GrandmaBirdie's Lists: 6 Ways to Reduce "-ly" Adverb Abuse

[GrandmaBirdie]

May 1: Why You Should Avoid "Feel" in Writing: 50 Alternatives
Whenever you write about a character feeling something, you distance readers from your narrative. Here's how to avoid the "feel" trap.

[GrandmaBirdie]

May 8: 8 Guidelines for Contractions in Writing
Contractions were invented centuries ago. They make our writing more personable. Beware that you don't develop contractionitis, though.

[Becca Mills]

May 8: 8 Guidelines for Contractions in Writing
Contractions were invented centuries ago. They make our writing more personable. Beware that you don't develop contractionitis, though.

Do people really try to use 's to mean "was"?? That would confuse me for sure!

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[GrandmaBirdie]

Do people really try to use 's to mean "was"?? That would confuse me for sure!

They sure do. I see it when reading or doing critiques. Unless the context is clear, an apostrophe-s can disconcert readers.

[GrandmaBirdie]

May 15: 120 Ways to Say "Pout"
The usual replacement chosen by writers for "pout" is "pursed lips," an unoriginal phrase. Try these alternatives instead.

[GrandmaBirdie]

May 22: Too Many Sighs of Relief in Your Writing? 75 Alternatives
Do your protagonists sigh in relief or breathe sighs of relief on every second page? Maybe it's time for a rewrite.

[GrandmaBirdie]

May 29: 100+ Ways to Say "Blush"
Why do people blush? Writers should know their characters' motivations. Then, their duty is to show readers the cause of each blush.

[GrandmaBirdie]

June 5: 4 Guidelines for Stacked Modifiers
Should you worry about adjective order or how many modifiers you include in a sequence? What about commas and hyphens? Read this article for the answers.

[Becca Mills]

May 29: 100+ Ways to Say "Blush"
Why do people blush? Writers should know their characters' motivations. Then, their duty is to show readers the cause of each blush.

Hooboy, I need this one. I constantly find myself wanting to make my MC blush. It's a writing tic. So embarrassing. <blush>

[Becca Mills]

June 5: 4 Guidelines for Stacked Modifiers
Should you worry about adjective order or how many modifiers you include in a sequence? What about commas and hyphens? Read this article for the answers.

I'd heard we were moving away from the absolute requirement that preceding compound modifiers be hyphenated in favor of an "if needed" approach.

ETA: Or should I say, an "if-needed" approach.

[GrandmaBirdie]

Hooboy, I need this one. I constantly find myself wanting to make my MC blush. It's a writing tic. So embarrassing. <blush>

  "Hooboy"--I like. First time I've seen it.

I'd heard we were moving away from the absolute requirement that preceding compound modifiers be hyphenated in favor of an "if needed" approach.

ETA: Or should I say, an "if-needed" approach.

Hyphenation isn't an absolute requirement, but a recommendation, although Chicago Manual of Style calls some of the guidelines rules.

[KennySkylin]

These guides are really great. I feel like I'm becoming a stacked modifier and em dash Jedi. Thanks for the info!

[GrandmaBirdie]

These guides are really great. I feel like I'm becoming a stacked modifier and em dash Jedi. Thanks for the info!

My pleasure, Kenny!

Do you have a wishlist of overused words or  grammar idiosyncrasies you'd like me to tackle for an upcoming blog post?

[KennySkylin]

My pleasure, Kenny!

Do you have a wishlist of overused words or  grammar idiosyncrasies you'd like me to tackle for an upcoming blog post?

I can't really think of anything specific, but I do appreciate all the guides you have created so far and look forward to whatever topics you post about in the future. Thanks again.

[GrandmaBirdie]

June 12: Too Many Filter Words in Your Writing? 80 Alternatives
Why should you avoid filter words? Think of the last time you stood in line at a bank or grocery store. Did you enjoy the wait?

[GrandmaBirdie]

June 19: 50 Alternatives for "Wink" in Writing
Do your characters wink so often that their eyes resemble flashing signal lights? A wink is a vague action that might be misconstrued. Try these alternatives.

