---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Most writers sow adjectives almost…"
description: "\"Most writers sow adjectives almost unconsciously into the soil of their prose to make it more lush and pretty. The sentences become longer and longer a..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dad/william-zinsser-2796_adjectives_most-writers-sow-adjectives-almost-uncon_1551113.png"
---

#  Most writers sow adjectives almost unconsciously into the…

![“Most writers sow adjectives almost unconsciously into the soil of their prose to make it more lush and pretty. The sentences become longer and longer as they fill up with stately elms and graceful boughs and frisky kittens and sleepy lagoons.” quote by William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dad/william-zinsser-2796_adjectives_most-writers-sow-adjectives-almost-uncon_1551113.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dad/william-zinsser-2796_adjectives_most-writers-sow-adjectives-almost-uncon_1551113.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dad/william-zinsser-2796_adjectives_most-writers-sow-adjectives-almost-uncon_1551113.png)

> “Most writers sow adjectives almost unconsciously into the soil of their prose to make it more lush and pretty. The sentences become longer and longer as they fill up with stately elms and graceful boughs and frisky kittens and sleepy lagoons.”

[William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The passage critiques overuse of adjectives, suggesting they can clutter prose and make it overly ornate.

**In simple terms:** Too many adjectives make writing messy.

Key Takeaway

Use precise language.

Themes

writing style clarity conciseness

Mood

analytical reflective

Type

critical observational

When to use this quote

- editing
- creative writing
- academic essays
- journalism

Key Concepts

literary criticism syntax

Questions to Reflect On

- How many adjectives are necessary?
- When does description become excess?

A Different Perspective

Over‑editing can strip voice.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Kitten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kitten/) [Lagoons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lagoons/) [Prose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prose/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/)

## Related quotes

> [“Many contemporaries of Proust’s insisted that he wrote the way he spoke, although when Du côté de chez Swann appeared in print, they were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-prendergast/many-contemporaries-of-proust-s-insisted-that-he-wrote-the-way-he/)

Christopher Prendergast

> [“Then he went into the dining room, consulting his watch. It was ten thirty already. More than half the morning was gone. More than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-matheson/then-he-went-into-the-dining-room-consulting-his-watch-it-was-ten/)

[Richard Matheson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-matheson/)

> [I think that as poets, we can get away with stuff because we can ride on the melt of metaphor. We cover a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-biespiel/i-think-that-as-poets-we-can-get-away-with-stuff-because-we-can-ride/)

[David Biespiel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-biespiel/)

> [Bwenawa brought my attention to two wooden planks raised about four feet above the ground. On the ledges were lagoon fish sliced open and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-maarten-troost/bwenawa-brought-my-attention-to-two-wooden-planks-raised-about-four/)

[J. Maarten Troost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-maarten-troost/)

> [The Surf Lodge has got to be seven or eight years I've been playing there, every summer. It's definitely one of the most fun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donavon-frankenreiter/the-surf-lodge-has-got-to-be-seven-or-eight-years-i-ve-been-playing/)

[Donavon Frankenreiter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donavon-frankenreiter/)

> [No matter what you do, you can act your heart out, but people will always say, 'Oh, Julie Adams - 'Creature from the Black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-adams/no-matter-what-you-do-you-can-act-your-heart-out-but-people-will/)

Julie Adams

> [Estuaries are coastal bays, harbors, sounds and lagoons, places where rivers meet the sea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gerlach/estuaries-are-coastal-bays-harbors-sounds-and-lagoons-places-where/)

[Jim Gerlach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gerlach/)

> [Of course the Neverlands vary a good deal. John’s, for instance, had a lagoon with flamingos flying over it at which John was shooting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/of-course-the-neverlands-vary-a-good-deal-john-s-for-instance-had-a/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I live in New York, and I was thinking about the lagoon in Central Park, down near Central Park South. I was wondering if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-live-in-new-york-and-i-was-thinking-about-the-lagoon-in-central/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I wish you good writing and good luck. Even if you've already done the good writing, you'll still need the good luck. It's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-wish-you-good-writing-and-good-luck-even-if-you-ve-already-done-the/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [Decade after decade, artists came to paint the light of Provincetown, and comparisons were made to the lagoons of Venice and the marshes of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/decade-after-decade-artists-came-to-paint-the-light-of-provincetown/)

[Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/)

> [So he left the lagoon and entered the jungle again, within a few days was completely lost, following the lagoons southward through the increasing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard/so-he-left-the-lagoon-and-entered-the-jungle-again-within-a-few-days/)

[J. G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard/)

> [Out in the lonely woods the jasmine burns Its fragrant lamps, and turns Into a royal court with green festoons The banks of dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-timrod/out-in-the-lonely-woods-the-jasmine-burns-its-fragrant-lamps-and/)

[Henry Timrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-timrod/)

> [I wish I could tell you about the South Pacific. The way it actually was. The endless ocean. The infinite specks of coral we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/i-wish-i-could-tell-you-about-the-south-pacific-the-way-it-actually/)

[James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/)

> [“Out to sea, the calm lagoon waters were darkening, while the comets overhead glowed brighter, omens in the gloaming.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-may/out-to-sea-the-calm-lagoon-waters-were-darkening-while-the-comets/)

[Julian May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-may/)

## More by William Zinsser

> [“But the secret of good writing is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components. Every words that serves no function, every long word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/but-the-secret-of-good-writing-is-to-strip-every-sentence-to-its/)

[William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/)

> [No one has something original or important to say will willing we run the risk of being misunderstood; people who write obscurely are either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/no-one-has-something-original-or-important-to-say-will-willing-we-run/)

[William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/)

> [Avoid the ecstatic adjectives that occupy such disproportionate space in every critic's quiver - words like "enthralling" and "luminous."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/avoid-the-ecstatic-adjectives-that-occupy-such-disproportionate-space/)

[William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/)

> [Scholarship hath no fury like that of a language purist faced with sludge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/scholarship-hath-no-fury-like-that-of-a-language-purist-faced-with/)

[William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/)

> [Clutter is the official language used by corporations to hide their mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/clutter-is-the-official-language-used-by-corporations-to-hide-their/)

[William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/)

> [Keep your paragraphs short. Writing is visual - it catches the eye before it has a chance to catch the brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/keep-your-paragraphs-short-writing-is-visual-it-catches-the-eye/)

[William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/)

> [Never hesitate to imitate another writer - every person learning a craft or an art needs models. Eventually you'll find your own voice and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/never-hesitate-to-imitate-another-writer-every-person-learning-a/)

[William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/)

> [Clutter is the disease of American writing,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/clutter-is-the-disease-of-american-writing/)

[William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/)

> [Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill rode to glory on the back of the strong declarative sentence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/abraham-lincoln-and-winston-churchill-rode-to-glory-on-the-back-of/)

[William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/)

> [Writing organizes and clarifies our thoughts. Writing is how we think our way into a subject and make it our own. Writing enables us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/writing-organizes-and-clarifies-our-thoughts-writing-is-how-we-think/)

[William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/)

> [Rewriting is the essence of writing well - where the game is won or lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/rewriting-is-the-essence-of-writing-well-where-the-game-is-won-or-lost/)

[William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/)

> [Clear thinking becomes clear writing; one can't exist without the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/clear-thinking-becomes-clear-writing-one-can-t-exist-without-the-other/)

[William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/)

> [I almost always urge people to write in the first person. ... Writing is an act of ego and you might as well admit it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/i-almost-always-urge-people-to-write-in-the-first-person-writing-is/)

[William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/)

> [Don't be kind of bold. Be bold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/don-t-be-kind-of-bold-be-bold/)

[William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/)

> [Journalism is writing that first appears in any periodic journal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/journalism-is-writing-that-first-appears-in-any-periodic-journal/)

[William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/)

[Explore all 150 William Zinsser quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/)

## More Adjectives quotes

> [To write or even speak English is not a science but an art. There are no reliable words… Whoever writes English is involved in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/to-write-or-even-speak-english-is-not-a-science-but-an-art-there-are/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [Avoid the ecstatic adjectives that occupy such disproportionate space in every critic's quiver - words like "enthralling" and "luminous."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/avoid-the-ecstatic-adjectives-that-occupy-such-disproportionate-space/)

