The Editing Podcast

Adverbs: Use and abuse in writing


Listen Later

Denise and Louise talk about adverbs, and how to use or remove them purposefully.

Listen to find out more about:

  • What Stephen King said about adverbs
  • Adverb use versus adverb abuse
  • Definition of an adverb with examples
  • Definition of an adverbial phrase with examples
  • Adverb red flag #1: the double tell in narrative
  • Adverb red flag #2: the double tell in dialogue
  • Adverb red flag #3: the double tell in dialogue tags
  • Fixes: using stronger verbs and strengthening dialogue
  • Why adverbial phrases don’t solve the problem
  • Extent of overuse

Editing bites
  • How to Write Dazzling Dialogue by James Scott Bell
  • Oxford Guide to Plain English by Martin Cutts

Other resources
  • Stephen King on Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Ask us a question

The easiest way to ping us a question is via Facebook Messenger: Visit the podcast's Facebook page and click on the SEND MESSAGE button: http://bit.ly/EditPodFB

Denise and Louise
  • Denise Cowle Editorial Services: bit.ly/CowleEditing
  • Louise Harnby | Fiction Editor: bit.ly/HarnbyEditing

Music credit

‘Vivacity’ Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

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The Editing PodcastBy Louise Harnby (fiction editor) and Denise Cowle (non-fiction editor)

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