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The Internal Negotiation You Have When Your Heart Rate Gets Uncomfortable

https://www.vo2maxpro.com/blog/internal-negotiation-heart-rate
1•GoodluckH•20s ago•0 comments

Show HN: Glance – Fast CSV inspection for the terminal (SIMD-accelerated)

https://github.com/AveryClapp/glance
1•AveryClapp•1m ago•0 comments

Busy for the Next Fifty to Sixty Bud

https://pestlemortar.substack.com/p/busy-for-the-next-fifty-to-sixty-had-all-my-money-in-bitcoin-...
1•mithradiumn•2m ago•0 comments

Imperative

https://pestlemortar.substack.com/p/imperative
1•mithradiumn•3m ago•0 comments

Show HN: I decomposed 87 tasks to find where AI agents structurally collapse

https://github.com/XxCotHGxX/Instruction_Entropy
1•XxCotHGxX•6m ago•1 comments

I went back to Linux and it was a mistake

https://www.theverge.com/report/875077/linux-was-a-mistake
1•timpera•7m ago•1 comments

Octrafic – open-source AI-assisted API testing from the CLI

https://github.com/Octrafic/octrafic-cli
1•mbadyl•9m ago•1 comments

US Accuses China of Secret Nuclear Testing

https://www.reuters.com/world/china/trump-has-been-clear-wanting-new-nuclear-arms-control-treaty-...
1•jandrewrogers•10m ago•1 comments

Peacock. A New Programming Language

1•hashhooshy•14m ago•1 comments

A postcard arrived: 'If you're reading this I'm dead, and I really liked you'

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2026/02/07/postcard-death-teacher-glickman/
2•bookofjoe•16m ago•1 comments

What to know about the software selloff

https://www.morningstar.com/markets/what-know-about-software-stock-selloff
2•RickJWagner•19m ago•0 comments

Show HN: Syntux – generative UI for websites, not agents

https://www.getsyntux.com/
3•Goose78•20m ago•0 comments

Microsoft appointed a quality czar. He has no direct reports and no budget

https://jpcaparas.medium.com/ab75cef97954
2•birdculture•20m ago•0 comments

AI overlay that reads anything on your screen (invisible to screen capture)

https://lowlighter.app/
1•andylytic•21m ago•1 comments

Show HN: Seafloor, be up and running with OpenClaw in 20 seconds

https://seafloor.bot/
1•k0mplex•22m ago•0 comments

Tesla turbine-inspired structure generates electricity using compressed air

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2•PaulHoule•23m ago•0 comments

State Department deleting 17 years of tweets (2009-2025); preservation needed

https://www.npr.org/2026/02/07/nx-s1-5704785/state-department-trump-posts-x
2•sleazylice•23m ago•1 comments

Learning to code, or building side projects with AI help, this one's for you

https://codeslick.dev/learn
1•vitorlourenco•24m ago•0 comments

Effulgence RPG Engine [video]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFQOUe9S7dU
1•msuniverse2026•25m ago•0 comments

Five disciplines discovered the same math independently – none of them knew

https://freethemath.org
4•energyscholar•26m ago•1 comments

We Scanned an AI Assistant for Security Issues: 12,465 Vulnerabilities

https://codeslick.dev/blog/openclaw-security-audit
1•vitorlourenco•27m ago•0 comments

Amazon no longer defend cloud customers against video patent infringement claims

https://ipfray.com/amazon-no-longer-defends-cloud-customers-against-video-patent-infringement-cla...
2•ffworld•27m ago•0 comments

Show HN: Medinilla – an OCPP compliant .NET back end (partially done)

https://github.com/eliodecolli/Medinilla
2•rhcm•30m ago•0 comments

How Does AI Distribute the Pie? Large Language Models and the Ultimatum Game

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6157066
1•dkga•31m ago•1 comments

Resistance Infrastructure

https://www.profgalloway.com/resistance-infrastructure/
3•samizdis•35m ago•1 comments

Fire-juggling unicyclist caught performing on crossing

https://news.sky.com/story/fire-juggling-unicyclist-caught-performing-on-crossing-13504459
1•austinallegro•36m ago•0 comments

Restoring a lost 1981 Unix roguelike (protoHack) and preserving Hack 1.0.3

https://github.com/Critlist/protoHack
2•Critlist•37m ago•0 comments

GPS and Time Dilation – Special and General Relativity

https://philosophersview.com/gps-and-time-dilation/
1•mistyvales•41m ago•0 comments

Show HN: Witnessd – Prove human authorship via hardware-bound jitter seals

https://github.com/writerslogic/witnessd
1•davidcondrey•41m ago•1 comments

Show HN: I built a clawdbot that texts like your crush

https://14.israelfirew.co
2•IsruAlpha•43m ago•2 comments
Open in hackernews

Defending adverbs exuberantly if conditionally

https://countercraft.substack.com/p/defending-adverbs-exuberantly-if
86•benbreen•8mo ago

Comments

Charon77•8mo ago
What's wrong with using adverbs that don't change the meaning of the word?

