Keep a sharp eye out for those tricky adverbs

Literally. Possibly. Probably. Likely.

Red flags for the critical thinker as they allow a speaker/writer to make an assertion designed to elicit an unwarranted response. You don’t strike fear in a heart by saying “There’s a 10% chance that would happen” but by saying “It possibly could happen.” People bypass the generic adverb and head straight to panic mode.

Too many soft adverbs and not enough hard numbers mean science and economic reporting designed to mislead, not inform. And Susan spends way to much time yelling at her radio.

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