Adverbs
According to King, they “pave the road to hell.”
Which sentences sound/look better to you?
 He spoke softly into her ear.
 He whispered into her ear.
 She swiftly ran across the soccer field.
 She sprinted across the soccer field.
 They carelessly forgot to feed the dogs before they left.
 They neglected to feed the dogs before they left.
 The stray cat wandered away toward the empty dumpster.
 The stray cat wandered toward the empty dumpster.
Adverbs
 What is an adverb?
A part of speech that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another
adverb.
Rule of Thumb:
Adverbs describe:
How, When, Where, Why and usually end in –ly.
On Writing by Stephen King
 “The adverb is not your friend. Adverbs…seem to have been created with the timid
writer in mind…With adverbs, the writer usually tells us he or she is afraid he/she isn’t
expressing himself/herself clearly, that he or she is not getting the point or the picture
across” (King 124).
 “I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs, and I will shout it from the rooftops”
(King 125).
 “[Adverbs] are like dandelions. If you have one on your lawn, it looks pretty and unique.
If you fail to root it out, however, you find five the next day…fifty the day after that…and
then, my brothers and sisters, your lawn is totally, completely, and profligately covered
with dandelions. By then you see them for the weeds they really are, but by then it’s—
GASP!!—too late” (King 125).
King’s Golden Rule of Adverbs
 Stephen King says it’s ok to use adverbs as long as it’s limited use.
 However, dialogue attribution is no exception to this rule.
 “Put it down!” she shouted.
 “Put it down!” she shouted menacingly.
 We prefer the first dialogue example since the lack of adverb cannot ruin the
attribution (shouted).
 (King 125-126)
Elements of Style by Strunk and White
 Do not explain too much.
 “It is seldom advisable to tell all. Be sparing, for instance, in the use of adverbs
after "he said," "she replied," and the like: "he said consolingly"; "she replied
grumblingly." Let the conversation itself disclose the speaker's manner or condition.
Dialogue heavily weighted with adverbs after the attributive verb is cluttery and
annoying. Inexperienced writers not only overwork their adverbs but load their
attributives with explanatory verbs: "he consoled," "she congratulated." They do
this, apparently, in the belief that the word said is always in need of support, or
because they have been told to do it by experts in the art of bad writing” (Strunk
and White 68).
 What are Strunk and White advising here?
Elements of Style by Strunk & White
 “Do not construct awkward adverbs. Adverbs are easy to build. Take an adjective
or a participle, add -ly, and behold! you have an adverb. But you'd probably be
better off without it. Do not write tangledly. The word itself is a tangle. Do not even
write tiredly. Nobody says tangledly and not many people say tiredly. Words that
are not used orally are seldom the ones to put on paper” (Strunk and White 68).
 He climbed tiredly to bed.
 He climbed wearily to bed.
 The lamp cord lay tangledly beneath her chair.
 The lamp cord lay in tangles beneath her chair.
Elements of Style by Strunk & White
 “Do not dress words up by adding -ly to them, as though putting a hat on a horse”
(Strunk and White 68).
 overly
 over
 muchly
 much
 thusly
 Thus
Compare
 What’s similar about the views of King and Strunk & White?
 Why is it important for writers to learn from other writers?
 How does this relate to the concept we’ve addressed that writing is not a oneman job?
Excerpt from It
 Annotate! Find anything that agrees/disagrees with King’s adverb rules.
 What do you notice about this excerpt?
 Does King follow his own advice? Why/why not?
 What does the phrase, “you must know the rules in order to break the rules,” mean to you
in terms of writing?
Writing Task
 Now that you’ve explored the writing views of King, Strunk, and White, time to put your adverb skills to
the test.
 Task: Write a story about the proudest moment in your life. When did it take place? Who was involved?
How did it make you feel?
 At least 1 full page written.
 MLA Heading
 Challenge: Try not to use any adverbs! 
 Modify adjectives, verbs, adverbs
 How, Where, When, Why, usually end in -ly
 When you’re finished, switch papers with a partner. Partners, change any adverbs into strong verbs.