| Mark Twain warns us on using adjectives: "As to | | | | emerged from the water, stood up towering at |
| the adjective, when in doubt, strike it out." | | | | least two feet taller than my poodle, staggered to |
| Clifton Fadiman warns us too: "The adjective is | | | | a chair, and collapsed. |
| the banana peel of the parts of speech." | | | | These two examples, written with verbs and |
| Adjectives modify nouns. In the examples below, | | | | nouns, reveal more than adjectives. Adjectives |
| we see a tired boy sitting down: | | | | only tell. Nouns and verbs show. The adjective still |
| The tired boy sat down. | | | | has a place in writing. We would like to suggest |
| The exhausted boy sat down. | | | | the following list of rules: |
| The weary boy sat down. | | | | 1. Whenever possible, use verbs and nouns to |
| The worn-out boy sat down. | | | | show instead of using adjectives to tell. |
| The sleepy boy sat down. | | | | 2. If you must use adjectives to describe a noun, |
| The nodding boy sat down. | | | | limit yourself to one. |
| The drowsy boy sat down. | | | | 3. When you use an adjective, avoid overused |
| More than one adjective can modify a single noun | | | | adjectives such as nice, good, bad, important, |
| as in the examples below: | | | | interesting, and beautiful. |
| The tired little boy sat down. | | | | 4. When you use an adjective, try to use |
| The exhausted young boy sat down. | | | | uncommon adjectives such as decorous, |
| The small weary boy sat down. | | | | gratifying, iniquitous, burning, and ravishing. |
| Adding more adjectives weakens writing. Strong | | | | 5. Use a metaphor or simile instead of an |
| writing comes from strong verbs and nouns. You | | | | adjective. |
| may be asking what strong verbs and nouns are. | | | | Metaphors show how differences can be similar. |
| Strong verbs and nouns have several qualities: | | | | Here are two examples: |
| 1. They are precise. | | | | 1. The boy liked swimming very much. |
| 2. Rather than being commonly used, they are | | | | 2. The boy was a fish, only leaving the water to |
| less commonly used. | | | | sleep. |
| 3. They are paintbrushes creating visual and | | | | The first example is a common sentence. The |
| visceral images. | | | | second example uses a metaphor to convey the |
| We can edit these sentences to tell us the boy is | | | | same information with stronger writing. |
| tired without using any adjectives: | | | | A simile also compares two different things, often |
| The boy gasped for air after running down the | | | | using the words like or as. We can use a simile to |
| mountain and fell into the chair in front of me. | | | | communicate the same information as follows: |
| The boy finished swimming across the river, | | | | The boy was like a fish, only jumping out of the |
| emerged from the water, staggered to a chair, | | | | water for a second or two at a time. |
| and collapsed. | | | | In moderation, adjectives help our writing. Most |
| We can further edit these sentences, without | | | | writers, however, overuse adjectives. Mark Twain |
| using any adjectives, to include that the boy is | | | | thus cautions us. Our suggestion is the next time |
| small. | | | | you reach for an adjective, remember the |
| After running down the mountain, the boy gasped | | | | alternatives of strong nouns and verbs, and |
| for air and fell into the chair in front of me, his | | | | similes and metaphors. If one of these options is |
| feet still 12 inches from touching the floor. | | | | better for your writing, use it. |
| The boy finished swimming across the river, | | | | |