What's the big deal, you ask? In the larger scheme of things does it matter if Rowling uses an adverb to describe every line of dialogue? (That's only a slight exaggeration, by the way.) Of course not. The better question is, would her story be lacking if she deleted the adverbs? No, it wouldn't. Rowling does a wonderful job of setting the mood, of building tension in a conversation, of painting a picture. She doesn't need the adverbs.
She doesn't need to tell us that Aunt Petunia said something "snidely" to Harry or that Mrs. Weasley said something "anxiously" as she was looking for others on a busy train platform. We know enough about the characters she's created and the scenes that she's set that we get it. In fact if you think about it, using adverbs is rather insulting. It's as if Rowling doesn't think her readers are bright enough to catch the subtleties she's written. You're also not giving yourself enough credit, Ms. Rowling. You don't need those nasty adverbs. See compliments above.
Ms. Rowling, I have a challenge for you while you're still in the editing stage of book seven. Take a highlighter and mark those adverbs up. Get rid of them. Release yourself, and your readers, from "Adverb Hell." That cramp you get from excessive highlighting will go away in a day or so, I promise. Oh sure, you can keep a few here and there, let's say two per chapter as long as they aren't used to describe dialogue. There are a plethora of other ways to describe speech than to saddle it with adverbs.
But, before you do anything at all, get that adverb out of the title. I even have a suggestion: Harry Potter and the Hallows of Death. Look at that. No adverb and the meaning is the same. It has quite a ring to it if I do say so myself. But, better yet, I feel the doom.
Now, about that word death...
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Alexandra
You were reading my mind when you wrote this. Oh My Gods, you are so right. I've been telling people for years about the bad writing in these books. I hope she listens to you.
2 - Brent
MJ, the word "Deathly" in the title is functioning as an adjective, not an adverb. I don't mind when people don't know their parts of speech, except when they write entire articles based on their supposed knowledge.
3 - Megan
First of all, it's not all-Harry-all-the-time except for people who want it to be. I never see anyhing about Harry Potter on the news except a couple of times on the Today show and the like, when a movie/book comes out. No more than for any other movie. People complain about the marketing for this, and all thoughts of Star Wars and Lord of the Rings goes out of their minds. For every one Harry Potter mention there are 100 people going "blah, blah, I hate this, I feel so sorry for me having to hear about it, wah wah wah". All this hate over a book series is so annoying. People like it. Kids like it. Kids who don't normally like to read gobble down these books. Not everyone's going to like the same thing, but it doesn't mean you attack it at every turn. She obviously had some reason for naming the book that, and there is a difference between Deathly Hallows and Hallows of Death. Personally I don't mind the adverbs. I hate books in which the writers go on and on and never add anything different. I'd rather had said Petunia snidely, than Petunia said, Petunia said, said Petunia, said Petunia...
4 - Victor Plenty
"Deathly" in the context of Rowling's title is indeed an adjective. Any dictionary can confirm this for you.
The text of the article may have a point about the adverbs seen too often in many people's writing, but people who attempt to charge Rowling with "bad writing" miss the key source of her popularity. Very few people (outside the deathly hallows of the academic ivory tower) seek writers who craft beautiful sentence after beautiful sentence, each one describing dully despicable characters nobody could ever care about, committing acts nobody should ever admire, in settings nobody would ever want to visit.
Most readers love writers who can craft a compelling story with vivid and sympathetic characters. An appealing setting is an added bonus. Rowling has proven beyond any reasonable doubt her ability to satisfy such readers.
5 - Samantha
How are the readers sopostto know what's going on? I read ather books all the time and the onesthat don't have discrib what's going on I do not like. look at this. "Wow,you can't do anything right" How was it said.-----Joe looked at Alex with amusment."Wow,you can't do anything right." OR
Joe looked at Alex wiht anoyment"Wow,you can't do anything right"
Realy all depends.Pratend Alex is a very clambsy person and just slipped in the school cafatera and slaterd food all over. Is Joe inbarested and is anoyed or was this way to funny this time?
6 - Pauline
While I agree with you that Rowling overuses adverbs, deathly can also be an adjective and is being used as such in the title for Book 7.
