She walked gingerly to the corner, sighing contentedly while avidly glancing around. She spoke softly, whispering wishfully. All the while, thinking succinctly about something else.

Too many adverbs? You know, those -ly words that are supposed to add dimension to the description in a narrative passage or even in dialogue. Did you know that those -ly words are strongly (another -ly word) discouraged and frowned upon? Decidedly so!

So, what is the problem with adding description to a verb: in other words, using an adverb? Well, many editors, and publishers, believe it weakens the prose. But, perhaps it’s more a matter of using adverbs too often, like in the example above, instead of finding a stronger way of expressing yourself.

Her gait was placid, restrained, as she made her way to the corner of the room. She gave a deep sigh of contentment, allowing her eyes to take in the surroundings. Her voice was soft, no more than a wishful whisper. And, in spite of her feeling of awe, she was really intent on thinking about something else.

By using stronger verbs and more action words, the reader will feel the emotions expressed, rather than having the reader contend with comprehending the emotion being expressed. In other words, strong verbs, more action words, equals stronger prose.

First of all, find a stronger verb. Instead of:

He moved quickly across the room.

How about:

He marched with brisk intention.

Marched is a much stronger verb than the verb walked coupled with the adverb quickly.

Face it: -ly words are usually adverbs, words used to reinforce weak verbs. By using stronger verbs and eliminating the adverbs, you’re writing stronger sentences that read better.

It’s interesting, however, to note that this obsession with -ly words is relatively new. Older books are full of -ly words. Here’s an example from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby”:

“He smiled understandingly – much more than understandingly…”

However, in Fitzgerald’s example, he does go on to elaborate on the use of understandingly to describe the smile.

Here’s another example from P.G. Wodehouse:

"I wish there was something else you could call him except 'Uncle Tom,' " Aunt Dahlia said a little testily. "Every time you do it, I expect to see him turn black and start playing the banjo.”

Both of the above examples demonstrate the sparing use of -ly words. So, it must be assumed that using an -ly word isn’t to be totally expunged from English literature, but rather used with caution, avoiding overuse. To put it simply, there aren’t many, if any, authors who totally avoid the use of adverbs.

There is also the argument that by using adverbs in excess, the author is merely telling the story, not showing it. In other words, that relatively ‘new’ idea of showing the story instead of telling it comes into play once again. Only, in this case, it threatens the existence of -ly adverbs. If we keep excluding words from the writer’s acceptable vocabulary, we’ll end up with no words at all to use. Then what? Using an -ly adverb does not suggest you’ve failed to find a better word. There might be one, but if there isn’t, or the word doesn’t fit into your style, don’t sweat it. Write your story your way using your voice, -ly words and all.

It's important to know the rules, observe the rules, and then throw the rules to the wind when it destroys your writer’s voice. We are creators and we must remember to use our creativity to the best of our ability, with or without adverbs.