Should I use words like "accordingly", "additionally", "consequently", "furthermore", or "moreover" in my work?

Words like accordingly, additionally, consequently, furthermore, and moreover are adverbs. They serve no real purpose in your work and can often be omitted.

These phrases provide an unnecessary indication of the passing of time or ideas. Adding them to your work doesn't add anything; in fact, they can make your writing longer and less clear than it should be.

Adverbs are words that modify verbs, adjectives, or other adverbs. They can also be filler words that show the passage of time or transitions in ideas. While adverbs are not always bad (and sometimes are necessary), too many adverbs can clutter up your writing.

People often add words like accordingly, additionally, consequently, furthermore, and moreover as a way to provide more clarity to their writing. But this often has the opposite effect. It can make your writing read wordy and unclear. Words like this can weaken your writing and make your ideas seem less poignant.

Transitional adverbs are not usually necessary. The first thing you can try is eliminating the words all together. Reread what you've written without these adverbs and see if the message is still clear. Using these words isn't always bad, but overusing them makes your writing clunky and inaccessible.

If you're worried that removing these words makes your writing sound choppy without clear transitions, the problem is likely in your sentence structure. Try rephrasing your sentences to be clearer or even adding another sentence.

When editing out unnecessary adverbs, ask yourself:

• is this word necessary or does it make sense without it?
• can I say the same thing in a different way?
• do I need to restructure my sentences for clarity?