The power of text lies not in how you describe objects, but in what those objects do. Saying a man is "running very fast" saddles the sentence with dead weight. Saying he "bolted" projects the scene directly into the reader's mind. Ernest Hemingway's Iceberg Theory argues precisely this. Under this theory, the surface of the text should host action and dialogue—verbs—rather than adjectives; the real emotion and meaning resonate beneath the surface. While adjectives act as lazy labels dictating how to feel or think, strong verbs demonstrate action, pulling the reader into the scene.
Whenever a paragraph stacks adverbs like "very," "incredibly," and "truly" ahead of empty adjectives, a weak "to be" or "to do" verb is failing at its job. The writer, reluctant to hunt for the right action word, inflates the text with filler. Telling the reader "this man was extremely angry" is a pileup of adjectives. Saying "the man slammed his fist on the table" is the power of the verb.
We made this mistake often in commercial copy as well. In the past, we tested this headline on a landing page for a software client: "An incredibly fast interface that is very easy to use." It fell flat. Visitors bounced, and conversion rates stagnated. We understood why after examining Nielsen Norman Group's research on web writing: promotional, adjective-heavy copy triggers the reader's mental ad filter and destroys credibility. People did not believe "incredibly fast." We rebuilt the sentence around verbs: "The interface opens with a single click and loads in seconds." We didn't tell readers the interface was fast; we demonstrated how speed happened through action. The persuasive dynamic shifted completely, and page performance climbed.
Of course, we are not dogmatically discarding all adjectives. Adjectives have mandatory structural roles in text architecture. In technical specifications, product catalogs, or legal documents, adjectives are defining. Describing an automotive component requires "stainless steel" or a "red passenger vehicle." Using an adjective to state a concrete, measurable attribute works. But in copy aimed at emotion, speed, quality, and persuasion, adjectives are always suspect.
Whenever the adverb "very" pairs with an adjective, a single action verb exists that can replace both. The challenge is taking the trouble to find it. Verbs, not adjectives, are the engine of writing.
Workshop Rule: When editing a sentence, cross out every adjective first. If the remaining skeleton collapses and loses meaning, rebuild the sentence around a fresh, strong verb.
