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You Literally Can Really Say More By Actually Eliminating Words Ending In 'ly'

I've bored many with the story that one of the first things an editor told me was that I should delete words that end with "ly" from my stories.

But it actually works. Stories really do read and sound better. By eliminating those "throwaway intensifiers" you literally open up space for action words that definitely move a story along.

Try it. You'll be totally surprised. Plus, many in the audience will surely thank you. Or, they'll certainly stop complaining.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Mark Memmott is NPR's supervising senior editor for Standards & Practices. In that role, he's a resource for NPR's journalists – helping them raise the right questions as they do their work and uphold the organization's standards.