The slandering of adverbs

I have some beef with Ernest Hemingway.

I must admit, I do have plenty of respect for his skill as a compelling writer in the Modernist movement, and his efficiency is impressive, yet... yet. I simply cannot get behind his distaste for adverbs.

For those who need a refresher, an adverb is a type of descriptor, similar to an adjective. Where adjectives specifically describe nouns, though, adverbs describe pretty much everything else: verbs, adjectives, even other adverbs! Some examples:

The astronaut spiralled uncontrollably.

The light was unbearably bright.

Time moved quite slowly.

Adverbs can frequently be identified as being adjectives with an -ly suffix (quick -> quickly, quiet -> quietly, quintessential -> quintessentially). Be wary, though, because plenty of adverbs don't end in an -ly, and many -ly words have nothing to do with adverbs whatsoever. It's also useful to remember that sometimes an adverb can be expanded into a whole phrase, or further into an adverbial clause.

Now, to get back to Hemingway.

He is by no means the only author to give adverbs a bad name—Stephen King is another notable member of the anti-adverb camp—but he is highly influential, and if you've ever taken a creative writing course in English you've probably studied his prose. So when he says to avoid using adverbs in your writing, a lot of people listen. To his credit, Hemingway did practice what he preached; his writing style is very sparse, with very few descriptors of any kind. But you should pay attention to that word: style.

As I have said, Hemingway was a skilled writer, and if you wish to emulate his style it's important to strip out any words that are not strictly necessary. Cut out the adverbs, cut down on the adjectives—simplify, simplify, simplify.

But Hemingway's minimalist use of words is not the only way to write well, just one way. Adverbs can add richness and vivacity to your writing in a way that minimalism does not, and give you a lot of fun tonal options. They can also communicate subtext and detail really effectively as well, as in the following examples:

The cat, a normally graceful creature, landed heavily on the floor.

The princess smiles devastatedly over the ruins of her kingdom.

Things are fine. Things are really, very, definitely, perfectly fine.

In essence, don't sell your adverbs short. You need to make sure that they're pulling their weight, yes, but no more or less than any of your other words. Use them thoughtfully, though, and they can significantly lift your work.