[William Zinsser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/)

> [In the history of the concept of number has been adjective (three cows, three monads) and noun (three, pure and simple), and now ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-mazur/in-the-history-of-the-concept-of-number-has-been-adjective-three-cows/)

[Barry Mazur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-mazur/)

> [In my opinion, using different kinds of epithets and adjectives in connection with the word democracy is a sign of mere hypocrisy, to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-kasparov/in-my-opinion-using-different-kinds-of-epithets-and-adjectives-in/)

[Garry Kasparov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-kasparov/)

> [But what is memory if not the language of feeling, a dictionary of faces and days and smells which repeat themselves like the verbs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julio-cort-zar/but-what-is-memory-if-not-the-language-of-feeling-a-dictionary-of/)

[Julio Cortazar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julio-cort-zar/)

> [Eschew all those beastly adjectives...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roald-dahl/eschew-all-those-beastly-adjectives/)

[Roald Dahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roald-dahl/)

> [I will give you my definition of a nation, and you can add the adjective 'Jewish.' A Nation is, in my mind, an historical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-herzl/i-will-give-you-my-definition-of-a-nation-and-you-can-add-the/)

[Theodor Herzl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-herzl/)

> [The mind that thought of light, heavy, grey, yellow, still, swift, also conceived of magic that would make heavy things light and able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien-2/the-mind-that-thought-of-light-heavy-grey-yellow-still-swift-also/)

[J. R. R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien-2/)

> [Whatever you want to say, there is only one word to express it, only one verb to give it movement, only one adjective to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-de-maupassant/whatever-you-want-to-say-there-is-only-one-word-to-express-it-only/)

[Guy de Maupassant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-de-maupassant/)

> [I notice that you use plain, simple language, short words and brief sentences. That is the way to write English―it is the modern way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-notice-that-you-use-plain-simple-language-short-words-and-brief/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [Purity of action guided Janis's behavior. If she was going to be good, she was very, very good. If she was going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-joplin/purity-of-action-guided-janis-s-behavior-if-she-was-going-to-be-good/)

[Laura Joplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-joplin/)

> [I have been called 'Bongshell' the day I stepped into showbiz. So, any adjective coming my way, I take it positively. Sometimes it's also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bipasha-basu/i-have-been-called-bongshell-the-day-i-stepped-into-showbiz-so-any/)

[Bipasha Basu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bipasha-basu/)

> [I like that 'Mad Men' is now an adjective I use to describe clothing when I'm shopping: 'I like this top. It's very 'Mad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-brie/i-like-that-mad-men-is-now-an-adjective-i-use-to-describe-clothing/)

[Alison Brie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-brie/)

> [anything being perceived as being superior takes the noun. And everything that isn't, that's judged to be inferior, requires an adjective. So there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/anything-being-perceived-as-being-superior-takes-the-noun-and/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

> [The only sort of descriptive adjective or catch phrase for my music would be 'eclectic.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/the-only-sort-of-descriptive-adjective-or-catch-phrase-for-my-music/)

[Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/)

Browse all 239 Adjectives quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Most writers sow adjectives almost unconsciously into the soil of their prose to make it more lush and pretty. The sentences become longer and longer as they fill up with stately elms and graceful boughs and frisky kittens and sleepy lagoons.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "William Zinsser"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/most-writers-sow-adjectives-almost-unconsciously-into-the-soil-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Adjectives"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/most-writers-sow-adjectives-almost-unconsciously-into-the-soil-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dad/william-zinsser-2796_adjectives_most-writers-sow-adjectives-almost-uncon_1551113.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dad/william-zinsser-2796_adjectives_most-writers-sow-adjectives-almost-uncon_1551113.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dad/william-zinsser-2796_adjectives_most-writers-sow-adjectives-almost-uncon_1551113.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Most writers sow adjectives almost unconsciously into the soil of their prose to make it more lush and…” — William Zinsser",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "William Zinsser",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-zinsser/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Most writers sow adjectives almost unconsciously...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/most-writers-sow-adjectives-almost-unconsciously-into-the-soil-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-zinsser/most-writers-sow-adjectives-almost-unconsciously-into-the-soil-of/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```