What’s the difference between an adjective and an adverb?

When students first learn to write, discovering new and unusual adjectives can be fun.  Eventually, however, strong writers must find ways to use verbs to express the ideas for which they previously relied upon adjectives.  “The small, red, quick fox stared at the sky” can become “The fox froze in wonder, his eyes riveted on the shooting star, his hair shining auburn in the moonlight – until a sound had him scurrying on his way again.”  Often, reverting adjectives into active verbs adds words to the story, but it also adds depth and interest.

Adverbs have similar challenges.  Many writers – especially those in fiction – use adverbs as dialogue tags.  For example:  “I can’t believe you did that,” she said accusingly.  ‘Accusingly’ is the adverb describing how the speaker spoke.   This can be expressed in stronger writing, however, in a couple of ways.  “I can’t believe you did that.”  Mary shook her head, her disapproval obvious in her eyes.  This may not show that she’s accusing the other person, but clearly she’s unhappy.  “I can’t believe you did that,” she said with a scowl.  Again, her unhappiness is clear.

Adjectives and adverbs have their place in the English language, but for tight, strong writing, their use should be limited.  Think of them as seasoning – sprinkle them throughout rather than soaking the work in them.