Adverbs are small things but they create a lot of debate. You’ve probably heard that they’re unnecessary and clutter up your sentences. You might have heard the extreme rule “Never use adverbs!” But – as with everything – moderation is key.
While it’s true that adverbs can be abused or overused (especially with new writers), they can be a useful tool. They offer clarity, emphasize details, and add style to the rhythm of your words.
To understand how adverbs work and when to use them effectively, let’s start with the basics.
What is an adverb?
Let’s go back another step. A verb is an action word – something that describes a physical or mental action, or a state of being.
Examples:
- My throat hurts. (“Hurts” describes the state of my throat.)
- They believe in Santa Claus. (“Believe” is a mental action.)
- She ran a marathon. (“Ran” is a physical action.)
An adverb modifies or describes a verb. It gives extra details, such as how, when, where, to what extent, or under what conditions something happens. Take a look at these examples (verbs are underlined, adverbs are italicized):
- I visited the shop yesterday afternoon. (“Yesterday” describes when the action occurred.)
- “But she put it here.” (“Here” describes where an action took place.)
- They left town suddenly. (“Suddenly” describes the condition of the action, or how it happened.)
Sometimes, you’ll come across adverbial phrases, which work the same way as adverbs but are made up of two or more words. They offer the reader additional context and information about an action. For example:
- It worked really well.
- She laughed like a hyena.
- After the movie, we drove home.
Be aware
When it comes to bashing adverbs, some advice out there is to avoid all words ending in -ly. This is because many adverbs end in -ly. Actually, badly, calmly, easily, especially, excitedly, fiercely, happily, kindly, lazily – you get the idea.
But not all adverbs end in -ly. For example, far, hard, even, ever, less, inside, today, always, soon, there, too, so, and yet are all adverbs.
And not all -ly words are adverbs. Think about elderly, fatherly, deadly, orderly, chilly, homely, hourly, ally, monopoly, bully, tally, wobbly, worldly.
To understand if a word is an adverb, focus on what it’s modifying, not how it ends. Something like elderly describes a person, so it is an adjective. But something like hard (ex: It hit the ground hard) describes how an action occurs, so it is an adverb.
Reasons not to use adverbs
There are some situations where adverbs can clutter up your writing. Consider redundant adverbs:
- “I don’t know,” he whispered softly. (“Whispered” already means that something is said softly)
- “Are you sure,” she asked questioningly. (Asking something is questioning.)
- They quickly hurried across the street. (“Hurried” means going quickly.)
- “I don’t care,” she said dismissively. (The dialogue tells us that her tone is dismissive, we don’t need the extra tag description.)
- “I’m scared,” she said anxiously. (The dialogue tells us that her tone must be anxious.)
Redundant adverbs tell us things we already know from the verbs within dialogue, within dialogue tags, or within descriptive sentences. It is a common pitfall for new writers to overuse adverbs in dialogue or dialogue tags as an attempt to vary their saidisms – using words like whispered, yelled, pronounced, etc. rather than “he/she said.” In narrative text, newbies typically overuse adverbs to create flowery, strong prose. But these can have the opposite effect.
Sometimes a good verb is more effective than a weak verb and an adverb paired together, or even a strong verb with an adverb for emphasis. Take a look at these:
- They quickly hurried across the street. (“Quickly” slows down the sentence and makes it weaker. It would be more efficient to leave it out. “They hurried across the street” is fast, urgent, and smooth.)
- Suddenly, the door slammed, making her jump. (The use of “suddenly” is a lead-in, so the action isn’t sudden anymore. Sudden things are jarring. Consider instead, “The door slammed. She jumped.”)
Put it to the test: If you can remove the adverb without losing meaning in the text, then it shouldn’t be there.
Reasons to use adverbs
Despite the criticism, adverbs aren’t all bad. Sometimes a verb isn’t enough to convey an idea or offer the right information. Used wisely, adverbs can make your writing clearer and more precise. Consider mood – adverbs can give subtle hints about what is happening:
- He smiled happily. (Redundant, boring)
- He smiled cruelly. (Interesting, offers new information about mood and intention.)
Adverbs can also contribute to the rhythm and flow of your sentences. Sometimes, a well-placed adverb can break up a monotony of short, punchy sentences and create a more varied reading experience. In instances where they replace phrases, they work to shorten your writing and make it more impactful.
- She’ll be by before long. → She’ll be by soon.
- They ran away from the house and down the path with great joy. → They happily ran from the house and down the path.
A balanced approach
In short, adverbs aren’t inherently bad, as some might suggest, but they can easily weigh your writing down if overused. The secret to using them effectively is knowing when they add value and when they’re just clutter. Ask yourself if the adverb is necessary. Is it contributing something the verb or context isn’t already saying? If you find yourself using adverbs just to make the sentence sound prettier, it might be time to rethink your approach. The best adverbs are the ones that enhance clarity or create a contrast that adds depth to your writing.