Talking About Verbs

Today's topic centers on verbs. Those words that connect the subject and object of a sentence. There are two main classes of verbs--passive and active. When we write, our first inclination is to use the several versions of the 'to be' verb--was, is, were, are. Those verbs are useful, but rather boring. They're termed 'passive' for a reason.

Aim to use the active verbs which show something. The poster today shows three action verbs on a flash card probably used in primary school classrooms. We learn about active verbs early on, but we sometimes forget to use as many as possible when we write our stories, essays, and poems. 

When using an active verb, the subject performs the action. They are 'doing' something. We have a mental image of what is happening. With passive verbs, the image appears much milder or none at all sometimes. Using passives a great deal can result in weak writing.

Using active verbs promotes more powerful writing. More interesting writing. More enjoyable for the reader. 

When you edit your first draft, look for all the passive verbs. Highlight them. You might be surprised by how many colored marks show up. Next, try to replace as many as you can with an active verb. You cannot always just slip one word out and the new one in. You'll find situations where you will need to change the order of your sentence making use of an active verb. Nothing wrong with that. Don't hesitate to do it, as it most likely is not going to change the meaning of your sentence. Instead, it will be more interesting.

For an exercise, look at these sentences which all have passive verbs. Rewrite the sentence using an action verb.:

A.  Johnny was on his way to the park.

B.  She was at the circus tent. 

C.  He was going to be in the school play. 

D.  The flat tire was changed by Pete.

E.  The song was written by Sam in one day.

F.  That song is enjoyed by the high school chorus.

Should you never, ever use a passive verb? Of course not. But, use them sparingly to power up your writing. When you're reading, take note of the action verbs the author uses. One more time to train your writer's eye. I've used some passive verbs in this post, but I've also sought active ones to make this post more balanced.