A Word From the People for the Ethical Treatment of Adverbs
How did an entire part of speech become off-limits?
Two years ago, I was on a Slack board for writers and editors, reading an introductory, happy-to-be-here message from a new member. Her brief bio wrapped up with a whimsical list of loves and hates, ending with her avowed hatred of adverbs. Another writer (whom I generally held in good esteem) chimed in with, “Yeah, adverbs suck.”
I was immediately tempted to join the conversation, adding, “Right! I never, ever use adverbs!” (The joke being, of course, that both never and ever are adverbs). I was also tempted to point out that, for a writer, using the verb suck seemed like a worse crime.
A third option would have been to point out that without adverbs, we’re stuck in a world without time references. Here’s a crisp, clean, adverb-free sentence: “We’re going to the beach.” But when are we going to the beach? Soon? Right now? Tuesday? Shortly? A good bit later?
In the end, I said nothing. These people weren’t stupid; they were professional writers and editors who understood the role adverbs play in time references. But for some reason, many of them had also been indoctrinated with an irrational hatred of adverbs. They’re not alone. Stephen King resoundingly condemns the use of adverbs…
