When I was taught grammar at school, my teacher said that verbs are words that describe an action. They’re the words we use to describe things that happen – sit, walk, eat and so on.
Adverbs are words that are used to describe verbs. For example, in the phrase ‘he walked slowly’, walked is the verb, and slowly is an adverb.
When writing, it’s easy to find yourself using adverbs, especially when describing speech or simple actions. She talked quietly, or he walked fast, are two simple examples. The problem is that they are rather bland. If overused such phrases can become dull.
We are lucky. English is such a rich language. If you take the trouble to think for a few moments, you will often find that there is a verb that can be used that will allow you to lose the adverb entirely. For example, she whispered, instead of she talked quietly. The word whispered suggests all kids of different things, according to the context. It could be a secret shared between friends, a catty remark said behind somebody’s back. Again, somebody walking fast does not conjure up as much atmosphere as somebody who was rushing along the road.
Walking fast is just a description of somebody who is walking quickly. It doesn’t add much in the way of atmosphere. Rushing carries that extra bit of extra information and makes us ask why are they in a hurry.
Take care though as overuse of unusual verbs can become annoying. In short, adverbs have their place in writing, but they need to earn them.
In short, don’t use adverbs because they are easy to use. Try to get into the habit of checking to see if there’s a better verb available before using them.
