Strengthening Verbs
Strengthening verbs means strengthening diction. Strengthening diction leads to strengthening writing.
And when you strengthen your writing, what results?
Write with active verbs. Eliminate most (try for all!) linking verbs.
Action verbs express something a person, animal, or thing can do such as reflect, jump, maneuver, contemplate, answer, crawl, endanger, impact, transfer, sing, dine, engage, share, create, hide, refuse, state, demand, understand, design, mow, inflate, regard, trim, revise, sleep, marry, turn, investigate, smile.
Linking verbs connect the subject to something in the predicate — a noun (predicate nominative) or and adjective (predicate adjective), so these verbs serve a weaker purpose than action verbs (and far fewer linking verbs exist). Example: This bread seems stale. Seems links bread to stale. We haven't gained too much information from this weak sentence. What should we do? Improved: We should feed this stale bread to the ducks. Now, we possess a more complete idea and understand the action: feed.
Linking verbs include appear, become, feel, go, get, grow, look, prove, remain, seem, smell, sound, stay, taste, turn and all the to be verbs: am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been.
Attention! Most linking verbs can sometimes show action; they only link if they connect as the definition above states. You can test if a verb is action or linking. If you can substitute a to-be verb and the sentence still makes sense, the original verb links. If the sentences doesn't make sense, the verb is showing action. Example: After hours swimming, the children grow weary. The children grow tomatoes in their backyard garden. Test: After hours swimming, the children are weary. The children are tomatoes in their backyard garden. So, obviously, the first sentence uses a linking verb; the second does not.
When you find yourself using linking verbs (especially to-be verbs, the weakest of the weak verbs), do as I showed you above. Ask so what, why, or how. What should people, animals, things do? Often, you have something in the predicate that can convert to an action verb. Otherwise, rephrase to show action.
Example: Plagiarism is dangerous because by stealing other people's ideas, we can pass on misinformation, fallacies, and outright lies. Look in the predicate: Can something become a verb? Improved: Because plagiarism steals others' ideas, it can endanger society by passing on misinformation, fallacies, and outright lies.
Example: Writing seems hard. Ask why: Why does it seem hard? AND Why does this information matter? Improved: Because I struggle determining what I want to include and organizing information, writing frustrates me. Look: three action verbs with much more enlightenment about the problem!
More on to-be verbs (Don't skip the above though!)
Action verbs express something a person, animal, or thing can do such as reflect, jump, maneuver, contemplate, answer, crawl, endanger, impact, transfer, sing, dine, engage, share, create, hide, refuse, state, demand, understand, design, mow, inflate, regard, trim, revise, sleep, marry, turn, investigate, smile.
Linking verbs connect the subject to something in the predicate — a noun (predicate nominative) or and adjective (predicate adjective), so these verbs serve a weaker purpose than action verbs (and far fewer linking verbs exist). Example: This bread seems stale. Seems links bread to stale. We haven't gained too much information from this weak sentence. What should we do? Improved: We should feed this stale bread to the ducks. Now, we possess a more complete idea and understand the action: feed.
Linking verbs include appear, become, feel, go, get, grow, look, prove, remain, seem, smell, sound, stay, taste, turn and all the to be verbs: am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been.
Attention! Most linking verbs can sometimes show action; they only link if they connect as the definition above states. You can test if a verb is action or linking. If you can substitute a to-be verb and the sentence still makes sense, the original verb links. If the sentences doesn't make sense, the verb is showing action. Example: After hours swimming, the children grow weary. The children grow tomatoes in their backyard garden. Test: After hours swimming, the children are weary. The children are tomatoes in their backyard garden. So, obviously, the first sentence uses a linking verb; the second does not.
When you find yourself using linking verbs (especially to-be verbs, the weakest of the weak verbs), do as I showed you above. Ask so what, why, or how. What should people, animals, things do? Often, you have something in the predicate that can convert to an action verb. Otherwise, rephrase to show action.
Example: Plagiarism is dangerous because by stealing other people's ideas, we can pass on misinformation, fallacies, and outright lies. Look in the predicate: Can something become a verb? Improved: Because plagiarism steals others' ideas, it can endanger society by passing on misinformation, fallacies, and outright lies.
