Ernest Hemingway is often held up as an example of a great writer who detested adverbs and advised other writers to avoid them. In reality, it’s impossible and unnecessary to avoid adverbs altogether. Sometimes we need them, and all writers (even Hemingway) use them occasionally.
The trick is to avoid superfluous adverbs. When your verb or adjective doesn’t seem powerful or precise enough, instead of reaching for an adverb to add more color, try reaching for a stronger verb or adjective instead. For example, the following two sentences are both grammatically correct and mean the same thing, but you’ll probably agree that the second, in which the verb wrested does all the work that the adverbs forcefully and away are doing in the first, packs more of a punch.
The board forcefully took control away from the founder.
The board wrested control from the founder.
If you find yourself piling on the adverbs, many times you cancome up with a better word, and your writing will be stronger for it.
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