One of the students in this class showed me a website to share with you, which helps clarify and strengthen your writing by highlighting grammar and style issues. Ironically named for writer, Ernerst Hemingway, simply copy and past the text into the provided area on the website, and it will do the rest! Enjoy!
“Being recognized by the state of Sweden is a large step for Kopimi. It first came into being towards the end of the 19th century when Thomas Edison invented it as a machine for engraving. The ability to have a distinct design created whenever a customer requires it is what keeps most of the tattoo shops in business as a lot of people are increasingly looking for unique tattoo images.
Many apologies– I forgot the link! Here’s that article-> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/madeleine-crum/in-defense-of-adverbs_b_4860325.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false#sb=1975279b=facebook
My boss recently sent me this article discussing the Hemmingway app. It reminded me of when the app was discussed in class, and I thought I should share.
I usually don’t pay much attention to Huff Post—or take the internet seriously in general—but I agree with Ms. Crum. Cut out all your adverbs? That sounds like the literary equivalent of a fad diet.
The smear campaign against fats is a familiar example. Should one gorge himself on fats? No. One gram of fat contains nearly three times the amount of energy as a gram of carbohydrate. Can they be cut out entirely? No. The preferred energy molecule of the heart is actually…fat. That alone should make my point obvious without having to add things like essential fatty acids and the composition of cell membranes.
Similarly, Ms. Crum suggests adverbs are an essential part of healthy writing. While no one wants their arteries clogged with purple prose (or worse), an utter lack of adverbs or other ‘helper’ words leaves your writing with all the subtlety and precision of a brick.
You can certainly cut down on adverbs, passive voice and complexity in the interest of sleeker, more powerful writing—it’s not a bad idea. But to insist that the best writing can have none, and moreover, to allow a computer to do it for you is silly. Anyone who’s used spell check knows that. I’m going to have to give the Hemmingway app a big ‘thumbs down’.