Indubitably

"The road to hell is paved with adverbs."
-- Stephen King

I find myself deleting adverbs in my own work and highlighting adverbs in the work of friends, and typing "this isn't necessary" into the comments.

I wonder what Lolly would think.



I grew up loving Lolly. Who didn't? We laid on the floor watching cartoons on network tv on Saturday mornings and devouring our most memorable grammar and history and math facts. I could sing along and then recall the lyrics -- lessons -- when I needed them. I still know the words to almost every Schoolhouse Rock song. Just try me...I can belt out a mean Preamble to the Constitution while riding right into Conjunction Junction. No lie.

Nostalgia aside, adverbs just aren't what they used to be. Study them carefully when you add them to your writing -- and then -- go Lolly's route and put most of them back on the shelf.