# Are adverbs not allowed?



## Tiarhlu (Feb 3, 2008)

I had a writer friend tell me once that you aren't supposed to use adverbs in writing, and I have this odd feeling I heard it someone else too. I also recall Stephen King in a review of one of the Harry Potter books saying that JK Rowling uses them way too much.

Is there any rule about them I don't know about?


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## Rilvor (Feb 3, 2008)

If there is, I haven't heard it and I've been reading books for years and years.


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## Coffee (Feb 3, 2008)

I had a "quickly" addiction for a while that could choke a walrus.


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## E-mannor (Feb 4, 2008)

its more of a "sounds better" rule... and it requires you to expand your vocabulary, because adverbs are not needed.

for example "he ran quickly for the door." is better if you say "he dashed for the door."

not written in stone but it can help to get rid of adverbs if a sentence feels cluttered. ^_^


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## Adelio Altomar (Feb 4, 2008)

An adverb wouldn't be considered that if you restate the word like so:

prescisely >> with precision

awkwardly >> in/with awkwardness

Stupidly >> with/in stupidity


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## WolfeByte (Feb 4, 2008)

Tiarhlu said:
			
		

> I had a writer friend tell me once that you aren't supposed to use adverbs in writing, and I have this odd feeling I heard it someone else too. I also recall Stephen King in a review of one of the Harry Potter books saying that JK Rowling uses them way too much.
> 
> Is there any rule about them I don't know about?



It's probably one of those "things to avoid when your new" as over using adverbs is common in really amateur writing.  Or it used to be.  

Now, with the Internet raping language every day, I'm usually happy when a new writer knows what an adverb _is_. So that if they do get told they're getting carried away with them, they'll actually know what I mean. 

Most of the time, though, I think I'm having a lucky day if the stuff I'm reading has basic sentence structure, capitals, punctuation, or (in the worst cases) fully typed out words.  

(And King said that about Rowling?  That seems strange, given King's past history with ideas about what "Proper English" and "writing a good story in a good way" have in common.  Plus, he's always seemed a pretty humble guy when it came to dishing out criticism...)


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## Poetigress (Feb 4, 2008)

Actually, it's funny, because to me the adverb issue is directly tied to the "showing vs. telling" issue.

While there aren't any carved-in-stone rules, it's generally considered best to use adverbs sparingly (and yes, I'm aware of the irony of "use adverbs sparingly").    Sparingly because sometimes they're unnecessary/redundant ("I'm sorry," he said apologetically), but also because in some instances, the adverbs are doing more telling than showing.  In the case of adverbs in dialogue tags ("he said triumphantly," "she whispered sadly"), it's better to have the character's tone or emotion portrayed through either the dialogue itself or through physical description of what they're doing or how they look when they're speaking, than to simply tack it on that way.  (The adverbs-in-dialogue-tags issue is what people are mostly referring to when they criticize J. K. Rowling for adverb use.  IMO, she does overuse them in the tags.  It's usually pretty simple to figure out the character's tone just from the dialogue or the events, without needing to be told it in the tag.)

Let me find an example...  from _Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_:

_"He's just made that rule up," Harry muttered angrily as Snape limped away.  "Wonder what's wrong with his leg?"
"Dunno, but I hope it's really hurting him," said Ron bitterly._

A case could be made for "bitterly," although I think given what's just happened in the story (Snape taking a book away from Harry apparently just out of spite), one would expect that Ron isn't saying that line cheerfully.  "Angrily" is unnecessary in this case, especially since she's already used the more descriptive "muttered."  When was the last time you muttered something when you were feeling happy or excited or kind?  >^_^<

There are probably much better examples, but that should make the point well enough.

At the risk of sounding like an egocentric jerk  , the frequent use of adverbs in dialogue tags is a common weakness in early writing -- so much so that it almost qualifies as a writer's rite of passage.  *thinks of some of her earliest stuff and cringes*  A lot of it is just learning to trust that your reader can "get" what's going on without having to be spoon-fed the emotions in every line of dialogue, particularly if the dialogue is written with care and attention, so that how the characters are feeling or saying something is implied within the dialogue itself (shown instead of told).

I still like to use adverbs to indicate volume -- to me, there is still a difference between "said softly" and "whispered" or "murmured."  And there's a case to be made for using an adverb when what the character means is contrary to what they're saying ("Oh, that's great," he said sarcastically -- although context and/or emphasis "Oh, that's just _great_" might get the sarcasm across without the adverb).  

As far as adverbs within the general narration and text of the story, outside of dialogue tags, I'm a little more neutral as far as that goes, but I do agree that it makes for better reading when, wherever possible, the writer uses more descriptive verbs instead of relying on adverbs.  As has already been brought out, "sprinted" is stronger than "walked quickly" any day.  >^_^<

So I'd say, yes, adverbs are allowed -- even if some writers/critiquers haul out the torches and pitchforks for them -- but when you're going through your story on that final editing pass, keep an eye out for them and make sure you're only using them where you need to, as most sentences wind up stronger without them.


