Here are two sentences. Both with adverbs modifying the word “cheer”. Which one is more effective?
- Paul cheered sadly for his team during the championship game.
- Paul cheered gleefully for his team during the championship game.
Since cheering is already associated with happiness, we can say that sentence one’s usage is more impactful. If you remove the adverb from sentence one, you change the entire meaning of the sentence. If you remove the adverb from sentence two, there’s hardly any difference.
Human emotions are complex. Using adverbs to direct an action away from its common interpretation helps create more dynamic characters and is a great way of applying it in your writing.
If an adverb isn’t effective, removing it would be inconsequential. Often, removing it will likely improve your sentence altogether.
Alternatively, instead of using adverbs to modify the meaning of your verbs, choose more specific verbs as replacements.
Instead of:
Paul cheered loudly for his team during the championship game.
Try:
Paul howled for his team during the championship game.
It’s not always easy finding the right words, but when it comes to adverbs, there is a way to determine whether it’s necessary or not.
When editing your writing, ask: is this adverb essential? Is it changing the meaning of the verb? Is there a specific word that is more effective?
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Elliot Chan 