Avoid Adverbs When the Verb Is Enough
An adverb — usually a word ending in -ly, like "quickly," "sadly," or "nervously" — modifies a verb. Used well, an adverb adds real information the verb alone doesn't give you. Used carelessly, it just repeats something the verb already says, and becomes dead weight in the sentence.
The test: does the adverb change the meaning?
Compare these two pairs:
He whispered quietly. He whispered nervously.
"Whispered" already means speaking quietly — that's built into the word. So "quietly" adds nothing; it's just restating what "whispered" already told you. "Nervously," on the other hand, adds something new: it tells you how he felt, which "whispered" alone couldn't tell you.
Same test, another pair:
She smiled sadly. He shouted loudly.
"Sadly" changes the meaning — smiling is usually a happy or neutral action, so a sad smile is a specific, surprising detail worth knowing. "Loudly" is dead weight — shouting already means speaking loudly, so the adverb just repeats the verb.
The rule isn't "never use adverbs." It's simpler than that: an adverb has to earn its place by changing or adding to the verb's meaning. If it just restates what the verb already says, cut it.
A related trap: weak verb plus adverb, instead of one strong verb
Sometimes an adverb shows up not because it's redundant, but because the writer reached for a weak, generic verb and then tried to prop it up with an adverb, when a single stronger verb would have done the same job in fewer words.
She walked quickly to the door. She hurried to the door.
Both sentences say the same thing. But "hurried" does in one word what "walked quickly" needed two words to say. When you notice an adverb propping up a weak verb like this, it's often a sign that a more precise verb is available.
Exercise
For each sentence, decide: is the adverb doing real work (keep it), is it redundant (cut it), or is it propping up a weak verb (replace both with one stronger verb)?
- He ran quickly to catch the bus.
- She answered angrily when asked about the delay.
- The fire completely destroyed the warehouse.
- He laughed nervously before giving his answer.
Show answer
1. Weak verb + adverb. He sprinted to catch the bus. ("Ran quickly" is really just "sprinted.")
2. Real work — keep it. "Angrily" tells you something "answered" alone doesn't.
3. Redundant — cut it. "Destroyed" already means completely ruined; "completely" adds nothing, the same way "totally" added nothing to "severed" in Clark's original example.
4. Real work — keep it. "Nervously" adds a feeling that "laughed" alone doesn't tell you.
Source: Tool #5 from Writing Tools by Roy Peter Clark.