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Should You Avoid Adverbs?
Quick Writing Tips
One standard piece of writing advice is, “Avoid adverbs.” It is true that adverbs are often used incorrectly or too frequently. But should you banish them from your writing entirely?
Stephen King is well-known to dislike adverbs.
“The adverb is not your friend.” — Stephen King
“I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs, and I will shout it from the rooftops.” — Stephen King
Sure, he is a famous writer with a net worth of around $400 million, but does that mean he is infallible. Nope.
Like most advice, it depends on the circumstances. Adverbs have the power to make a sentence worse. And to make it better. It depends on how you use them.
Of course, you don’t want to write, “The elephant was enormously large.” Or litter every paragraph with multiple adverbs. But adverbs can be useful when used correctly and sparingly.
Sometimes there isn’t a single verb that precisely conveys what you want to say. In these cases, an adverb is a handy tool.
Here is an example:
He was pleasantly surprised.
