Adjectives can be a problem for writers. Often, we’re advised not to use them or to use them sparingly, if at all.
In a recent article, Marketing Minute guru Marcia Yudkin quotes the nearly universal dislike some well-known writers have toward adjectives. Take, for example, Mark Twain, who said “When you catch an adjective, kill it.” Or Stephen King’s dictum: “The road to hell is paved with adjectives.”
Why do you suppose the adjective is so disrespected? Is it because it’s overused? Because it’s not considered to be part of the A-team of writing? Perhaps it’s because, as Ms. Yudkin says, “Adjectives can differentiate and characterize only when they are not predictable, vague or grandiose.” (I myself would be happy if I never again heard the word “awesome,” which I believe is best applied to works of God or nature, rather than common, every day speech.)
As an example of smart adjective use, Ms. Yudkin cites examples from The Speech Improvement Company, a Boston-based firm that does communications coaching. On its website, the organization promotes each of its coaches with three well-chosen adjectives. And she notes, “None of the adjectives presented … boast, postures or blows hot air.”
What is your relationship with adjectives? Do they inspire your trust? Or provoke your mistrust? Do you tend to use them? When you’re editing something you or someone else has written, do you delete them?
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