7 - C Warren
Personally, I think it is a tad premature to assume the meaning of this title. Already, Fans of the series have probeled the depths of mytholagy, and antiquity looking for matches to posible meanings of the words "Deathly Hallows" and have come up now with many different possible meanings streatching from venerated objects of importances, which ties nicely in with known plots of the books, to refereces to the night Harry's perants died.
In the end, these books are inspiring children and adults to research history, lore, and discuss eagerly with each other. It is getting people to think critically.
A book those not have to have flawless writing to have a great impact on the literary world. J.K. Rowling has proven that, and in the end, this is a childrens series.
8 - Areya
I agree with most of the comments made above. Megan, you said what I was going to say, so I won't repeat it. This is the first article I have read 'attacking' JKR for an excessive use of adverbs. The adverbs are highly descriptive, and add to the quality of writing. JKR is not 'insulting' people by using a lot of adverbs and adjectives. She is accomodating the people who have not been following her books from the very beginning. Not every reader of these books knows the characters well enough to know exactly how they would say any line of dialog. I, personally, have found the adverbs very helpful, even though I am a pretty seasoned fan. Just because a certain character has a certain personality does not mean that they are going to say all of their lines the exact same way every time. The adverbs allow the reader to really think about what the character has just said and more importantly, how the character said it. No matter what any high-browed writing expert might say, adverbs add subtext and meaning behind the words on the page, while still keeping the story interesting. They are not in any way distracting from the tale. I have read the reviews that Order of the Phoenix received, and the worst 'ligitimate' review I read said that the book contained an excessive use of adjectives. If that is all that critics can complain about, I applaud JKR even more. Because of adverbs, the reader knows the motives of each of the characters. In my opinion, J.K. Rowling has done so much for literature (not just children's literature) that if she wants to use an adverb in the title of the last book in her wildly popular series, she can go right ahead, and I won't think anything less of her. There's my two cents. :)
9 - Drakaran
Actually, it would appear to me that MJ Ryan was being a bit cheeky with Rowling's success. Instead of wasting time putting down Rowling's, why don't you write something worth reading MJ?
10 - Oinkhead
Is "hallows" a verb.
I don't think so mojamba.
11 - Sarah
You are a sad, sad little person if you feel that criticising other people's writing when yours is nothing special is a good thing to do in your spare time. Au revoir, my friend. There is nothing left for you here.
12 - Shannon
First, as others have commented, you've written an entire article on a mistaken point - "deathly" can be both an adverb and an adjective. Perhaps you thought that "hallows" was being used as a verb. Ok, that's wonderful, but if you look a couple of words before it, you'll see "the." That clues everyone in that what's following will be a noun of some sort.
Second, I'm not sure how adverbs are evil. That's an absurd statement. It's just like saying adjectives are evil - get rid of any words of description, and you'll be credited as an amazing (oops, an adjective) writer? Interesting.
I can't quite fathom why you published this article. It's a bit insulting to people who know their parts of speech (by the way, I learned those in elementary school, so they're really not that hard to comprehend).
13 - Craig
I remember Stephen King saying something similar about Rowlings use of adverbs in his review of Order of the Phoenix, except he was able to sum it up in a single sentence instead of needing to write an entire article about it.
Perhaps MJ Ryan could enlighten the great unwashed masses by writing an article about those that love the sound of their own (authorial) voice?
14 - musician
To quote Hermione: "What an..." hrrmm... Sincerely, what bloody high horse do you think you're on oh great "blogcritics" writer...? I'm quite sure you'll see when the book comes out that "hallows of death" does not mean the same thing and that it doesn't work in this case (also it is clumsy and not the least bit catchy - there is a point in even putting a title on a book you know)... Jeez, even as I'm writing this I realise how really, as you are so obviously far from well-read or educated, perhaps one should just feel sorry for you and not comment at all... But as you seem so utterly pompous I shall do so anyway.. Why do you think adverbs exist in the first place? And don't you think there is a reason the readers know the characters of the books so well by now? - Perhaps it is because Rowling actually described them...
15 - Sara
Apparently, you haven't read _On Writing_ by Stephen King, either. He's a huge fan of the Harry Potter books, and said he read them almost exclusively while he recovered from being hit by that van a few years ago.
