Back in the seventies, Schoolhouse Rock defined verbs in a lively, concise way. When I watch "Verbs, That's What's Happening" even now, I'm struck by all the action. When we write, the verbs we choose should be alive, active, leaping off the page. Too often, though, we ignore them or bury them instead.
Sometimes we ignore verbs in favor of using adverbs. The result is the "wryly" syndrome, when an outbreak of adverbs smothers the weaker verbs in the sentence. Instead of saying a character "went quickly," what about punching up the sentence with a more vivid verb, such as "sprinted," "dashed," or even "scampered"? The verb "said" is particularly vulnerable to adverb exposure. Once, when reading a children's book aloud to my daughter, I counted thirteen adverbs on two pages, eight of them coupled to the word "said."
We also mistreat verbs when we bury them among a lot of other words. One way to bury a verb is to plunk it down between a helping verb and "-ing." The verb phrases "was eating" and "was shaking" are weaker than "ate" or "shook."
Sometimes writers bury the verb right along with the subject by using passive voice. Here's an example: "The argument for a higher assessment was made by the condo board." Isn't it more interesting and dynamic to write: "The condo board argued for a higher assessment"?
In this sentence, not only is the verb buried, but the subject also disappeared: "Post-it notes were invented to find a use for less adhesive glue." Who invented them? The sentence is stronger in the active voice, with an active verb: "Arthur Fry invented post-it notes to find a use for less adhesive glue."
Another way to bury the verb is to pad it with unnecessary words. Business and technical writing are littered with phrases like "performed an analysis," "conducted a study," and "made the announcement." Use simpler, stronger words instead such as "analyzed," "studied," and "announced." Lists of active verbs abound online, particularly for resume writing.
Don't ignore strong verbs or bury them, making your readers do the work of digging them up. Make your writing lively and active by choosing the right verbs.
Sometimes we ignore verbs in favor of using adverbs. The result is the "wryly" syndrome, when an outbreak of adverbs smothers the weaker verbs in the sentence. Instead of saying a character "went quickly," what about punching up the sentence with a more vivid verb, such as "sprinted," "dashed," or even "scampered"? The verb "said" is particularly vulnerable to adverb exposure. Once, when reading a children's book aloud to my daughter, I counted thirteen adverbs on two pages, eight of them coupled to the word "said."
We also mistreat verbs when we bury them among a lot of other words. One way to bury a verb is to plunk it down between a helping verb and "-ing." The verb phrases "was eating" and "was shaking" are weaker than "ate" or "shook."
Sometimes writers bury the verb right along with the subject by using passive voice. Here's an example: "The argument for a higher assessment was made by the condo board." Isn't it more interesting and dynamic to write: "The condo board argued for a higher assessment"?
In this sentence, not only is the verb buried, but the subject also disappeared: "Post-it notes were invented to find a use for less adhesive glue." Who invented them? The sentence is stronger in the active voice, with an active verb: "Arthur Fry invented post-it notes to find a use for less adhesive glue."
Another way to bury the verb is to pad it with unnecessary words. Business and technical writing are littered with phrases like "performed an analysis," "conducted a study," and "made the announcement." Use simpler, stronger words instead such as "analyzed," "studied," and "announced." Lists of active verbs abound online, particularly for resume writing.
Don't ignore strong verbs or bury them, making your readers do the work of digging them up. Make your writing lively and active by choosing the right verbs.
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