[SerenityEditing]

Tangentially related questions/thoughts:
Do people ACTUALLY wink that much? The only times I ever wink are when I'm doing it ironically (like, "Gosh, what a shame that my horrible coworker got fired, I'm all torn up about it. I'll miss her so much." *hugely exaggerated wink*). I can't remember the last time I saw anyone - of any age, gender, or societal role - do it, unless they were doing it for a camera. But it shows up in manuscripts all the time. Do I just live in a winkless pocket of the world? Or is it maybe something people have begun doing more as a result of the use of the 'winky face' to help convey tone in casual written conversation?

[GrandmaBirdie]

But it shows up in manuscripts all the time. Do I just live in a winkless pocket of the world? Or is it maybe something people have begun doing more as a result of the use of the 'winky face' to help convey tone in casual written conversation?

Exactly. I recently read something that contained so many winks I couldn't concentrate on the story. Like you, Serenity, I seldom wink and rarely see one in real life.

BTW for future interest, what day of the week are you most likely to read blogs? I post on Mondays but would be glad to change the day to match the preferences of readers.

[GrandmaBirdie]

June 26: "Alright" vs. "All Right": Which is "Right"?
Authors have penned "alright" for more than 130 years. Common sense suggests that public acceptance should justify the existence of a word. Right?

[LMareeApps]

June 26: "Alright" vs. "All Right": Which is "Right"?
Authors have penned "alright" for more than 130 years. Common sense suggests that public acceptance should justify the existence of a word. Right?

Think this one might depend on locality. 'Alright' appears in both my 1987 Heinemann Australian Dictionary, solely as an adverb, and in my Fifth Edn Macquarie Dictionary.  The Macquarie offers 10 forms of usage as both an adjective and an adverb.  I guess this is another one to pop on my 'list of words to avoid if writing for a US market 

[GrandmaBirdie]

Think this one might depend on locality. 'Alright' appears in both my 1987 Heinemann Australian Dictionary, solely as an adverb, and in my Fifth Edn Macquarie Dictionary.  The Macquarie offers 10 forms of usage as both an adjective and an adverb.  I guess this is another one to pop on my 'list of words to avoid if writing for a US market 

Good point. However, an editor for an Australian publication might be an American.   

You'll find editors (and readers) worldwide with viewpoints like this one from http://languagehat.com/bad-words-in-dictionaries/

I will woman the barricades against "alright" until they pry my Strunk & White from my cold, dead hands. I have shamed my own mother for writing that word in a letter to me (less nasty than you might think, because she always brags about winning the statewide school spelling bee championship when she was eleven, or some insane thing. My own chance ever at a spelling bee, I was tossed off in the easy rounds because I spelled "f-a-v-o-u-r". Too much Dickens).

[M R Mortimer]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIui-eKxAec sorry, just had to. LOL. Growing up, my understanding was that alright and all right meant different things. I considered alright to be similar to OK with a basis similar to the mythical "zero kills (0K)" signs in villages of preindustrial times which were allegedly used to signify no casualties in war that day. All right is what you got on that test, with no wrong answers.

[Morgan Worth]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIui-eKxAec sorry, just had to. LOL. Growing up, my understanding was that alright and all right meant different things. I considered alright to be similar to OK with a basis similar to the mythical "zero kills (0K)" signs in villages of preindustrial times which were allegedly used to signify no casualties in war that day. All right is what you got on that test, with no wrong answers.

This is exactly what I was taught, and what I recall from the books I read when I was a kid. But many people do consider "alright" a no-no now. I really don't get the opposition to it, but I can understand why authors avoid it.

[LMareeApps]

Growing up, my understanding was that alright and all right meant different things. I considered alright to be similar to OK with a basis similar to the mythical "zero kills (0K)" signs in villages of preindustrial times which were allegedly used to signify no casualties in war that day. All right is what you got on that test, with no wrong answers.

Exactly.  All right = all correct.  Alright = okay, fine, no problems.
But I see that you are Australian also, so we have likely been raised with the same education. Alright was a word on my 7 year old's school spelling homework recently 

[MelanieCellier]

Exactly.  All right = all correct.  Alright = okay, fine, no problems.
But I see that you are Australian also, so we have likely been raised with the same education. Alright was a word on my 7 year old's school spelling homework recently 

This is so interesting! I'm an Aussie also, and I learned early in my writing (from reader feedback) that I was supposed to use all right instead of alright, so I changed it, but have never had any idea why. I also thought they basically had different meanings and have found it so strange to write it to mean ok. Now I know it's a regional difference