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Literary notes about promptly (AI summary)

In literature, the adverb "promptly" is often used to underscore actions carried out without delay, imbuing scenes with a sense of urgency and immediacy. It frequently appears in dialogue and narrative to indicate that characters respond immediately to stimuli or commands, whether it’s a quick remark in conversation ([1], [2], [3]) or the swift execution of orders and decisions ([4], [5], [6]). At times, it highlights the natural rhythm of events—suggesting that certain responses, like reacting to a sudden circumstance or fulfilling an expected duty, occur as a matter of course ([7], [8]). Moreover, "promptly" can reinforce a character’s reliability or the mechanical precision of an action, serving both functional and stylistic roles within the text ([9], [10]).
  1. The elderly lady spoke up promptly saying, "Oh yes, I have; many more."
    — from Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, Complete by Ulysses S. Grant
  2. "I am," said Sara, promptly, when she heard of this.
    — from A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
  3. "I could work and pay that every year," said Tom, promptly.
    — from The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot
  4. But instead, she just promptly carried out the order he had given her.
    — from The Trial by Franz Kafka
  5. We shall be always happy to hear from you, and will promptly fill any further orders.
    — from The Gentlemen's Book of Etiquette and Manual of Politeness by Cecil B. Hartley
  6. You will move against the enemy with your entire force promptly and with all possible vigor at precisely 4 o'clock A.M. to-morrow the 12th inst.
    — from Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, Complete by Ulysses S. Grant
  7. It will be observed that sound is more promptly reacted on than either sight or touch.
    — from The Principles of Psychology, Volume 1 (of 2) by William James
  8. She felt, however, that it must be ended as promptly as possible.
    — from The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
  9. He dropped his load promptly on the floor and hurried to her side to see.
    — from A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce
  10. Its function is the same as that of an adverb ( promptly ) or an adverbial phrase ( on the stroke of the bell ).
    — from An Advanced English Grammar with Exercises by Frank Edgar Farley and George Lyman Kittredge

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