Stomping out more -fiers

Qualifiers and intensifiers

These are modifiers that I used to use frequently in my own writing, and I’ve worked hard at getting rid of them.

Qualifiers and intensifiers decrease or increase the quality of the word they modify. In most cases they are not necessary if a strong adjective or adverb is used in the sentence.

Kurt was kind of sad she was leaving. What does this mean? The use of qualifiers makes it look like the writer is unsure of his/her own characters or story.

Use Kurt was sad she was leaving. (Or heartbroken or crushed)

A common intensifier is very.

Linda was very happy when her team won the championship.

Try using a stronger adjective and cutting out very.

 Linda was elated when her team won the championship. (Or ecstatic, overjoyed, or thrilled)

Sometimes intensifiers create overkill. The bomb totally demolished the building. The word demolished stands on its own.

Here is a list of qualifiers I watch for when I’m writing or editing:

Rather, kind of, sort of, a little, almost, quite, somewhat, fairly, a bit

These are the intensifiers I watch for:

Very, totally, completely, really, incredibly, insanely, extremely