students and other writers about overusing adverbs. My favorite advice is “If you must prop up your verb with an adverb, choose a better verb.” 

Specific nouns—not common nouns—top the writing pyramid I teach and use as a writer and editor. I can write about a large dog, but a German Shepherd gives a better picture. 

Next comes the verb, the most important word in the sentence. The one that makes the sentence pop or deflate into oblivion. And it is this part of speech that adverbs modify most often, which is why fiction and nonfiction writers should agonize over verb choice. We want it to paint a vivid picture in the reader’s mind. John can walk slowly down the hall. But the picture is quite different if he limps or trudges or hobbles down the hall. Choosing one of those three eliminates the need for the adverb slowly. 

Adjectives follow verbs on the pyramid. Adverbs can also modify this part of speech. An example is, “John’s car is excessively slow.” But a better choice is “John’s car putters along,” thereby eliminating the need for the adverb. 

Most adverbs are at the bottom of the writing barrel. Perhaps this is why they are also at the tail end of speech parts in most curricula. A better verb or a more descriptive adjective abolishes the need for many of the adverbs we often use—especially the ones that end in ly and have three tongue-twisting syllables. 

So, when do we need this controversial part of speech that is either hated or loved by writers and editors alike? A writer’s challenge is not to destroy all adverbs, only unnecessary ones. But not the ones that address time and place. 

If our son or daughter needs my wife and me to keep a grandchild or two or three or seven while they go somewhere, we must know when so we can plan. We might even need to know how often. Will they bring them tomorrow? And will it be weekly? And will they come here (to our house), or must we go there (to their house)? If this grandchild wants to go outside when they arrive, but it’s pouring rain, and I say, “You can’t go,” it might help if I add outside. 

Adverbs can add important information to fiction and nonfiction writing. Let’s use the necessary ones that make our writing pop. The unnecessary ones, we can . . . well . . . ax. 

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Should Writers Eliminate Adverbs? What to Cut—and What to Keep from  Martin Wiles (@LinesFromGod) on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

Martin Wiles lives in Greenwood, SC, and is the founder of Love Lines from God. He is a freelance editor, English teacher, pastor, and author. He serves as Managing Editor for both Christian Devotions and Vinewords.net and is an instructor for the Christian PEN (professional editor’s network). Wiles is a multi-published author. His most recent book, Hurt, Hope and Healing: 52 Devotions That Will Lead to Spiritual Health, is available on Amazon. He and his wife are parents of two and grandparents of seven. He can be contacted at mandmwiles@gmail.com.