Adverbs. Admit It, You Love Them.

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I fail to get why news articles contain scores of adverbs. Editors give adverbs passes when FASTER uses less space than MUCH MORE QUICKLY....3 adverbs.

 

[AMoveableBeast]

They are the lovely, lunar-licking, luminescent lights of my lonely life.

 

[Hypoxia]

I am adamantly, strenuously, seriously adverse to adverbs, really!

 

[Swilly]

I fail to get why news articles contain scores of adverbs. Editors give adverbs passes when FASTER uses less space than MUCH MORE QUICKLY....3 adverbs.

To avoid repetition?

Susie Smith was always one of the first students finished with her quizzes in French class. Jenny Jones finished hers even faster. Little Jimmy Johnson always finished much more quickly than the other two students. He liked to sit back and watch the expressions on the teacher's face as she read from her phone while the class took the quiz. Jimmy always wondered what it was that she was reading.

Maybe it has to do with the layout of the paper, and they need to fill up a certain amount of space. Maybe they just don't give a crap.

 

[slyc_willie]

Maybe they just don't give a crap.

I pretty much don't.

I love adverbs. I use them all the time. The power of emphasis is, to me, very compelling. I can't help but sprinkle in my "-lys" if I feel I need to make a point. It's part of what makes my particular style of writing completely and utterly unique.

Or so I like to think, anyway. And when it comes to my writing, my opinion is the first and foremost consideration.

 

[AMoveableBeast]

I pretty much don't.

I love adverbs. I use them all the time. The power of emphasis is, to me, very compelling. I can't help but sprinkle in my "-lys" if I feel I need to make a point. It's part of what makes my particular style of writing completely and utterly unique.

Or so I like to think, anyway. And when it comes to my writing, my opinion is the first and foremost consideration.

I too love adverbs. It should be noted, however, that they belong nowhere near the word "unique". Unique is a stand-alone, line pregnant or dead. You either are or you aren't (though I must admit that I kick a small kick out of referring to things as "a little" dead). There is no more, less, completely, or utterly unique. I suppose that you could be asserting that your work is unique in total rather than in partiality, but that would be uncommon.

 

[slyc_willie]

I too love adverbs. It should be noted, however, that they belong nowhere near the word "unique". Unique is a stand-alone, line pregnant or dead. You either are or you aren't (though I must admit that I kick a small kick out of referring to things as "a little" dead). There is no more, less, completely, or utterly unique. I suppose that you could be asserting that your work is unique in total rather than in partiality, but that would be uncommon.

I think you missed the joke. That, or I was too subtle.

 

[SteelPoint]

I pretty much don't.

I love adverbs. I use them all the time. The power of emphasis is, to me, very compelling. I can't help but sprinkle in my "-lys" if I feel I need to make a point. It's part of what makes my particular style of writing completely and utterly unique.

Or so I like to think, anyway. And when it comes to my writing, my opinion is the first and foremost consideration.

You expressed that lovelyly...

 

[AMoveableBeast]

I think you missed the joke. That, or I was too subtle.

I was wondering. I see that mistake so often that I am on a hair-trigger with it. I apologize. You are a shining beacon of comedic glory, and I am a rancid bag of smashed buffoonery.

 

[slyc_willie]

I was wondering. I see that mistake so often that I am on a hair-trigger with it. I apologize. You are a shining beacon of comedic glory, and I am a rancid bag of smashed buffoonery.

Nice. I'm going to use that one.

My wife and I get into a lot of conversations about the use of words and how they are often used outside their intended meaning. We say and write so many things that contradict the original meaning of a word or phrase all the time without thinking about it. Most of the time, I catch such mistakes in my writing. Sometimes, however, they sneak past me. I'm willing to bet if we all perused our stories closely, we'd find all sorts of incorrect word usage.

 

[AMoveableBeast]

Nice. I'm going to use that one.

