Learn English – Is it poor style to use adverbs ending in “ly” in formal writing

adverbswriting-style

I came across this infographic which contains the following claim:

dubious infographic

Some grammarians consider "ly" ending adverbs as bad style in formal writing.

Are there any serious style advice sources that actually make this dubious claim? What's the theory for how avoiding such adverbs improves writing?


I've done some further research and found that this notion is widespread, but there is little citation or authority. Where did this idea come from?

For what it's worth, here's a blog entry that claims "Aspiring science-fiction authors receive one piece of advice above all others: Forsake the adverb, the killer of prose. It's terribly, awfully, horrendously important."
Seriously, What’s So Bad About Adverbs?

To make the point about as clear as I can – using "ly" ending adverbs is BAD WRITING for fiction writers.
Those "ly" Ending Adverbs

Best Answer

Some cooks hate garlic. That doesn't mean garlic is bad. That in order doesn't mean eating raw garlic before a job interview is a good idea.

The rule of thumb is "do not make up adverbs".

Do use adverbs if they concisely convey a specific quality, better than a more expressive verb would. I asseverate most people prefer an adverb - simple verb pair than an overly fancy and obscure verb containing given quality.

Avoid them when they cheaply replace a descriptive expression or a verb that pinpoints given quality.

Do not use them at all if you avoidantly try to replace whole sentences with them, or redundantly repeat the sense of the verb they describe. You are able to make up adverbs impunitively, or abuse obscurely occurring ones, or arbitrarily give them new meanings, but don't do it. It's bad.

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