Actually, really, certainly, clearly

[Rob_Royale]

I actually use them in dialog because, well, we really use them when we talk, and they are certainly part of the vernacular. Clearly, they have a purpose.

Yes, I do too, but omit them everywhere else when I can.

 

[mrs_mackenzie]

When it comes to people speaking in real life, my real pet hate is hearing 'obviously' because it rarely is obvious, and it makes the speaker sound like they're showing off.

As for writing erotica, which is more important than real life, I do find myself including too many 'actually's and 'so's. Usually it's when I read it back in editing that I pick these up and take them out, except in dialogue where I am trying to more accurately represent how people are speaking.

 

[Kumquatqueen]

When it comes to people speaking in real life, my real pet hate is hearing 'obviously' because it rarely is obvious, and it makes the speaker sound like they're showing off.

As for writing erotica, which is more important than real life, I do find myself including too many 'actually's and 'so's. Usually it's when I read it back in editing that I pick these up and take them out, except in dialogue where I am trying to more accurately represent how people are speaking.

Both my narrative and certain characters use 'obviously' and 'clearly' a lot. I edit a lot of them out, though one guy is a grumpy git who is probably showing off, consciously or not, so it works.

So, only, except, just, actually - all words that get stared at hard in editing, and mostly removed.

 

[nice90sguy]

"Actually" is used by urban London Zoomers in a unique way, e.g. ": "I'm actually staying in tonight." Sometimes it just means "very": "That's actually good."

Those adverbs are class-markers.

 

[NotWise]

I recently spent an extended weekend with family. It was my first opportunity to meet my niece's new fiance. He's a great guy, but first I noticed that he used "literally" a lot--sometimes more than once in a sentence. Then I noticed that he used other adverbs the same way, but not at the same time. It was almost like he got up in the morning and picked an adverb for the day: literally, obviously, actually . . . I decided after a while that those words were his equivalents to "uh."

 

[jehoram]

They have uses. In the editorial process, you just have to see if the word is pulling its weight in the context of the piece. If it looks wrong when the word is removed, put it back. If it's superfluous, leave it out.

 

[Jalibar62]

I just stopped using Grammarly. Problem solved.

 

[TheLobster]

I just stopped using Grammarly. Problem solved.

Come to think of it, isn't "grammarly" an adverb, too? When it tells you to drop your adverbs, it is clearly the case of "do as I say, not as I do!"

 

[Comshaw]

Grammarly hates that I use 'really' so much in dialog.

Comshaw

 

[Comshaw]

These lovely yet annoying little adverbs are commonly used in our everyday speech. Clearly, we really do use them quite a lot. Actually though, they certainly aren't necessary. And I don't have to tell you guys, our grammar checkers tell us to boot them every time.

Do you use them at all in your work? We all know by now about Mr. King's road to hell and how it's paved. But really, how do you use them? The only place I happily use them is in dialogue because I think it should mirror how we speak.

But what about first-person POV? Should or shouldn't that feel like someone is speaking to us? Should that mirror how we speak? In FP, I do my best not to use them, though sometimes it just fits. The only place I don't use them at all is in third-person POV.

Thoughts?

Nope, they are not necessary. We can get by just fine without any adverbs. BUUUUUT, it's the linguistic difference between a shot of espresso and a caramel latte, a lemon and lemonade, an egg and an omelet. Adverbs add flavor, panache and body to a flavor starved collection of words. Yes they can be over-done. I am one who suffers from such excesses. The key is to use the right ones in the right amount. While cooking you have to use salt most of the time. Over-done it ruins the dish. Used in the right amount, it makes everything else shine through.

So yes I do use them but I make sure to go back and ascertain I didn't use too many or over-use any.


Comshaw

 

[MillieDynamite]

Adverbs, outside of dialog, are considered lazy writing. AI is rife with adverbs, strewn about as if by Adverb Fairies from the dust they carry in their pouches. And every grammar checker prefers decidedly over, he decided. Or softly and tenderly, too, she kissed Edward, blessing him with a soft and tender embrace. It's considered wordy to say it with grace over saying it gracefully to save on words. But I'm a writer and write the way I damn well please, so fuck you very much, Grammarly. Even your name is a fucking adverb.

 

[AndersonsBiographer]

"Actually" is used by urban London Zoomers in a unique way, e.g. ": "I'm actually staying in tonight." Sometimes it just means "very": "That's actually good."

Those adverbs are class-markers.

Didn't some Victorian/Edwardian writers do that as well?

 

[NoviceAspen]

I just stopped using Grammarly. Problem solved.

Do you use something else instead or just proof the hell out of your own work? I think being forced to go back and think critically about some grammar choices will ultimately make me a better writer, but it is also annoying to have to sift through 100 edits to find 30-50 to actually implement.

 

[Jalibar62]

I've been trying out LanguageTool. I've also been told by one of the professional writers on the site that Pro Writing Aid is worthwhile, but there's not a free version, I don't think.

 

[MillieDynamite]

ProWritingAid is a tool with very specific uses, but you can't let it dictate how you write. If you work with its wants, it will create more than a few AI indicators. It doesn't like compound sentences of more than fifteen words. I don't know if it has a free version, I got mine when it was brand new and bought the lifetime use. It was less expensive then for the lifetime than now per year.

I've been trying out LanguageTool. I've also been told by one of the professional writers on the site that Pro Writing Aid is worthwhile, but there's not a free version, I don't think.

 

[pink_silk_glove]

Don't know if I'll finish this weekend but I should be finished some time next week. Then I'll have lots of time for editing.