2.6 The Importance of Verbs
Much of the style advice given so far revolves around the importance of verbs. Think of your sentence as a machine, and the verb as the engine that makes the machine work. Like machines, sentences can function efficiently or inefficiently, and the use of a strong verb is one way to make them work effectively. Here are some key principles regarding the effective use of verbs in your sentences. While effective sentences may occasionally deviate from the suggestions in this list, try to follow these guidelines as often as possible:
- Keep the subject and the verb close together; avoid separating them with words or phrases that could create confusion.
- Place the verb near the beginning of the sentence (and close to the subject).
- Maintain a high verb/word ratio in your sentence.
- Opt for active verb constructions over passive ones.
- Avoid “to be” verbs (am, is, are, was, were, being, been, be).
- Try to turn nominalizations (abstract nouns) back into verbs.
Use the verb strength chart in Table 2.6.1 as a guide to “elevate” weaker verbs (or words with implied action) in a sentence to stronger forms.
| [Skip Table] | ||
| Verb Forms | Verb Strength | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Command/Imperative |
STRONG WEAK |
Maintain the machine properly! Write the report! |
| Active Indicative*
(S → V) |
He maintains the machine regularly. She writes reports frequently. |
|
| Active conditional |
She would maintain the machine if he would let her. He would write reports if he had more training. |
|
| Gerunds ( __ -ing)
Infinitives (to ___) (these do not function as verbs in your sentence; actual verbs are highlighted in yellow) |
While maintaining the machine, he gets quite dirty. Report writing takes skill. It takes a lot of time to maintain this machine. To write effectively, one must get a sense of the audience. |
|
| Passive (S ← V)
Passive Conditional |
The machine is maintained by him. It would be maintained by her if… The report was written by her. Reports would be written by him if… |
|
| Nominalizations (verbs turned into abstract nouns)
Participles (nouns or adjectives that used to be verbs) |
Machine maintenance is dirty work. A well-maintained machine is a thing of beauty. Written work must be free of errors. |
While you are not likely to use the command form very often, unless you are writing instructions, the second strongest form, Active Indicative, is the one you want to use most often (say, in about 80% of your sentences).
Knowledge Check
Part of the skill of using active verbs lies in choosing the verbs that precisely describe the action you want to convey. English speakers have become somewhat lazy in choosing a small selection of verbs most of the time (to be, to do, to get, to make, to have, to put); as a result, these often-used verbs have come to have so many possible meanings that they are almost meaningless. Try looking up “make” or “have” in the dictionary; you will see pages and pages of possible meanings!