In this jargon of writing, most of the writing experts do not suggest or recommend young writers to use adjectives or adverbs. Even if there is a need then it should be on a minimum basis. Sometimes it might happen that writers prefer to use language with modifiers and usually as a way to provide more details and description to the users. It has also been observed that young and blooming writers mostly use or overuse intensifiers which are adverbs that tends to intensify other verbs or words.
Most of the writers suggest avoiding adjectives and adverbs. Should we do that?
Let’s move ahead to know what are the problems with the usage of adverbs and adjectives.
The Problem with Using Adverbs and Adjectives
We have already studied in our previous blogs that Adverbs and adjectives are modifiers — they tend to modify other words. In English grammar, the Adjectives are the words that modify nouns, and adverbs are the words that modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.
But you need not worry here. As such there is nothing inherently wrong with using modifiers in our writing. When it is required we need to use them. For instance, is there any better way to describe the color of a car other or describing the scenic beauty of a landscape. You can use the adjectives to explain your thoughts but do not overdo it.
Sometimes it might happen that weak adjectives and adverbs are used when a stronger noun or verb would work better. Let’s look at some examples:
- She might have heard a sound.
- He was running.
In both of these sentences, you would see that they are bland. Let’s spice them up with some modifiers:
- SHe might have heard a loud sound.
- He was running fast.
In the given instances above, we observed that loud is an adjective that modifies the noun sound. With the usage of the word fast which is an adverb that modifies the verb running. In each of the cases, both loud and fast are modifiers, which give the reader a better visual by providing more information. But for these words – loud and fast you can consider them as weak adjectives as per the language choices. Stronger adjectives tend to be very vivid with their words. So instead of using an adjective-noun or adverb noun coupling in the sentence, you can go for some stronger adjectives. For example,
- She might have heard a din.
- He was sprinting.
Through these sentences, your readers will get the right idea with loud sound and walking fast. It is usually observed that single nouns and verbs that are more descriptive and result in clearer, more vivid, and concise language, and a stronger piece of writing.
How Intensifiers intensify the Meaning of Other Words
Now, let’s know what do we mean by intensifiers.
Intensifiers : In English Grammar, there are some of the weakest words in our language are the ones that do nothing more than enhancing or intensify other words. For example, you can see the below sentences
- The dog was very sad.
- Her house is super big.
Here, the words like very, a lot, and much are common intensifiers, as are words like super, tremendous, huge, and other words that are often used to indicate size or amount, but often in a lackluster way.
Now, the fact is, writers should not completely wipe them out from their vocabularies but yes try to avoid overusing it. Yough writers whenever find something that can convey the meaning they will just add “more” to show the emphasis on the word. But instead, you can use a proper word that intensifies the meaning and expresses the situation.
Draft & Prune: While you are drafting your content then you must better let the language flow naturally. You cannot spend too much time nitpicking all the words finding their appropriate synonym then using it. It is a true fact that our speech is littered with the modifiers and intensifiers and we assume them to be adjectives and adverbs. You can always prune the language by replacing the words with stronger and vivid words that will help you to make it sound better with effective speeches.
Conclusion:
Being a writer, you need to keep examining your writing practices and how you assess the adjectives and adverbs. By reading this blog, you could easily feel that some part of speech can be avoided rather than prefer to use them in abundance. With EnglishBix, you could share your thoughts and leave a comment below for better writing practice.