The Dreaded Adverb and Other Misused Modifers
Today I'm hosting a segment of Peg’s Blog Crawl! Yesterday’s post was at http://melissasimaginarium.blogspot.com . See the complete Blog Crawl schedule at http://itsamystertomepegherring.blogspot.com The Dreaded Adverb and Other Misused Modifiers Some editors want them all gone. Adverbs are blamed for much purple prose, and admittedly, they are often guilty. But they’re only tools. Adverbs don’t kill writing. Writers kill writing. Writers (and speakers, too) need to learn the pitfalls of adverb addiction. Here are a few to watch for. Very: Such a tiny word, and yet so powerful! Grammarians call it a “power” adverb, since it adds strength to another adverb or an adjective. If your mother is angry, that’s one thing. If she’s VERY angry, that’s another. Sticking very into conversation or exposition too often, however, rings false and lessens the power of the whole. The same can be said for “really”, which acts in much the same way and might be even more abused than “very”. T...