Writing Blog Number 2

20240513 Adverbs

Adverbs

So, there is a “rule” most writers are told at least once in their career, which is to “not use adverbs.” This comes from people who think they know best, and yet these same people, guaranteed, use adverbs. Because these people think adverbs are only words that end with ”-ly”. And I have even met some editors who think that. (Word to the wise – if an editor does not know something as simple as what an adverb is, then maybe find a new editor…)

Well, as you might have guessed, that is not the case. Adverbs are vital in all writing, even formal academic writing.

Now, I cannot blame writers for this one, because there are way too many so-called experts (pot here, calling out the kettle) who peddle rubbish online and the general run-of-the-mill person is going to get confused by so much conflicting information or, because they see it all the time in different places, believe it must be real. Add to that the fact that in some jurisdictions, the education standards are not as high as they could be, and writers are often stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to knowing the more technical basics of writing. And adverbs is one of those areas where many people get confused because of external influences.

An adverb is a word (or even a short phrase) that modifies a verb, an adjective or another adverb. That is the basic definition. Most of the time an adverb will be used in conjunction with a verb, a doing word. The exemptions to this are detailed below.
         There are six different types of adverb:
                   Adverbs of Manner
                   Adverbs of Time
                   Adverbs of Place
                   Adverbs of Frequency
                   Adverbs of Degree
                   Conjunctive Adverbs

Let’s look at them.


Adverbs of Manner
This is the most common form of adverb that people think of when the term is used. This is generally the -ly words people just seem to hate.
         Adverbs of manner tell the reader how something happens.
         This includes words like wisely, sagely, eagerly, quickly, slowly, interestingly, quietly, precisely, loosely, etc. They add a touch of extra information to give the reader a verbal picture. Yes, over-using them can become boring for a reader, and there are many examples of verb-adverb that can be replaced by a stronger verb, but adverbs of manner still have a vital role to play in writing.
e.g. The builder followed the architect’s plans exactly.
John cowered as his boss angrily hurled the telephone across the room.
         Compare that to:
John cowered as his boss jokingly hurled the telephone across the room.
         That one adverb changes the whole meaning of the sentence.


Adverbs of Time
Adverbs of time are some of the most commonly used across all manner of writing. They give context to writing by giving an explanation of the timing of occurrences, also when things happen in relation to when other things happen.
         Adverbs of time tell the reader when something happens.
         These adverbs can include specific times or can be more general, but they are related to when actions occur in a written work.
         This includes words like (taken from Let’s Make English Live, 3rd ed, 1981) today, yesterday, tomorrow, tonight, soon, later, now, eventually, forever, still, yet, early, late, recently, since, etc. Note, actual days of the week, months, years, etc. are not adverbs, but nouns.
e.g. I haven’t finished my essay yet.
We were going to go to the shops tomorrow, but ended up going today.


Adverbs of Place
Adverbs of place are also very important to give context to a story, specifically the location.
         Adverbs of place tell the reader where something happens.
         These can be places in relation to other places, or a little more specific, but the place is what is important with these.
         This includes words like (taken from Let’s Make English Live, 3rd ed, 1981) here, there, everywhere, nowhere, somewhere, anywhere, in, out, inside, outside, wherever, on, off, over, under, away, left, right, north, south, east, west.
e.g. Amundsen just went south until he found the Pole he was after.
My keys could have fallen out of my pocket anywhere on my hike.


Adverbs of Frequency
The frequency of an event happening can be important to make a written work make sense.
         Adverbs of frequency tell the reader how often something happens.
         This includes words like (taken from Let’s Make English Live, 3rd ed, 1981) constantly, frequently, occasionally, sometimes, usually, never, always, rarely, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly. Note, as previously stated. actual days of the week, months, years, etc. are not adverbs, but nouns.
e.g. Mike usually mows the lawn on Sundays.
I never drink coffee because it tastes like an armpit smells.


Adverbs of Degree
This is where things get technical, and where people get confused by adverbs. It is said that these give an idea of the intensity (or lack thereof) involved in performing an action. These are also often used in conjunction with other adverbs or with adjectives, which is why they confuse many writers. Because of the fact they can be used with an adjective, they may not necessarily correlate to the verb in the sentence. Some of these are also members of that shunned -ly group of words.
         Adverbs of degree tell the reader how much something happens, or how much a thing can be said to have a particular property.
         This includes words like (taken from Let’s Make English Live, 3rd ed, 1981) very, really, extremely, incredibly, too, quite, barely, deeply, fairly, greatly, hardly, highly, intensely, somewhat, totally, little, less, least, much, more, most.
e.g. He stared intensely at the insect.
I thought highly of Marcus Aurelius.
Adjectival examples: I didn’t buy the car because it was too expensive.
The mountain was very high.


Conjunctive Adverbs
And things stay insanely technical, and this is another area where people get confused by adverbs. These are used a lot without people realizing they are adverbs, because they serve the same purpose as other conjunctions (joining words), although they are verb-dependent.
         Like other conjunctions, they join two clauses or two sentences. A conjunctive adverb is often used in association with a semi-colon.
         This can include words like however, instead, meanwhile, therefore, nevertheless and others like that. It can be confusing and easy to miss. However, these words are still adverbs.
e.g. I went to the movie theatre. However, the film had already started.
I didn’t have a speech prepared; nevertheless, I received a standing ovation.
She didn’t spend all her lottery winnings. Instead, she donated more than half to charity.


And that’s adverbs. I know it gets really technical and potentially confusing at the end there, but grammar can be like that.
         And if someone tells you that adverbs are no good, you know they probably use them. Yes, so many people only consider “-ly” words adverbs, and when I’ve brought this up in the past, I was then told by one person who abused me they were only referring to “-ly” words. Well, that’s not good enough. And if those people read this, I stand by my words – we all use adverbs, and if you don’t like “-ly” words, then that’s personal, and stop trying to make it a rule.
         Anyway, I hope this has helped someone.