Adjectives Quotes - Page 9

• Not every oak has to be gnarled, every detective hard-bitten. The adjective that exists solely as a decoration is a self-indulgence for the writer and an obstacle for the reader.

  William Zinsser

  Self, Detectives, Obstacles

  William Knowlton Zinsser (1980). “On Writing Well: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction”, HarperCollins Publishers

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• When we put words together - adjective with noun, noun with verb, verb with object - we start to talk to each other.

  Donald Hall

  Together, Verbs, Nouns

  DONALD HALL (1973). “WRITING WELL”

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• People label themselves with all sorts of adjectives. I can only pronounce myself as 'nauseatingly miserable beyond repair'.

  Franz Kafka

  People, Labels, Miserable

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• 'Swing' is an adjective or a verb, not a noun. All jazz musicians should swing. There is no such thing as a 'swing band' in music.

  Artie Shaw

  Swings, Musician, Verbs

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• It's a feeling of happiness that knocks me clean out of adjectives. I think sometimes that the best reason for writing novels is to experience those four and a half hours after you write the final word.

  Zadie Smith

  Writing, Thinking, Feelings

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• Anything popular is populist, and populist is rarely a good adjective.

  Brian Eno

  Populist, Populism

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