My wife and I get into a lot of conversations about the use of words and how they are often used outside their intended meaning. We say and write so many things that contradict the original meaning of a word or phrase all the time without thinking about it. Most of the time, I catch such mistakes in my writing. Sometimes, however, they sneak past me. I'm willing to bet if we all perused our stories closely, we'd find all sorts of incorrect word usage.

Without a doubt. And that's not even taking into considerations expressions like "moot point" and words like "egregious" that now mean the exact opposite of what they once did. With each word that has flopped in definition there are three more caught in some usage limbo.

Worry not, however, I have perused your work. Adverb obsession aside, your writing is solid. More than that, it has the touch of true talent upon it. Your smut is literate and, at times, literary. You are one of the better authors on site.

 

[patientlee]

To avoid repetition?

Susie Smith was always one of the first students finished with her quizzes in French class. Jenny Jones finished hers even faster. Little Jimmy Johnson always finished much more quickly than the other two students. He liked to sit back and watch the expressions on the teacher's face as she read from her phone while the class took the quiz. Jimmy always wondered what it was that she was reading.

Maybe it has to do with the layout of the paper, and they need to fill up a certain amount of space. Maybe they just don't give a crap.

Haha. I like what you did there!

 

[patientlee]

I am an adverb.

 

[Hypoxia]

I am an adverb.

I seem to be a metaphor.

 

[Swilly]

I seem to be a metaphor.

I am...well...whatever I want to be.

 

[robertreams]

My eighth grade teacher, a nun, told me that one of my answers was patently obvious. I cleaned erasers for two weeks for pointing out her redundency. That said, I see nothing wrong with saying, "She looked longingly into my eyes." There seems to be no different than saying, "She looked into my eyes with longing". Strunk and White take umbrage only with overuse and with using adverbs with "he said", "she said", etc. e.g.He said lovingly. Though I don't have a problem with occasional use even then.

 

[robertreams]

Why must one say,"I always wondered what it was that she was reading?" Why not: "I always wondered what it was she was readin?." Or more simply: " I always wondered what she was reading." As a high school English teacher, I found over use of "that" was the #1 problem I encountered. I had students who used "that" 100 times in a four page paper. For incoming students I forbade the use of "that" word altogether until they could punctuate the test from, "Flowers for Algernon".

"That that is is that that is not is not is that that that is it is"

Notice I could have said, "I found that overuse of that word was my #1 problem."

 

[SamScribble]

Why must one say,"I always wondered what it was that she was reading?" Why not: "I always wondered what it was she was readin?." Or more simply: " I always wondered what she was reading." As a high school English teacher, I found over use of "that" was the #1 problem I encountered. I had students who used "that" 100 times in a four page paper. For incoming students I forbade the use of "that" word altogether until they could punctuate the test from, "Flowers for Algernon".

"That that is is that that is not is not is that that that is it is"

Notice I could have said, "I found that overuse of that word was my #1 problem."

When I was writing for a well-known weekly newspaper, the rule was: that describes; which explains. 'This is the house that Jack built.' But 'the house, which Jack built on the hill, had a red roof.' And the choice of whether or not you used 'that' was largely a matter of which 'sounded' best. As John Whale used to say: 'Why risk having your reader burst into tears and run away?'

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

When I was writing for a well-known weekly newspaper, the rule was: that describes; which explains. 'This is the house that Jack built.' But 'the house, which Jack built on the hill, had a red roof.' And the choice of whether or not you used 'that' was largely a matter of which 'sounded' best. As John Whale used to say: 'Why risk having your reader burst into tears and run away?'

As I read it, THAT isn't necessary when a sentence is made from an independent clause and a dependent clause. THIS IS THE HOUSE JACK BUILT is okay.

 

[Swilly]

True, but writing: This is the house that Jack built

will ensure that some dumb ass doesn't read it as the house was named Jack Built.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

True, but writing: This is the house that Jack built

will ensure that some dumb ass doesn't read it as the house was named Jack Built.

What about THIS IS THE HOUSE, JACK BUILT? Or THIS IS THE HOUSE, WAVERLY.