"She grins happily". Sure, "She grins" also conveys the same thing, but the two sentences differ in word count.

I personally feel that reading has a rhythm to it, and adding more filler words just to make it coherent with the surrounding sentences isn't bad... fictions, at least...

o11c•8mo ago
Like all rules, you can break adverb if you can afford it in your strangeness budget. If you actually have rhythm (which depends highly on context) you can probably afford it. See also the rule that "editing any sentence, in any direction, makes it better".

Most adult writers seem to err by making their sentences too long. Shorter is almost always better; you just need to let the length vary except in passages with deliberate repetition.

The usual advice I have heard is that you should probably think of a better verb/adjective in the first place. For the example you quoted, "She beams" and "Her face lights up [like something]" immediately jump out at me.

Now, looking at all the look-like-adverbs in the article:

exuberantly, conditionally - I can't think of a way to merge either of these into the verb, plus they have pair structure. If not deliberately making a point I would probably change these into adjectives describing the noun'ed verb.

recently - sentence level construct, generally considered fine if you're not overdoing it (I in fact didn't even notice this until I started grepping)

foolishly, incorrectly - these modify a previously-unmodified verb that is deliberately repeated 3 times.

lovely - not an adverb despite looking like one; the other common meaning of "-ly" but unusual for taking an abstract noun

literally - generally can't merge into verbs; actually used correctly for once

swiftly, vigorously - the former has numerous words into which it could merge with the verb; the latter less. But this is clearly an example of deliberately do it for effect

swimmingly - generally can't merge into verbs, especially since it's used for effect

usually - generally can't merge into verbs, so we're stuck with it unless you rewrite to use something like "wont", "custom", ...

inelegantly, wrongheadedly - these could merge (in particular "abuse and misuse" are commonly paired), but are used for effect due to the article topic

unthinkingly - this is emphasized; "without thought" would also work. I can't think of a merge in any case, though there are numerous synonyms

pointlessly - limited merge opportunities in general, usually veering into metaphor territory e.g. "flailed". Also, this particular sentence feels like it is the whole reason adverbs exist.

early - not an adverb despite looking like one. Related to "ere" but that's the wrong part of speech?

quickly, happily, sadly, loudly - these are discussed, not really a part of the article itself

diligently - hard to merge in general

unfortunately - sentence-level

angrily - many merges exist - "shouted", "roared", "grumbled", etc. and this is one of the uncommon cases where killing "said" actually can improve the sentence. The cited "improvement" is ... actually pretty bad though.

frequently - hard to merge; has a synonym "often" which lacks the "-ly" in case you need to fool a blind rule-enforcer

silly - not an adverb and doesn't really look like one despite ending with "ly". It's actually the obsolete "seel" (good, happiness, fortune) + "-y" (resembling)

flatly - a few merge targets exist ("recited", or with some rephrasing you might use "rote") but this isn't an important adverb to eliminate

typically - hard to merge, and possible replacements might be even worse weasel words

lovingly - used as an explicit contrast structure, and few direct merges are in general, but there are many evocative other ways to express it. The article is missing a comma before it.

happily, sadly, quietly, loudly - again, these are discussed in the article itself

really, badly - this is borderline inner dialogue so the informality and simple word choice is beneficial. Many merges exist (note that since these are both adverbs you'll likely still end up with one) if you're in a context that wants them however.

loudly, rudely - discussed for style

surely - the particular shade here is of opinion, which prevents what merges might otherwise be possible

reflexively - probably can't merge, but in this sentence I definitely feel the strangeness budget straining. If this were anything but an article about adverbs I'd take a knife to it.

only - this is an adverb but not for the usual reason. Originally "one" + "-ly" by the usual noun-to-adjective construction, but has fossilized into its own idea (gaining an adverb sense) and should not be avoided. This sentence is a fragment, and the paragraph is full of same-length sentences so I'd be proper and use a comma; if I want the effect that badly then change the rest of the paragraph somehow.

