This list of strong action verbs is a handy reference to use when a better word is needed. Verbs in academic writing in the same way that a story needs active, dynamic verbs to keep the plot moving, academic essays too will benefit from the correct use of verbs to help you present your ideas. Any time you use one of these verbs be, is, are, was, been, being, were, has, have, having, had ask yourself if the sentence should be rewritten. Other weak verbs include basic forms of any verb, like run, walk, say, sit. The ultimate strong verbs list thatll supercharge your writing. When an author uses strong verbs a readers senses come alive. This list of 180 strong verbs will help you get started on the road to colorful, dazzling writing. Let verbs power your writing and millions of other books are available for instant access. The weakest verbs you can replace in your writing are to be verbs. I said, if authors use ordinary, or weak verbs, than the reader wont be able to make a clear picture in their minds. As we discuss verbs, we will learn that this isnt always the case, but it is a helpful phrase to remember just what verbs are. Bland verbs, such as uses, says, and relates, lead the writer into summary. Students can keep these sheets in their writers journal or notebook.
If nouns are the skeleton of a composition, verbs are the muscles. Verb tenses in academic writing home the writing center. The list of strong verbs to make your content pop, fizz. Mar 07, 2012 is your writing dull, overworked, flat, lifeless. Active verbs list agree nod consent comply concur accept acknowledge consent appear show flash materialize surface bloom flower manifest surface emerge develop spawn arrive arise ask request question inquire pose proposition solicit plead crossexamine demand grill interrogate needle query quiz attack assault strike ambush assail rush storm. Use strong action words a choice action word can really impact whether a reader takes action or not. Strong verbs for essay writing allendale school district. Keep your purpose in mind as you choose the best tense. It can be a challenge to insert these sources smoothly without taking away from your voice as a writer. Verbs such as walk and talk dont really help the reader to build a vivid mental picture of the action being performed. The ultimate strong verbs list thatll supercharge your. An english irregular verb list free pdf download improve your english by learning and memorizing the common irregular verbs in english below.
Some verbs put stalled subjects into motion while other verbs help to clarify the subjects. Stevenson, patrick henry high, 2005 summarizing, rather than analyzing, is one of the chief pitfalls of ap rhetorical analysis. Strong verbs invigorate narrative and deliver precise meanings without increasing word count. Check out this recently published list of 277 action words that supercharge your writing. You should replace an adverb and a verb with a strong verb if you can. Together the verb and the prepositions create a phrase with a new meaning.
A great revision strategy is to look for ways to make verbs more descriptive. In academic writing, you will often need to refer to the research of others, also called secondary sources. Instead of making your writing more descriptive and clearer only with adjectives and adverbs, you should improve your writing skills by using multiple strong verbs, too. Reporting verbs in academic writing, it is necessary to refer to the research of others using reporting verbs.
One of the final stages of revising a draft is editing for strong verbs. Strong verbs weak verbs apply conduct coordinate facilitate create design collaborate establish expand reorganize overhaul promote write analyze classify investigate research discover complete assist help aid deal with handle gain receive learn seek out set up enhance see reverse side for more verbs. Verbs are often called the action words of language. Instead of said said is one of the most overused verbs in writing. The important thing is that these weaker verbs are not the only ones you feel comfortable using.
In the strong example above, we not only combined sentences to eliminate. Strong verbs anchor chart this is to be printed and displayed as a reminder to writers. Reporting verbs help the reader understand the relevance of the sources in your writing and can help you to strengthen your argument. As always, however, be careful about using a thesaurus.
First grade lesson learning to recognize and use strong verbs. I said, weve been doing a lot of expository writing about animals. This campaign was designed to help teens get and stay active, but it also provided a helpful soundbite for defining verbs. You may reproduce it for noncommercial use if you use the entire handout. Reporting verbs for introducing authors in academic writing, you will need to refer to the research of others and incorporate this information into your writing. As a matter of fact, the most powerful writers use verbs quite effectively to illustrate their writing. Editing for strong verbs school of liberal arts iupui. Strong verbs are action verbs that are specific and easily visualized by the. Some verbs are weaker in their function, while others are strong.
