http://www.users.qwest.net/~yarnspnr/writing/adverbs/adverbs.htm
This article got me in a tizzy at first, but when I continued I saw that I agreed with (some of) the comments made. However I don't think adverbs are totally evil and unnecessary. I think a well-placed adverb can enhance a passage of prose and actually make it tighter, especially when discussing abstract concepts or feelings, things that aren't easily or succinctly translated into concrete language. Like "he gazed at her coldly." Is that bad? Cold has a ton of definitions, most of them abstract things like "dispassionate" or "unfeeling." So, in this sentence the word coldly could mean "in an unfeeling manner" or "dispassionately" (another adverb!). If someone told me to get rid of that adverb because it's too vague or something, then I'd ask them how would they convey this feeling? "He gazed at her in a dispassionate manner?" How is that any better? Or it could be longer and even more abstract, like "He gazed at her, feeling nothing in his heart but a sterile chill like the frost that clung to his bedroom window." (Okay, maybe that was over the top.) In some circumstances something like that might be good, but what if I'm trying to make this particular passage go quickly, like it's an argument passage? To me, either of the latter two would feel too long--put too much of a pause in the action of the scene, which is supposed to be quick and snappy. I could just leave that out, let the readers infer what they will into the passage. But what if they think he's angry or sad, when I really want them to feel that the speaker feels *coldly* toward the woman he's gazing at? I don't know, maybe I haven't studied enough/ lived enough/ written enough yet to understand.
I mean yeah, I don't think adverbs (and adjectives for that matter) should be used prolifically, or that they should carry the full weight of power in the prose. But I feel the negative response to over adverbifying (complete rejection of ever using adverbs ever) is not a good solution. Instead we need to think and learn about how to use them properly in the right situations. They're part of the language for a reason; they have a function. And sometimes I don't know what I would do without them. Maybe that says something about my noviceness as a writer, but oh well. What do you all think, you who might be reading this?
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4 comments:
This is a tricky issue. I admit I've bristled against this kind of advice before only to eventually come to terms with its wisdom. The more I write and the more I read, the more I agree with a lot of expert advice, including avoidance of adverbs when possible. Like you, I tend to be very concerned with clarity and that if I leave out modifiers the meaning will become uncertain. But I think the trick is to find stronger ways of conveying the information. One problem with adverbs is that they often slow the pace even when you're trying to be succinct with them; I think this is because they are clunky, awkward words. There are examples like the article illustrates of redundant adverbs, which should obviously be avoided, but even in simpler examples, I think there's usually a better way of expressing something. The adverb is kind of the easy way out.
In your example, "he gazed at her coldly," I think the whole thing could be improved upon. Gazed is one of those words that isn't all that specific, so I can see the desire for an adverb, but what if there was a description of the gaze itself rather than using the adverb to modify how he gazed? "His gaze was cold" isn't a whole lot better, but I think it's a slight improvement over the adverb. The best solution would probably be to come up with something very specific and as original as possible. And it doesn't need to slow the action down, either. In the same space as "he gazed at her coldly," a stronger sentence could be used.
Like any "rules" for writing, this isn't one that should be accepted without question. It's always good to question why. But I think that when you really start playing with it in your own writing, when you challenge yourself to see what else you can come up with instead of adverbs, you'll find that there are better ways to use the language and make your writing stronger.
Let me add this. I just read "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" by Muriel Spark, and she writes that a character "was accosted by a man joyfully exposing himself." I think this is a perfect use of an -ly adverb. It makes the sentence great.
I agree with you. I also agree with Justus. I think adverbs are overused and often there is a stronger way of getting across the idea. But you're right, they exist in the language for a reason and it's ridiculous to say we should NEVER use them.
When I taught creative writing this was one of the biggest struggles I had with my students. Some of them were otherwise great writers but they would pepper every dialogue tag with an adverb. That and they always wanted to use exclamation marks. Their characters were always yelling . . . angrily. But you're right: there is a time and place for adverbs. The important thing, I think, is to always ask yourself if there is a better way to word that sentence. Most of the time - not always, but most of the time - there will be.
Yeah, this past couple semesters I've been trying to cut down on my adverbification (if that's not a word, it is now!) I'm trying to get in the habit of printing a hard copy of my stories and going through and circling all the adverbs I find and then trying to think of a way to cut it out but still get across that feeling without resorting to cliche figures of speech and stuff.
A prof of mine last year had us do the same thing, except with forms of the verb "to be". Anywhere he found a "was" or "were" and such he'd circle it in red pen. I was shocked to see my latest paper peppered with wases and weres. Point was he tried to get us to think in the active voice, and it worked (mostly)
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