The Case For And Against Adverbs

For months now I've been squeezing reads into the tight seams of a too busy life. In the process, I have often found myself going back to the beginning of chapters to count the number of adverbs in case I'm just sensitive to their presence.

Despite all the admonitions against their use in creative fiction, rare is the page they have not invaded. Perhaps they engender the same reaction I had when an editor warned me to be mindful of the prepositions 'in', 'on', and 'of'. Huh? More later. And if you're a Middle Grade or Young Adult author, reading further will waste your time. More later.

So rather than the 'tell' to not use adverbs, the 'show' may be more useful. I place adverbs in four categories: redundant, contextual, hyperbolic, and adverbs of degree.

Adverbs of Degree

He had never entirely conquered his fear of heights.
She remained dimly aware of the danger he posed.

This is wussy writing. As if the author is unsure of the character's state of being. Be assertive. Be confident. Make a decision. Conquered and aware do not have degrees. Something is conquered or it is not. Someone is aware or she is not. In both instances, removing the adverb releases the impact and punch it had smothered. Try it.

Redundant

The floor boards had deteriorated badly.
The professor quickly corrected himself.

These two are easy. Nothing deteriorates well. The second sentence, without needing any context, allows us to infer the correction could not have taken place over weeks, days, or hours.

Hyperbolic

Everyone understood going inside might prove extremely dangerous.
Pounding violently against the door, it soon gave way.

Both adverbs are pure hype. Neither conveys to the reader any additional information regarding the danger or the pounding. Indeed, the verbs contain the adverbs. Anything dangerous is already extreme and violence is inherent to pounding.

Contextual

Tires squealing around the corner, the police car closed rapidly on the getaway car.
Vivian's glow left no doubt she had fully recovered.

Long before reaching the adverb, context obviates any need for it. In fact, context often paints an adverb as at once redundant, hyperbolic, and expressing false degree. Like the previous examples, these sentences can drop the adverbs and leave their meaning intact.

Wait! I can hear the clips slamming home and rounds chambering. Don't shoot! Hold your fire!

Know your audience! As independent authors, none of this matters. Throw it all out. Unless you are writing for authors or trying to slip past agents, readers don't care!

J.K. Rowling made a fortune writing for a Young Adult and Middle Grade audience that wouldn't know an adverb from a proverb. Give a reader solid characters along with a coherent plot and they'll forgive even the odd typo.

So go ahead. Write that million download seller. Leave the rest of us chained to literary style guides, wallowing in critical angst to which I'm about to add. Consider the following three sentences.

He powered up the machine, twiddling the knobs and dials on it.
The two stepped from the porch, staring down the road ahead of them.
She lifted the box then sifted through the contents in it.

'on it', 'of them', and 'in it', are redundant. Think that's nitpicking? How about this gem from a zealous grammarian.

Wrong: He only had this to say, “I have no use for it.”
Correct : He only had this to say: “I have no use for it.”

"When an attribution preceding a quotation consists of a complete statement, a colon should follow the attribution."

It was fortunate for both me and the grammarian I could not reach through my In Box to slap him.

As always, your thoughts and comments are welcome.

P.S. Except for the examples, I used no adverbs in this post. :-)