Avoid them. This is advice I value. These links explain why:
Using Adjectives
Writers should avoid extra adjectives. We think they serve a purpose, but many writers use adjectives liberally. Let your nouns carry the burden, saving adjectives for moments when emphasis is appropriate.
Omit adjectives if the noun implies the meaning.
The frozen snow chilled her to the bone.
The snow chilled her to the bone.
Reserve emotional adjectives for people, unless personification adds substantial meaning to the passage. Using figurative language sparingly increases effectiveness when it is used.
The wicked wind destroyed the house.
The wind destroyed the house.
Replace adjective-noun unions with a single precise noun.
Preceding the hurricane, heavy rain flooded streets.
Preceding the hurricane, a downpour flooded the streets.
Using Adverbs
Avoid using too many adverbs, especially those lacking clarity. Adverbs of time or frequency are the exceptions to this advice; “daily” is better than “every day.” (There is irony in this paragraph.)
If an adverb implies the same meaning as the verb, omit the adverb. We understand an adverb can emphasize the meaning of a verb, so this is a subjective edit. It might be necessary to replace the verb with a stronger verb before removing the adverb.
He snickered derisively.
He snickered.
- From Penelope Trunk:
Avoid adjectives and adverbs.
The fastest way to a point is to let the facts speak for themselves. Adjectives and adverbs are your interpretation of the facts. If you present the right facts, you won’t need to throw in your interpretation. For example, you can say, “Susie’s project is going slowly.” Or you can say, “Susie’s project is behind schedule.” If you use the first sentence, you’ll have to use the second sentence, too, but the second sentence encompasses the first. So as you cut your adjectives and adverbs, you might even be able to cut all the sentences that contain them.
I just checked to see if I have modifiers in the column. I do. But I think I use them well. You will think this, too, about your own modifiers, when you go back over your writing. But I have an editor, and you don’t, and I usually use a modifier to be funny, and you do not need to be funny in professional emails. So get rid of your adverbs and adjectives, really.
And here is some advice about taking it too far:
Adjectives and adverbs have often gotten in the way of my writing. At times they still do. When that happens, I remove them to see if I even have a message. If not, I try to stop, reflect until I do have something to say, and then write about that.
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