weekly - this is the other other "-ly" rule, used only for time nouns

hilariously - the context is minimal but it's clear this needs to stay; using a mere pair of adjectives doesn't connect the words strongly enough. In other contexts many rephrasings are possible.

ccppurcell•8mo ago
Brevity is the soul of wit.
krige•8mo ago
People forget that Polonius, the source of this quote, used seven lines, the above included, to say that Hamlet is mad. It was meant to be ironic, or a joke.
dcminter•8mo ago
Plus he was a pompous old fool... his advice shouldn't be taken at face value!
ccppurcell•8mo ago
Many a true word was said in jest.
whstl•8mo ago
That's why we can't have good things.
garbawarb•8mo ago
Brevity is wit.
SAI_Peregrinus•8mo ago
Smol = wit.

11 characters. Could omit the period and spaces for 8. Needed to use the meme spelling "smol" since it's shorter than "small". Can we get it shorter without losing the meaning entirely? Maybe `wit□smol` though that's not the syntax for how `□` is used in modal logic, and still 8 characters (though a bit closer to the original meaning).

stevage•8mo ago
Not all writing needs to be witty.
MattPalmer1086•8mo ago
Mostly just that it's redundant information. But there's always exceptions to any rule.
mcv•8mo ago
Redundancy can be useful sometimes. It can add emphasis.
reedf1•8mo ago
"Grins happily", feels awkward, stiff, bloated, and prompts me to expect bad dialogue. The contention is one of style. I can think of a dozen or so logical reasons why this sounds off, but for me it simply smells like bad writing.
Angostura•8mo ago
She grinned nervously, sheepishly, awkwardly, dangerously
reedf1•8mo ago
Much better
sandworm101•8mo ago
She grinned happily.

She happily grinned.

Same words. I generally prefer the later, but they have very slight differences in emphasis. Without the adverb, the subtle difference is lost.

simonask•8mo ago
It’s not that subtle. The latter means that she was happy to grin, the former that she was grinning in a happy way. The line is only really blurred between these in poetic registers.
stevage•8mo ago
I don't pick up on that difference in meaning at all. Is that some general rule for adverb placement?
Shorn•8mo ago
"I only said she stole my money."

Moving "only" to any other spot in this sentence is grammatically correct and changes the meaning.

As for "rules", well, welcome to English: the rules are made up and the points don't matter.

schwartzworld•8mo ago
You could grin menacingly. Or nervously. Or reluctantly.
reverendsteveii•8mo ago
I know several people that grin menacingly.
ofalkaed•8mo ago
>“Avoid adverbs” is a common advice in MFA programs

Words fail me, even adverbs seem to be of no help.

kurthr•8mo ago
You can't write clearly, without an adverb.
globnomulous•8mo ago
Apologize for that comma right now.
kurthr•8mo ago
I clearly can't write without,
marcosdumay•8mo ago
It's obviously an attack against the OP's literally competence.
mcv•8mo ago
You can't write, clearly, without an adverb.
reverendsteveii•8mo ago
You can clarify your writing without that sort of modification.
elbear•8mo ago
I upvoted just for the title :)
Bjartr•8mo ago
I am reminded of the "Tom Swifty"[1], a sort of pun involving an adverb. They gained infamy though the YA books focusing on the adventures of Tom Swift. Here's a few examples

> "If you want me, I shall be in the attic," said Tom, loftily.

> "The thermostat is set too high," said Tom heatedly.

> "Don't you love sleeping outdoors," Tom said intently.

> "I just dropped the toothpaste," said Tom crestfallenly.

[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Swifty

vharuck•8mo ago
My favorite, plucked from Terry Pratchett:

"I'm a homosexual necrophiliac," said Tom in dead earnest.

gadders•8mo ago
The thing I have noticed is that most US-English speakers drop the "ly" from the end of adverbs.

Is that grammatically correct for US English, or is it slang?

rjmill•8mo ago
Can you give an example? I've never noticed that (except for certain specific dialects and slang) but I may be blind to it.
halper•8mo ago
I hear it most often with "real": it is real bad, good or weird. The Offspring wants you bad.
colanderman•8mo ago
Oh yes! This works with other intensifiers as well. "Crazy good", "wicked bad", "mad smart", etc. To my ears, eliding the -ly changes the meaning from the literal reading, to specifically the intensifier reading.
gadders•8mo ago
"Think Different" "That went perfect" etc
colanderman•8mo ago
I do this. I think this applies only to adverbs modifying verbs. Adverbs modifying adjectives or participles stay put.