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## Stratelier (Feb 4, 2008)

> I also recall Stephen King in a review of one of the Harry Potter books saying that JK Rowling uses them way too much.


I heard something similar, but with specific reference to the verb _say_.


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## TakeWalker (Feb 4, 2008)

As with all prescriptive rules, no one gets to say what is and isn't allowed.

As with all writing, overuse of any form can weigh a piece down. This is especially true of using adverbs to 'spice up' otherwise boring writing, coupling them with "said" dialogue tags.

As with all writing, saying more with less is always appreciated. This means that, as in the above examples, if you can say "apologized" instead of "said apologetically", then by all means go for it.


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## Tiarhlu (Feb 4, 2008)

Poetigress, great advice! That makes a lot of sense. I don't THINK I have that problem, but I'll have to go back and check. 

On a similar note, and not to get off topic, but in a situation such as this:

"I can't believe it!" he said. I feel it'd be stronger to say shouted or something similar instead of said, but it's kind of implied by the punctuation. What do you do?


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## Poetigress (Feb 4, 2008)

Tiarhlu said:
			
		

> On a similar note, and not to get off topic, but in a situation such as this:
> 
> "I can't believe it!" he said. I feel it'd be stronger to say shouted or something similar instead of said, but it's kind of implied by the punctuation. What do you do?



When in doubt, I go with "said".  "Said" is your friend.   It has the advantage of almost disappearing on the page, allowing the reader to skim past it and focus instead on what's actually being said.  "Replied" and "asked" are decent alternatives where appropriate.

It's similar to the adverb thing.  Words other than "said" are like a strong spice to me.  A little here and there is okay for variety or effect, but a lot is overpowering and calls too much attention to itself.

And keep in mind that sometimes you don't need to use dialogue tags at all.  As in:

He stared at the text on the screen.  "I can't believe it!"

She frowned and leaned in.  "What is it?"


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## M. LeRenard (Feb 6, 2008)

> This means that, as in the above examples, if you can say "apologized" instead of "said apologetically", then by all means go for it.


But NEVER use "'I'm sorry,' he apologized".  

I don't have much more to add to what other people have said than this: only use adverbs in dialogue tags if you feel it's absolutely entirely necessary to get your point across, and if there's no other way to do it.  Because, from my experience, people just skim the dialogue tags.  When you're reading a book, how often do you actually stop and consider whether the author used 'said', 'muttered', 'proclaimed', 'avowed', or whatever other word can be used after dialogue?  For me it's approximately never.
And as for the exclamation point, I'll just say that it's way overused in amateur writing (and by amateur, I just mean unprofessional).  It's actually a fairly powerful symbol.  If you use an exclamation point, there's absolutely no need to say that the person is shouting something; that's why you used that particular punctuation mark in the first place.

Other than that, Stephen King did write a section about adverbs in On Writing.  He discourages it, yes, but he also says that he uses them all the time anyway.  So there you have it. :wink:


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## Stratelier (Feb 6, 2008)

> As with all writing, saying more with less is always appreciated. This means that, as in the above examples, if you can say "apologized" instead of "said apologetically", then by all means go for it.


Due to the derivation of word forms, a lot of adverbs have equivalent related verbs, and so the verb should be used in its place.



> On a similar note, and not to get off topic, but in a situation such as this:
> 
> "I can't believe it!" he said. I feel it'd be stronger to say shouted or something similar instead of said, but it's kind of implied by the punctuation. What do you do?



I would just let the "I can't believe it" stand on its own as a complete sentence but also as an interjection itself for an adjacent sentence which identifies the speaker.


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## lobosabio (Feb 6, 2008)

It's more a matter of knowing when to use them than flat out getting rid of them.


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## themocaw (Feb 6, 2008)

"Hey!" said Frank loudly.  "I can't understand what's going on!" he exclaimed angrily.

"That's just because you're stupid," Jenny said sarcastically.  She briskly filed her nails and quickly pointed the nail file at Frank accusingly.  "Why don't you pay attention more often?" she asked annoyedly.

"Because I do pay attention," Frank said glumly.  "But I don't always get it," he said sadly.

"Maybe you should go take a hike," Jenny said irritably.  She quickly turned away from Frank and immediately turned on the TV.

"Maybe I'll do just that," Frank replied very thoughtfully.  He immediately picked up his boots and put them on expertly.  "I'll see you later."  He slowly opened the door and briskly walked out into the setting afternoon light, humming happily to himself.

"What an idiot," Jenny sighed exasperatedly.


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## WolfeByte (Feb 7, 2008)

themocaw said:
			
		

> *awesome stuff*



Damn, sometimes I just _love _your posts.  That was brilliant, and painful.  Brilliantly painful.  Whatever.


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