About this quote

Overwriting often hides weak verbs and weak thinking. Adverbs tend to pad sentences instead of making them clearer, so they can become a lazy fix. Cut the modifiers and you force the sentence to show action and choice. Want tighter prose? Rewrite the line until the verb does the heavy lifting.

When to use it

• At an editor meeting for a short story I told the author to cut the adverbs and let the verbs carry the scene.
• In my college writing workshop the professor circled my paragraph and asked me to read it again without adverbs to see if the meaning still held.
• Before a sales email went live our copywriter removed several adverbs to tighten the headline and the message felt sharper.
• While helping my teen with a school essay I said, 'Drop the verys and reallys and show what happened instead.'