"She runs quick," is a thing I'd say.

"***The topic was hot debated," would be ungrammatical to my ears.

Not sure how widespread it is. I think it just falls out of a natural tendency to elide utterances which don't alter the meaning of a sentence. In many positions it's obvious that an adjective is meant to modify the verb rather than a noun.

It's not a hard and fast rule. In formal writing I'd use adjectives per standard grammar.

Maybe also related to the (standard) use of adjectives as describing the state into which something is transformed by a verb. In "I painted the wall red," "red" is properly an adjective and modifies the transformative act, not the object. I suspect this construction has been unconsciously widened to apply to nontransformative verbs also.

Notably "***she quick runs" sounds highly ungrammatical to my ears.

Nicook•8mo ago
Flashbacks to my driver's ed teacher in highschool who would say adverbs correctly then correct himself by saying it again without the -ly. This drove me insane. And no I haven't noticed this generally in US english speakers. I would assume some negative things about people who drop the -ly from adverbs.
mcv•8mo ago
It's correct if enough people do it and do it consistently.
chrisweekly•8mo ago
See also the excellent book "First You Write a Sentence" by Joe Moran.
throwanem•8mo ago
I would rather do so with conditional exuberance.
tempodox•8mo ago
But that's non-adverbially.
throwanem•8mo ago
Yes. I don't defend my favorite habanero sauce by using it 20% by volume in a recipe, either. Unwise excess is always unwise, and there, I used an adverb just to make you happy.
tempodox•8mo ago
Did I detect a hint of adverbialism in this title?
topaz0•8mo ago
The problem with all syntax-based writing advice is that it's an extremely poor substitute for taste, and taste has to be developed by years of sitting with prose, good and bad, and seeing what makes you cringe and what gives delight. If you closely read the expert writers and teachers of writing who purvey these rules, you find that none of them follow their own admonitions entirely. That doesn't mean the rules come from nowhere -- in this example, I have observed plenty of novice writers who use adverbs badly, so if you're trying to learn to write well, adverb-dense prose is a common sign of inelegant writing, and a sign that that prose might need some attention. But the solution is not "eliminate the adverbs at all costs" -- the solution is to read closely, feel it grate against your ears, and try revisions until it doesn't grate anymore.
reverendsteveii•8mo ago
Idk, I can get behind some of it as a mechanical exercise. When I was a young'n and honestly thought I was gonna be an english lit major one of my teachers made me go a whole year without using any prepositional phrases. Did that instantly improve all of my writing? No, in fact everything I turned out under that rule was clunky and overedited. But after that year any time I ran into a prepositional phrase that I didn't like I had the experience to know how to rewrite it effectively. The point is training, not product refinement. Find a device you lean on too much, eliminate it entirely for a while, and emerge from the other side of this process with a better understanding of the crutch, knowledge of several ways to work around it and wisdom to know when to do that. It's not a substitute for taste, it's a tool for developing taste and the ability to refine things to your taste.
topaz0•8mo ago
I agree that constraining yourself can be a useful exercise on the path to developing taste. The advice arises because it is useful at some point in the learning process. I think we agree on the basic point too, which is that taste is the ultimate goal and good taste will never exactly align with any given grammatical constraint. Your example notably ends with lifting the restriction and relying on taste to decide between the alternatives. The problem is when people internalize the advice as an absolute, rather than the tool that it is.
SoftTalker•8mo ago
One rule has worked well for me in all my writing: don't be lazy.

Put some effort into each sentence. Read it back to yourself. If something is clumsy, try rewriting it a few different ways. As Strunk said, "Rewrite and revise. Do not be afraid to seize what you have and cut it to ribbons."

Yes it takes longer, but for most writing, it is worth it. All of the other rules are just advice to consider, and perhaps reject.

stevage•8mo ago
Essentially the advice here is "avoid redundant adverbs" but it takes the author a lot of words to say it.
Xorakios•8mo ago
I remember high school when I was taught that if you want your meaning to be clear, speak clearly...
mcv•8mo ago
I never understood general advice against adverbs. They're a valid part of language and can be very effective if used well. "Don't repeat yourself boringly or unthinkingly" seems to be the real advice here. But "angrily" conveys state of mind much more clearly than the more ambiguous "trembling, red in the face".