Transcript Eliminating Dead Verbs

ELIMINATING DEAD VERBS
Stronger Diction, Stronger Papers!
What are dead verbs?
• Dead verbs are less expressive and often result in wordy
sentences.
• They include “to be” words
• be, is, are, was, were, been, being
• And “have” words
• Have, having, had, has, have been
• I’m adding “can,” “get,” and “feel”
The Difference
Dead Verbs
After many attempts to “revive” downtown
Greensboro, it finally appears to be happening.
Streets that were once empty after dark are now
bustling with activity – or at least they are showing
signs of life. There are now clubs and bars lining
Elm Street and the surrounding area, and they are
full of twenty- and thirty- somethings. A slightly
older crowd has been lured downtown by new art
galleries, and live performances are now offered at
two theaters. There are a few fine restaurants that
have before- and after-theater specials. There is
also a new park in the middle of town that has live
concerts on a regular basis. Some lunch- hour
performances are held there, and many downtown
workers have been attracted to them. Young
families are also discovering downtown, thanks in
large part to the Children’s Museum that has been
open for a few years and the baseball stadium,
which is brand new and which has a playground
that is loved by kids.
Fewer Dead Verbs
After many attempts to “revive” downtown
Greensboro, it finally appears to be
happening. Streets that once stood empty
after dark now bustle with activity – or at
least show signs of life. Clubs and bars full
of twenty- and thirty- somethings line Elm
Street and the surrounding area. New art
galleries and two theaters offering live
performances have lured a slightly older
crowd downtown, where they can find
before- or after-theater specials at a few fine
restaurants. A new park in the middle of
town hosts live concerts on a regular basis,
including some lunch-hour performances
that attract many downtown workers. Young
families are also discovering downtown,
thanks in large part to the Children’s
Museum that opened a few years ago and
the brand new baseball stadium with a
playground that kids love.
Consider:
Strong verbs show instead of tell.
• I had an argument with my brother.
• I argued with my brother.
• She is always early to class.
• She always arrives early to class.
• The senator is careful to only visit corporations with low
carbon footprints.
• The senator visits only corporations with low carbon
footprints.
Getting Rid of Dead Verbs
1. Underline any dead
verbs.
2. Look for a noun or
adjective that you
can convert to a
strong verb.
3. Rewrite the
sentence.
• John is the manager of
the produce department.
• John is the manager of
the produce department.
• John manages the
produce department.
Active vs. Passive Verbs
Passive
• Passive voice sentences
have an absent subject (or a
subject stated later in the
sentence).
• She was adopted by two
loving parents.
• Customers should be seated
no more than ten minutes
after their arrival.
Active
• Active voice clarifies the
subject completing the
action.
• Two loving parents adopted
her.
• The host should seat
customers no more than ten
minutes after they arrive.
Other Techniques
1.
Use your imagination to substitute more interesting words.
• He has many admirers.  He attracts many admirers.
2.
Avoid starting sentences with “There are” or “There is”
• There is a cat pawing the fire grate.  A cat paws the fire grate.
3.
Use present tense (swims) rather than present progressive
tense (is swimming), unless you need to show that an action
is continuing.
• Exception: “She is learning piano.”
• Streets are now bustling with activity.  Streets now bustle with
activity.
4.
Place adjectives before nouns, instead of in “which is/are”
clauses
• Her brother, who is friendly, saved the cat.
• Her friendly brother saved the cat.
Fix it!
He was a strong king.
Fix it!
William Shakespeare is recognized as one of the greatest
playwrights of all time.
Fix it!
She was responsible to managing fourteen full-time
employees.
Fix it!
I am the teacher of Honors English I, AP Language and
Composition, and Honors British Literature.
Fix it!
Walt Disney was the initiator of a mass movement in family
entertainment.
Fix it!
In the distance there is a great eruption on the water, as a
killer whale jumps above the surface.