Conjunctive adverbs

 More pedantry this week. 

Bet you didn't know what a conjunctive adverb was? And yes - I had to look it up. 

They are adverbs that joint two sentences together - those high falutin words that manage to sound posh and formal when they are used  - however, furthermore, nevertheless ...

'She had moved house to a different city, therefore she could not go to her old friend's birthday party.'

I was told  - by whom and when, I don't remember, but it was a long time ago - that they shouldn't be used in writing fiction. I can understand, as they do sound a bit like something out of a business letter or a legal document. The advice came to mind a few weeks ago when a group of writer friends were discussing blurb writing and I jumped on the use of 'however' as being wrong. It was a reflex action (sorry, Luisa) but having thought about it more deeply, rather than just accepting that it was laid down somewhere in The Rules, I can see the logic. One of those Rules for Writers is that you should avoid using adverbs and adjectives. That's one I happily ignore as I like description and I think it is part of my style. I suppose the answer is moderation. Don't go overboard. But conjunctive adverbs? Can they be ditched? Probably. Two short sentences would do the work of one long one. 

Simplicity works, in vocabulary and expression. I don't believe in dumbing down - and I'm not averse to having to look up an unfamiliar word - it's how you learn. Reading on an e- reader is very good for this as you can look things up without having to go and find the dictionary. I miss the facility when I'm reading a paper book. You've probably heard the suggestion that if someone mispronounces a complex or difficult word it's possibly because they learned it by reading - which is rather wonderful, when you think about it.  

This post began because I jokily used the word 'forthwith' in an e-mail and with its formality was associating it with nevertheless and all its posh cousins. But then I looked it up and of course it is just an ordinary adverb. But still posh.

The posh words have their place, but maybe it is like that old piece of advice I was given so long ago - best not use them in fiction?