I really really really want to know why. Why do people say we can’t use adverbs? I’ve read books and they use adverbs. What’s with adverbs really? By the way, i love you blog—it’s been said many times already but there’s nothing else I could do to make you happy but know it. - drowningchimes
Do not believe anything that tells you you can’t use this or that in your writing. There is not, by any means, a right way to write. You can use adverbs in your writing. Adverbs are a fundamental part of speech, no different than any other.
The problem comes when people use them a lot. When you use any word or type of word continuously, it shows. It gets repetitive. It gets annoying. They also happen to be the part of speech most likely to clutter your sentence to no avail. They can weaken your prose:
- They can be reduntant. E.g: “I hate these idiots!” He yelled angrily. You have a strong verb right here, no need to use “angrily”, I got the idea he was angry.
- They can prop up a weak verb. Let’s take a look at “to boldly go”. Okay, split infinitive. What I mean is that just saying “to go” sorta sounds bland. You may think the adverb is necessary. But no. The verb just happens to be weak, generic, bland. How about replacing the verb? “To venture”, “To explore”. These verbs are more specific, more evocative so to speak.
- The speech tags deal. We go back to talking about “said”. Instead of picking some pompous word to replace said, we spice it up with an adverb. This is often (yet, not always) unecessary. Most of the time, you can let the dialogue speak for itself. Or you can use more things to explain how the characters are saying it, if it’s not clear. “I am dying here!” Kyle waved his arms in the air, trying to make his friends notice him.
- You (probably are) telling instead of showing.
Before using an adverb, you can ask yourself these questions:
1) Does it change the word it modifies? Does it make the verb or adjective mean something drastically different?
2) Does it convey some vital piece of information in a way that’s better or more evocative than real description or a stronger verb by itself?
It’s a thing on style, however. If you like to use lots of adverbs, and feel like they’re necessary, go for it.
In the end, yes, books have adverbs. You can use adverbs. Don’t let anyone tell you you can’t. Do ask yourself if the message you’re trying to get across with your writing is being sent the best way it can be.
-Alex
We hope this answered thy question regarding “thou,” “thee,” “thy,” and “thine.” If thou has any further questions on this topic, tweet us @The_YUNiversity. Cheers.
(from dontmesswith-rpcw)
Apart(adv): Separated by distance or time; into pieces or parts; separately.
Examples:
- Even when we’re far apart, Skype brings us together.
- My brother and I were born five years apart.
- He ripped the book apart.
- What makes you think you have the right to keep us apart?
vs.
A part (n): A piece of something that forms the whole of something; a portion of a whole.
Examples:
- I refuse to be a part of something that will cause you unhappiness.
- Come on! At least give me a part of your sandwich!
- Once you are a part of the club, you have a lifetime membership.
- We’ve all had a part to play in this.
We saw a post from fycd yesterday about writing clearly when there are several subjects using the same pronouns (it, they, she, he, xe, etc.) around. It can be confusing. With that in mind, here are three excellent resources for pronouns and antecedent reference.
Subordinating an idea means that you consider it less important than another idea. A sentence that contains a primary idea and subordinate idea(s) can act as a good thesis statement because it can suggest a focus for a paper and provide some of the reasoning behind your views. Subordinating ideas also helps you make smooth transitions between sentences and paragraphs.
Suppose you want to combine these ideas:
Fewer and fewer oysters are left in the Chesapeake Bay. Increasing numbers of fishermen tong for oysters during the bleak winter months.
You can combine the statements to emphasize the increasing number of fishermen (which becomes your primary idea):
Increasing numbers of fishermen tong for oysters during the bleak winter months, so fewer and fewer oysters are left in the Chesapeake Bay.
You could also write the sentence to have your primary idea be the fact that fewer oysters are left:
Fewer and fewer oysters are left in the Chesapeake Bay because increasing numbers of fishermen tong for oysters during the bleak winter months.
In both examples, the primary idea could stand alone as a complete sentence, whereas the subordinate ideas begin with subordinating conjunctions “so” and “because”. These words indicate that what follows receives less weight in the sentence.
Some Subordinating Conjunctions:
Contrast: although, even though, while
Degree: inasmuch as, insofar as, to the extent that
Cause: because, since, as
Time: when, whenever, while, once, before, after, since, until, as long as, as soon as
Condition: if, when, provided that, in case, assuming that, as long as
Place: where, wherever
Negative Condition: unless
Alternative Condition: whether or not
Anonymous asked: Okay, so this is something that has been confusing me for a while now. What is the difference between “besides” and “aside from”? For example, if I were to say, “I’ve had a good week, (besides/aside from) Tuesday when I fell into a waterfall.” which would I use?