Strong verbs are action verbs that are specific and easily visualized by the reader. Students should be exposed to wellwritten literature that acts as a model for their wri. Download free pdf english books from phrasal verbs a ot z pdf at easypacelearning. These advanced tenses were mentioned briefly in helping verbs, and they came up again in participles.
Now, keep in mind that weak verbs are absolutely okay to use on occasion. Put muscle into your writing by using strong verbs wikieducator. Complete english irregular verb list free pdf download. English books for download pdf phrasal verbs a ot z pdf.
Worksheet 1 explains what a strong verb is, with examples of recasting sentences with weak verbs into sentences with strong verbs. So, the secret to writing with gusto is to choose stronger verbs. What are academic verbs exactly university of manitoba. Auxiliary verbs also called helping verbs or modal verbs are used with principal verbs to form a verb phrase that indicates mood, tense, or voice. Oftentimes in academic writing, you decide to use outside sources to enhance your argument and make it credible. Exercises in both worksheets give students the opportunity of writing complete sentences by using strong verbs rather than weak ones.
Avoid using phrasal verbs academic writing does not normally include phrasal verbs. Npcs or interesting protagonists, antagonists, or bbeg vivid verb list for students bing images. Use the tips in this video to give your writing volume, shine, and body. One handout per student then, have your students work together in pairs to discuss what happened next in the story.
A week of strong verbs activities to help your students use strong verbs in their writing. In academic writing, you can refer to ideas or research of others by using reporting verbs, e. They should each write exactly the same words on their own papers. The table below list useful verbs that are very common in academic texts. I also told my students how using strong verbs pertain to their own writing. Youll find this task is easier to do if you use the active voice more often than the passive voice. Principal verbs are verbs that can stand alone and, by itself, express and act or state. And do you wonder why your draft text seems a tad limp in comparison. The verb selections you make will mean the difference between plain, placid prose and compelling, colorful compositions. One way of making your writing more interesting is to use strong verbs instead of neutral ones. Use the simple present argueargues, isare to discuss general truths, habitual actions, works of literature, and an authors ideas or arguments.
You might want to write a few words on the board for the students to use in their writing. Because of this, we have created an anchor chart filled with alternatives to using the word said in writing. But verbs dont have to surrender all the fun and emotional power to adjectivesthe words that traditionally paint the pictures in our heads. Advanced verb tenses now weve mastered the different pieces that we need to understand in order to discuss some more advanced tenses.
Even if you keep your original sentence structure, you can eliminate weak verbs like be from your drafts and choose more vivid and precise actions verbs. List for new english strong verbs for academic writing. Theres no quicker win for you and your manuscript than ferreting out and eliminating flabby verbs and replacing them with vibrant ones. The main culprits include the verbs to be and to have. First drafts are full of weak verbs, and weak verbs make your writing limp, flabby, and listless. Why you need strong verbs when you write writers write.
As a bonus, weve included a few tips to help you with assessing your papers. You are likely to come across more verbs for the different. Making deeper characters for rpgs, storywriting, creative writing. Feel free to add other interesting, vivid verbs you find in books. In contrast, strong verbs add action, vitality, color, and zest. Good writing is about wellchosen nouns and strong verbs, not adjectives and adverbs.
Students dont just need to be able to identify strong verbs. Without the precise strong verb, our writing can be boring or send the wrong message. We discuss why you why you need strong verbs when you write, and give you examples. These pull your writing quality down and peg you as an amateur. The writer of family guy juxtaposes the characters brian and peter to enhance their differing intelligence levels. Learn which verb tenses are typically difficult for you, and proofread specifically for those errors. You must connect the author clearly to the information you are using. The following verbs are helpful as a means of showing how an example or quote in literature supports an idea or interpretation. If you misplaced your copy of any of these given in class, please help yourself to another copy here. If you place the author before the information in your writing, then reporting verbs can be used to. First drafts often require an injection of power and pizzazz. Reporting verbs neutral tentative strong in favour strong against. The point is that good writing is more about wellchosen nouns and strong verbs than it is about adjectives and adverbs, regardless what you were told as a kid.
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