Relationships & Partners and Writing Skills Tips. (A Writing Advice Guide Book

Word Choice: Verbs

Word Choice Verbs Lesson
You probably know that every sentence needs at lease two parts of speech a noun and a verb. The noun is the subject of the sentence, while the verb supplies the action. Remember that the verb gives life to the sentence. Therefore, choosing the right verb is critical to good writing. An inaccurate or lazy verb will deaden a sentence, while a precise verb will enhance its meaning.

When speaking, we usually don't use dynamic, precise verbs. Instead, we use a limited number of common verbs. Take a look at this pair of sentences:
-The climber went up the peak.
-The climber scaled the peak.

In the first sentence, went is a weak verb. It doesn't capture or describe the moment. Scaled, on the other hand, is dynamic and appropriate to the action. Sometimes the right verb can replace an entire verb phrase:

He wrote down the swimmers' times.
- He recorded the swimmers' times.

The phrase, wrote down, is not as precise as record. Here are three more weak verb phrases.
Can you find alternatives for them?
1. moved around
2. spoke softly
3. had a lot of fun
4. laughed really hard

Writing Prompt Exercise
1. The following paragraph contains weak verbs and verb phrases. Rewrite the sentences, exchanging weak verbs for strong ones.
The dentist came into the room when the lady shouted. Her filling had come loose and She needed a new one to be put in. But when the dentist got a drill, the lady started to shout. Then she got up fast and tried to hurry out of the room. The dentist's assistant grabbed the lady and the dentist gave her a shot to calm her down. She sat in the chair and went to sleep. Then, after using the drill, the dentist put a new filling in.

Writing Prompt Exercise
2. This is a two-part assignment that requires a partner. First wite a long paragraph containing plenty of weak verbs. Next, rewrite one another's First, write a exchanging weak verbs for strong ones.