Usually, “besides” and “aside from” can be used interchangeably; however, there is a very slight difference.
Besides (prep): In addition to; apart from
and
Aside from (prep): Excluding; with the exception of.
“Besides” is often considered to be a tiny bit less formal than “aside from”.
So, let’s look at your sentence: “I’ve had a good week, (besides/aside from) Tuesday when I fell into a waterfall.” Here’s the breakdown:
I’ve had a good week, apart from Tuesday when I fell into a waterfall.But someone might misunderstand you and think you mean:
I’ve had a good week, in addition to Tuesday when I fell into a waterfall.Not likely. It is much more likely that readers will understand that, all things considered, you’re week would have been good if not for the waterfall incident. The phrasing suggests that you’re taking the waterfall incident into consideration when you make your pronouncement about the week being good, at least you’re taking it more into consideration than if you had used “aside from”. Speaking of…
I’ve had a good week, with the exception of Tuesday when I fell into a waterfall.Or
I’ve had a good week, excluding Tuesday when I fell into a waterfall.Basically, readers will understand that if you don’t take Tuesday into account, your week was good. The use of “aside from” suggests that, when you are tallying up the goods and bads from the week, you leave out the waterfall incident entirely. The reader understand that, while you’re not counting it, you feel you might as well mention it.
They are very nearly the same thing. I would say that, unless you’re using “besides” as an adverb or “aside” without the “from”, it would be all right to use them interchangeably. If you’re writing something more formal, you might go with “aside from”, and even then, there is only a slight difference.
Sources:
Thank you for your question! If you have further questions or a comment to add, hit us up!
-C
Many people seem to have trouble with this tricky verb, so let’s learn about it!
From The Free Dictionary:
shelve
v.shelved, shelv·ing, shelvesv.tr.
- To place or arrange on a shelf.
- To put away as though on a shelf; put aside: “As usual, Dixon shelved this question” (Kingsley Amis). See Synonyms at defer.
- To cause to retire from service; dismiss. To furnish or outfit with shelves.
v.intr.
- To slope gradually; incline.
The difference between to shelve and a shelf from Grammarist:
Shelf is always a noun, and shelve is always a verb. When you shelve something, you put it on a shelf. The main definitions of the noun are (1) a horizontal surface supported by a vertical structure and used to store things, (2) a layer of ice or bedrock, and (3) something that resembles a shelf. The verb, shelve, means (1) to put [something] on a shelf, (2) to set aside, or (3) to slope gradually.
The plural of shelf is shelves. Shelve is inflected shelved, shelving, and shelves.
Conjugating the verb:
Examples:
So, we’re going to be done making this mistake now, right? Right.
-C
Anonymous asked: Sorry if you already gotten this question, but should you use zie/hir in your writing?
Should you? Well, I think that depends on whether or not you have a genderqueer character in your story. If the answer is yes and you would like to use the pronouns zie and hir in your writing, then I say go for it!
Articles on using gender-neutral pronouns in writing:
Other useful articles on gender-neutral pronouns:
Thank you for your question! You can find a ton of resources on this subject in the first article listed above, Using Gender-Neutral Pronouns in Your Writing: Basics for Beginners as well as… all over the internet. Remember to especially seek out content on this subject created by genderqueer people for your resources. It’s always best to get your information straight from the horse’s mouth!
-C
Asks we’ve gotten related to this article (so far):
Anonymous asked: What does it mean to ‘go with the latter’?
I believe this question falls under our Research Rule, but I’ll make an exception.
Basically, “former refers to the first of two things, latter to the second.” (x)
In her article titled “Former or Latter?”, Grammar Girl explains “former” and “latter” this way:
“Latter” means “last” (note that both start with “l”), and “former” means “first” (note that both start with “f”).
In the same article, she gives this advice on the subject:
Only use these terms when distinguishing between two choices, and use them sparingly because they confuse many people. Even if your readers know the meaning, they have to go back to the previous sentence to find the answer.
Avoid the words in speech because listeners can’t go back and review what you said in the previous sentence (and if they try, they’ll probably miss what you say next).
A few examples:
Useful articles on this subject:
Thank you for your question! If you have any comments on this article or other questions about writing, you can message us here!
-C
Free 10-question quiz on subject-verb agreement. This one’s tough.
