tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post5639693426847390789..comments2023-11-22T06:35:25.251-05:00Comments on POE'S DEADLY DAUGHTERS: Big Words and Little WordsJulia Buckleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10270211923343731659noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-8971193437442120902009-08-08T16:37:26.861-04:002009-08-08T16:37:26.861-04:00The 'rule' about not using adverbs reminds...The 'rule' about not using adverbs reminds me of a scene in the movie "Amadeus": the emperor didn't like whatever piece Mozart had just performed. When pressed for detail, he says "Too many notes." <br /><br />Different people have different tastes, that's all. What really surprises me is that today's media are so starved for actual content that they Kate L. (Guppy)noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-30827404674718482462009-08-06T20:50:52.951-04:002009-08-06T20:50:52.951-04:00Hear hear! Thank you Liz for saying this. I agree ...Hear hear! Thank you Liz for saying this. I agree a whole big fat adverbial lot :)Kim Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13933746166088034102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-76098281228685635342009-08-06T17:02:23.957-04:002009-08-06T17:02:23.957-04:00I love words and as a reader enjoy coming across s...I love words and as a reader enjoy coming across some that stretch my vocabulary. As a writer, I can.t resist characters with high flown language to contrast with the Appalachian dialect of many of my regulars (use of dialect -- a whole 'nother question there!)<br /><br />Heck, I even like it when Sayers goes on at length in French -- a language of which I know very little.<br /><br />AdverbsVicki Lanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08114677510459055768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-91147758985276761002009-08-06T16:43:42.831-04:002009-08-06T16:43:42.831-04:00What did she say, Sandra?What did she say, Sandra?Amber Greenhttp://www.shapeshiftersinlust.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-80345074206116034842009-08-06T14:36:39.478-04:002009-08-06T14:36:39.478-04:00Love the Tom Swifties, which was a blog topic of m...Love the Tom Swifties, which was a <a href="http://terryodell.blogspot.com/2009/07/averbs-anyone.html" rel="nofollow">blog topic</a> of my own not long ago! I think the "rule" is, "there are no rules." Or maybe it's "never say never."Terry Odellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11610682530545306687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-15607104647725795852009-08-06T13:44:12.404-04:002009-08-06T13:44:12.404-04:00I remember Tom Swifties. ("Let's saddle u...I remember Tom Swifties. ("Let's saddle up," he said hoarsely.) Maybe that's where the war on adverbs started.Elizabeth Zelvinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13944424094949207841noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-23905495547013733642009-08-06T10:16:35.923-04:002009-08-06T10:16:35.923-04:00Any time the question of adverbs comes up, I remem...Any time the question of adverbs comes up, I remember "Tom Swifties." Does anyone else? ("You should sharpen that pencil," he said pointedly.) <br /><br />Who makes up these rules? No passive verbs. No adverbs. No backstory. What we need is balance and moderation. Go ahead and use adverbs, but not in every sentence.Sheila Connollyhttp://www.sheilaconnolly.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-37107778306937708852009-08-06T10:02:26.940-04:002009-08-06T10:02:26.940-04:00In an online group led by Diana Gabaldon, an unpub...In an online group led by Diana Gabaldon, an unpublished writer once informed Ms. Gabaldon that she was breaking one of the primary rules of good writing by using adverbs. The implication was that this internationally bestselling author might hope to become a "good" writer if she would follow the rules more closely. I enjoyed Diana's icy response very much. :-) <br /><br />In Sandra Parshallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17403144248962124138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-79060596703412834092009-08-06T09:16:45.420-04:002009-08-06T09:16:45.420-04:00Anglo-Saxon vs. Latinate? Tell me more (though it...Anglo-Saxon vs. Latinate? Tell me more (though it sounds dangerous.Susan Dhttp://www.susandaly.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-3171924729165964412009-08-06T07:27:57.025-04:002009-08-06T07:27:57.025-04:00While anything in excess is bad, it's also cou...While anything in excess is bad, it's also counterproductive to follow too many "rules" in writing.<br /><br />Elizabeth<br /><a href="http://mysterywritingismurder.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow"> Mystery Writing is Murder</a>Elizabeth Spann Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15625595247828274405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8056815460076050228.post-36149391461312747922009-08-06T07:06:25.846-04:002009-08-06T07:06:25.846-04:00It's a little astonishing to me that a post li...It's a little astonishing to me that a post like this even needs to be made. The whole idea of avoiding adverbs is so idiotic that I find it hard to believe any serious writers give any credence to such a "rule." (I think someone is proposing banning he use of the semicolon too.) You're right; there is a middle ground, and that's where most writing gets done. When people Paul Lambhttp://www.paullamb.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.com