Example: Writing seems hard. Ask why: Why does it seem hard? AND Why does this information matter? Improved: Because I struggle determining what I want to include and organizing information, writing frustrates me. Look: three action verbs with much more enlightenment about the problem!
More on to-be verbs (Don't skip the above though!)
- Remember that you must use a to-be verb as a helping verb to make an "ing" word a verb (otherwise these words are gerunds or participles). It may immediately precede the "ing" word, or it may not. When you have used a to-be this way, keep it.
- Examples: Are the officials reconsidering their policy? The administration is determining its next steps. The scientists were not sequencing that particular gene. I am educating writers. Students have been practicing concise writing skills.
- Do you need the sentence with the to-be verb? Often because they are trying to organize their thoughts and generate content, students write a weak—often redundant—sentence. Once the sentence jumpstarts their brains, they can delete it.
- Example: Teens are anxious when reading social media posts. Because they fear negative comments, teens's anxiety increases as they read posts. Delete the underlined sentence.
- Example: Some think it is okay to troll on social media. They think that trolling amuses followers and that people use social media for amusement and reprieve from daily stresses. Delete the underlined sentence.
- Just as with other linking verbs (as shown above), to-be verbs connect something in the predicate. Therefore, simply use the predicate's idea without the useless connecting.
- Example: Kids are so full of boredom that they look for ways to entertain themselves. Note the other excess as well (underlined)! Improved: Boredom drives kids to seek ways to entertain themselves.
- Example: Meditating is often helpful to both those feeling stress and those who want to prevent stress. Note the other excess as well (underlined)! Improved: Meditating often helps both those feeling stress and those wanting to prevent stress.
- Examples that show similar to-be verb + adjective easy action verb fixes:
- is beneficial = benefits
- was important = matters
- are impactful, helpful, harmful, hurtful, neglectful, meaningful, successful, hopeful, (dis)respectful, distressful, etc. = impacts, helps, harms, hurts, neglects, means, succeeds, hopes, (dis)respects, distresses, etc.
- Note: If you can't turn a "ful" adjective into a verb, turn it into a noun and use an action verb:
- Example: The movie was suspenseful. Improved: We enjoyed the movie's suspense.
- Example: Reading the appendix could be insightful. Improved: The appendix offers insights.
- OR: Make it into an adverb —avoid fluff though!
- Example: She is careful as she walks on the ice. Improved: She carefully walks on the ice.
- Example: The writer's conclusion is powerful. Improved: The writer powerfully concludes his article.
- Additional Note: These same techniques work for "able," "ible," and "less adjectives as well.
- Note: If you can't turn a "ful" adjective into a verb, turn it into a noun and use an action verb:
- Examples that show similar to-be verb + adjective easy action verb fixes:
- Have you used a clunky phrase that includes a to-be verb?
- am/is/are able to = can
- was/were able to = could
- was/were going to = could have, considered
- am/is/are going to = will
- is/are going through = experiences, suffers, endures, feels, withstands, undergoes
- was/were going through = experienced, suffered, endured, felt, withstood, underwent
- Have you the uninformative expressions, "there is" and "there are"? These simply state existence, so they don't add to your point. These require an additional sentence to fully express the point.
- Example: There is a reason Americans stand in line. Standing in line equalizes each person so the loudest, the most devious, the most assertive, or the perceived most important don't gain unfair advantage. First: Do we need that first sentence? If we determine that reason and Americans add to our overall point, then we can incorporate them into the second sentence—and show why those words matter. Improved Because Americans value equality, they stand in line so the loudest, the most devious, the most assertive, or the perceived most important don't gain unfair advantage. Note: because, reason, and why all mean the same thing, so we can use because to replace reason. Additional note: don't use these three words together! For example, NEVER use "reason why." Use "reason that."
- Is your to-be verb part of a passive voice construction: to-be verb + past participle OR to-be verb + adverb + past participle? Students can find full information in their Toolkits or Writing Resources and quick help on the Proofreading key, the first page of these booklets.
- Examples:
- I am bored by this speaker's monotone voice. Improved: This speaker's monotone voice bores me.
- Under similar circumstances, she was not affected. Double problem: passive voice and missing information. What didn't affect her? The writer must answer that question — as the subject first. Improved: Under similar circumstances, the doctor's warning did not affect her.