Use adverbs proper!
Adverbs are misused so often, it's hard to know how to use them correctly.
Most commonly, an adverb modifies the meaning of a verb:
- She always walks quickly to her car after dark.
- He jumped up so fast, he tripped over his feet.
Some words have two adverbial forms:
- Buy cheap and sell high.
- The house was cheaply built.
The position of an adverb may affect the meaning of a sentence:
- She only nominated Carter for president. (She did not vote for him.)
- She nominated only Carter for president. (She nominated only one candidate.)
Place an adverb as close as possible to the word it modifies:
- It almost seems implausible that the jury voted him innocent.
- It seems almost implausible that the jury voted him innocent. (Better)
Put an adverb at the beginning of the sentence if it modifies the whole sentence:
- Luckily, no one was on the ship when it sank.
It's okay to place adverbs between the elements of a compound verb:
- She was hardly breathing.
- The students will undoubtedly find this class exciting.
Many adverbs are unnecessary and only clutter sentences:
- Each page should be carefully numbered throughout. (Throughout is redundant.)
- Repeat the question again. (Again is redundant.)
- He clenched his fist tightly. (Tightly does not add to the meaning of this sentence.)
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