When You Catch an Adjective, Kill It The Parts

Whatdoyougetwhenyoumixninepartsofspeech，onegreatwriter，andgenerousdashesofinsight，humor，andirreverence?Onephenomenallyentertaininglanguagebook.Inhiswaggishyetauthoritativebook，BenYagodahasmanagedtoundothedarkworkoflegionsofEnglishteachersandlibrariesofdustygrammartexts.NotsinceSchoolHouseRockhaveadjectives，adverbs，articles，conjunctions，interjections，nouns，prepositions，pronouns，andverbsbeenexploredwithsuchinfectiousexuberance.ReadIfYouCatchanAdjective，KillItand：LearnhowtowritebetterwithclassicadvicefromwriterssuchasMarkTwain(“Ifyoucatchanadjective，killit”)，StephenKing(“Ibelievetheroadtohellispavedwithadverbs”)，andGertrudeStein(“Nouns...arecompletelynotinteresting”).Marvelathowasinglewordcanshiftfromadverb(“Ididokay”)，toadjective(“Itwasanokaymovie”)，tointerjection(“Okay!”)，tonoun(“Igavemyokay”)，toverb(“Whookayedthis?”)，dependingonitsuse.Avoidthepretentiousprepositionat，afavoriteofrealestatedevelopers(e.g.，“TheShoppesatWhitePlains”).LaughwhenYagodasayshe“shallcallanyoneadorktotheendofhisdays”whoinsistsonmaintainingthedistinctionbetweenshallandwill.Read，anddiscoverabookwhosepopculturereferences，humorousasides，andbracingdosesofdiscernmentandcommonsenseconveyYagoda’suniquesenseofthe“beauty，thejoy，theartistry，andthefunoflanguage.”