Tips on Adverbs

What is an adverb?

Adverbs describe verbs and adjectives.  Most end in -ly or -ily but not always

Example 

      Verb: Angry  Adverb: Angrily

Where do you use an adverb?

Adverbs can be used anywhere within a clause.

Example 

    At the beginning:  Suddenly I am hungry.

At the end:  I eat so fast.  

In the middle: I may have never eaten before.

What are sentence adverbs?

Adverbs indicating the attitude and point of view normally go towards the beginning of the sentence.

 

Example  

Actually, I think the outing is at the Hilton, not the Hamilton.

Obviously, we can’t disclose the information, but we can point you in the right direction.

Overuse of adverbs takes the reader's attention away from the main point. 

Example

       Tom walked through the hall silently.  Obviously something was on his mind.  He suddenly dropped the stack of papers in his hand.  Quickly he bent down to pick them up.  Tom quietly continued down the hall.

 When reading the above clip did you focus on the main point or were you distracted by the adverbs.  The reader doesn't need to know the speed or detail of every action being taken.  We have all dropped papers before and bent down to pick them up.  We can imagine how long it will take to gather up the mess we made without emphasizing it in writing.

Lesson Learned:

"USE ADVERBS SPARINGLY"