Here is a mystery for you to critique.

Bill and Joe sneaked furtively into the study. Now was their chance to search diligently for the missing will. Their eyes darted swiftly around the room, hoping desperately for a sign of where to start. Their eyes met intently for a second. Them Bill moved unerringly to the large desk and Joe ran quickly across the room to the large bookshelves.

Moments passed swiftly as Bill quietly pulled the drawers open, looked purposefully at the contents of each and then carefully returned the contents to their original site. Joe rushed quickly through the books on the shelves. Finally, after searching lengthily, he found it in an old Webster's Dictionary. Joe waved the papers triumphantly, getting Bill's attention by whispering softly. Bill nodded affirmatively and gestured urgently toward the door. Together the two men rapidly exited the room; their mission accomplished successfully.

Would you care to count the adverbs ending in 'ly'? It is amazing how often we utilize these words in our writing. But, do they add anything to our meanings? Let's analyze just a few of them with the help of that Webster's Dictionary.

1. Sneaked furtively. Sneak means to go in a stealthy, furtive manner. To add the adjective 'furtively' is repetitive.
2. Darted swiftly. Dart means to move swiftly. So, in effect, we are saying that their eyes moved swiftly swiftly around the room.
3. Ran quickly. Run means to go quickly. So Joe went quickly quickly across the room. I saw this demonstrated in an interesting way. A young woman was asked to run across the room. Then she was asked to run quickly—there wasn't a discernible difference. When she was asked to run slowly, she had a hard time knowing how to portray that without jogging.
4. Whispering softly. To whisper is to speak in soft hushed tones. So Joe got Bill's attention by speaking with soft tones softly.

I had a lot of fun writing the two paragraphs above and looking for ways to use at least one 'ly' adverb in each sentence. Sadly enough, it wasn't hard to do. If felt natural. That must mean that I am infected with the LY disease.

Do you dare take a look at your own writing to see if you, too, suffer from the dread LY disease? Go ahead! Take a look! You might have a few chuckles and several 'oh no' moments. While there is no known cure, awareness helps to control the symptoms.

Happy writing!