Nov 20, 2020
How to Get Away with Murder…ing Adverbs
by: Maria Wojciechowski
As a writer, you’ve probably been told that adverbs are the devil, and you should never deal with the devil. But avoiding adverbs isn’t an irrevocable rule. You can use them, but you shouldn’t use them as a crutch. Removing unnecessary adverbs makes writing more direct and engaging. “He whispered” conveys a stronger meaning to the reader than “He spoke very quietly.”
But what does the no-adverb suggestion mean for ad copywriters, specifically?
When writing ad copy, you want to get your message across in as few words as possible. Adverbs, like so, totally, very, truly, and just, can add length to your copy without substance.
When writing in a casual tone, it can be very tempting to include filler adverbs. After all, you want your copy to be relatable, and people actually do use adverbs in conversation. But will you really notice if they’re gone?
Let’s try rewriting that paragraph without adverbs.
When writing in a casual tone, it can be tempting to include filler adverbs. You want your copy to be relatable, and people do use adverbs in conversation. But will you notice if they’re gone?
Unless you are writing in the voice of a 1980s-valley-girl trope, you can, like, totally delete most adverbs without changing the meaning of your sentence.
S̶o̶, when you edit your writing, s̶i̶m̶p̶l̶y̶ cut any adverbs from your copy that don’t add new information.
It r̶e̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ is j̶u̶s̶t̶ that easy!
