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It is safe to assume that the British and American authors of current handbooks for writers have never heard of Chinglish. Nevertheless, their advice on unnecessary intensifiers is so relevant to the work of translators and polishers in China that it might have been addressed specifically to them. Here is a sampling: -William Zinsser [pp. 109－110]: Most adverbs are unnecessary. You will clutter your sentence and annoy the reader if you choose a verb that has a precise meaning and then add an adverb that carries the same meaning…. Again and again in careless writing, strong verbs are weakened by redundant adverbs. -Claire Cook [pp. 15－16]: You probably should delete all intensive adverbs—very, really, truly, actually 去书内
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  • 用户866114 用户866114

    This excerpt collects classic writing norms from authoritative English linguists, focusing on a core principle of English diction: avoid redundant intensifiers. The writers point out that words including adjectives, verbs and nouns with strong inherent meaning will lose their original linguistic power once decorated by overused adverbs like very, extremely and truly. Those trivializing modifiers only create word clutter, turn vigorous expressions into empty conversational gush, and gradually solidify writing into outdated clichés. Scholars share consistent writing wisdom: precise powerful vocabulary can fully express meaning independently, without redundant amplification. Adjectives and adverbs should only serve accurate semantic refinement, rather than blind emotional exaggeration. Moderate understatement is far more powerful than stacked decorative words.

    2026-04-15 喜欢(0) 回复(0)

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