Writing Tip

Adverbs

Some causative verbs imply, suggest, or explain that something will, has, or would happen. Often, causative verbs tell the reader the result/effect of what will, has, or would happen, instead of showing the reader what or how it happened.
Like cause-and-effect, causative verbs are acceptable in other points of view, but not for Deep POV.

Adverbs describe or give information about the word they are modifying, such as a verb, adjective, clause, verbal phrase, or other adverbs.
Most adverbs end with “ly,” but not all of them. Some can end with “–ward” or “–wise,” such as (forward, backward, otherwise) or keep the same form as adjectives (hard, fast, right).

Abruptly	Financially	Relentlessly
Actually	Firmly	Simply
Amazingly	Fundamentally	Slowly
Awesomely	Generally	Softly
Badly	Goodly	Sorrowfully
Basically	Honestly	Spectacularly
Beautifully	Inherently	Successfully
Carefully	Instantly	Suddenly
Clearly	Interestingly	Surely
Completely	Lightly	Truthfully
Convincingly	Loudly	Ubiquitously
Deftly	Narrowly	Unequivocally
Delicately	Naturally	Ungodly
Delightfully	Nearly	Unnecessarily
Desperately	Necessarily	Unquestionably
Dexterously	Obviously	Unwittingly
Effortlessly	Precisely	Usually
Endlessly	Previously	Utterly
Eternally	Quickly	Very
Extremely	Quite	Widely
Faithfully	Really	Willfully

afterward	instead	otherwise	very
backward	just	quite	yet
furthermore	meanwhile	rather	-
however	most	so	-
indeed	much	therefore	-

No doubt adverbs have their place when writing a story, and sometimes even helpful. But adverbs will kill dialogue. Dialogue is where you should show movement, emotion, and body language. You want to add beats that enhance the story.
Deep POV is about removing adverbs and dialogue tags (said, questioned, asked, etc.)

Using a verb to enhance an adverb is a Deep POV violation. The goal is to replace [weak verb] + [adverb] combos with a single, more descriptive verb. Doing so will make your writing tighter, more engaging, and faster-paced.
Here are a few more examples of strong verbs that can replace [weak verb] + [adverb] combos:

[weak verb] + [adverb]	More Descriptive Verb
speak loudly	shout, yell, bark
move swiftly	speed, dart, bolt, zoom, dash, zip
hit lightly	tap, touch
say jokingly	joke, kid
attempt bravely	dare
perform poorly	fail, flunk, bomb
note subtly	suggest, insinuate, imply
eat voraciously	devour, scarf, chomp
take forcefully	grab, seize, snatch
look extendedly	stare, gaze
study closely	scrutinize, inspect
do repeatedly	repeat, redo

Redundant adverbs tell the reader something the verb already implies. This happens when a strong verb carries the action taking place. Watch for [redundant adverb] + [verb] phrases.

Redundant	Better
assert boldly	assert
complete entirely	complete
completely demolish	demolish
crawled slowly	crawled
hurry quickly	hurry
insist adamantly	insist
scream loudly	scream
smash forcefully	smash
squeezed tightly	squeezed
stare intently	stare
totally obliterate	obliterate
wander aimlessly	wander
whisper softly	whisper

You should avoid adverbs, but if you must use them, make sure the placement is correct. A misplaced adverb can change the sentence’s meaning. If possible, put the adverb close to the verb it modifies to avoid confusion.

As mentioned earlier, there is nothing wrong with sprinkling a few adverbs here and there. But the fewer adverbs you have in your writing, the better.

• Avoid adverbs in dialogue and thought tags.
• Replace adverbs in narration using inner thought, movement, emotion, and body language descriptions.
• Watch for redundant adverbs that have the same meaning as the verb.
• Most adverbs are not necessary. Removing the adverb will not alter the sentence’s meaning or phrase.
• Watch for misplaced adverbs in a sentence that can lead to confusion.