How to Avoid Using Purple Prose when Writing

Step-by-Step Guide

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   Step 1: Use adverbs sparingly.

   Adverbs are words that modify a verb, an adjective or another adverb.
   
   They often end in “ly” and tell you when, where, why, or how something happened or is happening.Though adverbs can be useful in writing, they should be used sparingly.
   
   Using too many adverbs in one sentence or one passage of text can lead to purple prose.
   
   For example, the sentence, “He moved slowly, at length, and carefully on tip toes through the room with an entirely unnecessary gaze trained on the purple, wooden front door” is purple prose because it is difficult to read and understand.
   
   It also contains three adverbs, too many clarifying phrases, and too many adjectives.
   
   A more clear sentence would be, “He moved carefully through the room, training his gaze on the door.” This sentence uses one adverb and very few modifiers and adjectives.
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   Step 2: Get rid of unnecessary adjectives.

   Sometimes your sentences start to feel a bit cluttered with adjectives that do not add meaning or depth to what you are trying to say.
   
   You should be careful not to try to stuff your sentences with too many adjectives to make them sound richer or more sophisticated.
   
   Often, sentences with too many adjectives can end up confusing your reader.
   
   For example, you may have the sentence, “I watched the beautiful, stunning, resplendent sunrise as it crested the battlefield, casting shadows and hues.” There are three adjectives in this sentence that are used to describe the sunrise.
   
   But rather than communicate to the reader the beauty of the sunrise, the three adjectives end up cluttering the image of the sunrise.
   
   You can revise the sentence so it does not contain purple prose by picking one adjective.
   
   You may write, “I watched the stunning sunrise as it rose over the battlefield.” Sometimes, using just one adjective in a sentence can be more effective. , Nominalizations occur when you take an adjective, noun, or verb and add a suffix to the end of it, such as “-ity,” “-tion,” or “-ism.” Many academics use nominalizations to discuss complex topics or ideas.
   
   But you should avoid using nominalizations in your writing, even if you are writing an academic paper.
   
   They are often more confusing than they are useful.
   
   For example, you may use the nominalization “proliferation” (the noun “proliferate” combined with the suffix “-tion”) in a sentence: “The proliferation of thoughts in my mind was causing me to experience brain freeze in the middle of science class.” The use of “proliferation” only serves to confuse the reader and makes the sentence sound pompous.
   
   The nominalization does not add meaning or depth to the sentence.
   
   You can rephrase the sentence by removing the nominalization and moving the subject to the front of the sentence, “My mind was crammed with too many thoughts, which is why I had a brain freeze moment in the middle of science class.”
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   Step 3: Avoid nominalizations.

Detailed Guide

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