1. Use strong verbs and nouns instead of trying to prop up weak ones with adjectives and adverbs.
Weak: The dentist intentionally spoke untruthfully about the diagnosis.
Strong: The dentist lied about the diagnosis.
Weak: The insurance agency maliciously took advantage of persons with limited income and limited knowledge.
Strong: The insurance agency deceived the poor and the ignorant.
2. If you do use adjectives and adverbs choose strong ones and avoid adding intensifiers.
violent — not rather violent
starved — not somewhat starved
histrionic — not slightly histrionic
3. In contrast, do not try to prop up weak adjectives and adverbs with a string of intensifiers.
She was very, very, very mad. Instead say: She was infuriated.
The pain was really, really bad. Instead say: The pain was excruciating.
Here's a lesson with even more hints that will help your students improve their writing. It's ready to print and distribute to your students or you can assign it in Google Classroom.™
Answers are included. https://bit.ly/3oRWhG8
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