16 - Nelson
HA-HA! I think this whole thread is rich as it turns out you are the one who is lazy rather than the franchise-creating Rowling.
Enough people have covered your obvious errors, so I'll only add that I wonder why you think anyone would take advice from a "writer" who thinks "In the title of the book." is a sentence, especially when that "writer" has to leech off others rather than create something of their own.
It appears like people are listening, but at least now you know why people ignore when you ask "Would you please listen to me?" It's because you don't know what you are talking about.
17 - jim
You are jumping to conclusions thinking that the word "Deathly" in the title is an adverb. We don't really know that "Deathly Hallows" isn't the title to a specific place in the wizardling world.
She hasn't use an adverb in the titles to her previous books. I suspect we'll find out it's not actually an adverb when we read book 7.
Btw, if you don't like her writing, you have the wonderful option of not reading her books.
18 - Scott K
If you can't tell an adjective from an adverb, perhaps you shouldn't write about parts of speech. I realize that School House Rock taught you that adverbs end in -ly, but that doesn't mean that other words don't as well. "Lovely" and "lonely" are also adjectives.
You think that "Harry Potter and the Hallows of Death" has the same ring to it? That title rivals some of George Lucas' titles in stupidity.
19 - Kay
Why do we have adverbs in the English language if we are not suppose to use them? I love J.K. Rowlings style of writing!
20 - Natalie Bennett
This article has been selected for syndication to Advance.net, which is affiliated with newspapers around the United States. Nice work!
(By the way folks, I think you'll find that hallows is a verb, at least according to this. Which does mean the title doesn't seem to make a lot of sense, not that it matters for sales .... )
21 - Char
Simple fact... JK Rowlings books are THE most popular story in the world...
Instead of opionionated people telling us how she should write the books... pay attention... readers of the series love HOW she writes...
who made the stupid rule that an author shouldn't use adverbs??? perhaps THEY have it wrong!!
22 - Peter
Hallows can be either a noun or verb. As a noun, hallows can refer to a saint, a sacred place or a collection of relics. (See the Oxford English Dictionary) The noun form is now archaic but it survives in "Hallowe'en" which is an abbreviated form of "All Hallows Eve" or the eve of all saints day. Rowling seems to be writing over the head of this particular critic.
23 - karen
well i think this piece of information is useless.....we dont know what is wwritte in the books and therefore have no right to make comments at the title....i think that roling has better writing skills than most of us and thus we should not critisize an author who has been appreciated thruout the world for her work.....and for your information the books are very interesting and so are the movies...
all i want to say is that we should calmly wait for the book and not make our silly comments and also i am looking forward for the next year since it is full of harry potter and those who dont like harry potter BAD LUCK
24 - STM
"She doesn't need to tell us that Aunt Petunia said something "snidely" to Harry or that Mrs. Weasley said something "anxiously" as she was looking for others on a busy train platform."
This whole argument would hold more water if Rowling weren't in reality a writer of children's books.
Although aimed possibly at older children, and with a cadre of older teen and adult followers, the Harry Potter books are primarily kids' stories - a new take on the old fairy tale.
The adverb is very heavily used as a literary device in children's books, along with such perennials as, "I am finished now," he/she laughed (chortled, guffawed, etc), none of which are acceptable as devices in adult writing but which some journalists insist on using.
Let's not be too harsh on Rowling's use of grammar and syntax when she writes primarily for kids, and she does that exceptionally well.
That she has a smattering of adult followers who know how to use adverbs isn't likely to bother her that much and we shouldn't let it detract from her wonderful imagination.
However, as a parent of children who've been reading these works from day one, I must say the whole bloody thing is getting rather tedious.
I liked it better when the wizards and witches were in their own parallel universe and we didn't know a thing about it.
25 - Kim
Well, Harry Potter fans are awfully touchy, aren't they!?! It's nice to see someone who's not afraid to be candid. Let's not forget that this critique was balanced by MJ's obvious acknowledgement of JKR's strengths as a writer as well. Nearly every definition of "hallow" that I've seen begins with its most commonly used form-- as a verb. Given that JKR happens to use adverbs excessively, it is quite logical that one would conclude she is using "deathly" as an adverb. Relax people.