Word Choice & Economy
Adverb Density
Flags paragraphs with excessive -ly adverb usage.
What It Does
Computes the ratio of -ly adverbs to total words per paragraph. When the ratio exceeds 6% and at least 3 adverbs are present, the paragraph is flagged with examples.
Why It Matters
"The road to hell is paved with adverbs." — Stephen King. Adverbs often signal a weak verb or adjective. "She walked slowly" is weaker than "She crept."
What Gets Flagged
| Severity | Example | Why | Suggested Revision |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hint | "She walked slowly, carefully opening the door, quietly creeping inside" | 3+ adverbs in one paragraph | Replace adverbs with strong verbs: "She crept to the door, inched it open, slipped inside" |
Configuration
No configuration options. Threshold: 6% adverb density, minimum 3 adverbs, minimum 20 words.
Technical Details
- Source:
prose-craft - Scope: Paragraph-level
- Method: NLP POS tagging for -ly adverbs, ratio computation