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.
