273 Strong Verbs That’ll Spice Up Your Writing
Do you ever wonder why a grammatically correct sentence you’ve written just lies there like a dead fish?
I sure have.
Your sentence might even be full of those adjectives and adverbs your teachers and loved ones so admired in your writing when you were a kid.
But still the sentence doesn’t work.
Something simple I learned from The Elements of Style years ago changed the way I write and added verve to my prose. The authors of that little bible of style said: “Write with nouns and verbs, not with adjectives and adverbs.”
Even Mark Twain was quoted , regarding adjectives: “When in doubt, strike it out.”
That’s not to say there’s no place for adjectives. I used three in the title and first paragraph of this post alone.
The point is that good writing is more about well-chosen nouns and powerful verbs than it is about adjectives and adverbs, regardless what you were told as a kid.
There’s no quicker win for you and your manuscript than ferreting out and eliminating flabby verbs and replacing them with vibrant ones.
*Ready to take the next step as a writer? Grab Self-Editing Masterclass , a power-packed collection of video lessons and resources that gives you all the tools you’ll need to write crystal-clear prose you’ll be confident to show agents and publishers. Best of all? You can get through all the material in under two hours.*
- How To Know Which Verbs Need Replacing
Your first hint is your own discomfort with a sentence. Odds are it features a snooze-inducing verb.
As you hone your ferocious self-editing skills, train yourself to exploit opportunities to replace a weak verb for a strong one .
At the end of this post I suggest a list of 273 vivid verbs you can experiment with to replace tired ones.
What constitutes a tired verb? Here’s what to look for:
- 3 Types of Verbs to Beware of in Your Prose
1. State-of-being verbs
These are passive as opposed to powerful:
Am I saying these should never appear in your writing? Of course not. You’ll find them in this piece. But when a sentence lies limp, you can bet it contains at least one of these. Determining when a state-of-being verb is the culprit creates a problem—and finding a better, more powerful verb to replace it— is what makes us writers. [Note how I replaced the state-of-being verbs in this paragraph.]
Resist the urge to consult a thesaurus for the most exotic verb you can find. I consult such references only for the normal word that carries power but refuses to come to mind.
I would suggest even that you consult my list of powerful verbs only after you have exhaust ed all efforts to come up with one on your own. You want Make your prose to be your own creation, not yours plus Roget or Webster or Jenkins. [See how easy they are to spot and fix?]
Impotent: The man was walking on the platform.
Powerful: The man strode along the platform.
Impotent: Jim is a lover of country living.
Powerful: Jim treasures country living.
Impotent: There are three things that make me feel the way I do…
Powerful: Three things convince me…
2. Verbs that rely on adverbs
Powerful verbs are strong enough to stand alone.
The fox ran quickly dashed through the forest.
She menacingly looked glared at her rival.
He secretly listened eavesdropped while they discussed their plans.
3. Verbs with -ing suffixes
Before: He was walking…
After: He walked…
Before: She was loving the idea of…
After: She loved the idea of…
Before: The family was starting to gather…
After: The family started to gather…
- The Strong Verbs List
- Disillusion
- Reverberate
- Revolutionize
- Supercharge
- Transfigure
Faith-Based Words and Phrases
What You and I Can Learn From Patricia Raybon
A Guest Blog from Stephen King—Yes, that Stephen King
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190+ Action Verbs: Powerful Words and Examples
Check out our guide with action verbs to add to your next piece of writing; create impactful storylines that keep your readers hooked with these powerful verbs.
Action verbs add an extra “oomph!” to your writing, helping you to describe the many things your characters will achieve throughout the story. Learning how to use action verbs will enhance your writing, help to define your characters, and allow your readers to grasp the plot points with ease.
However, action verbs aren’t just for story writing. They’re also ideal to use in your resume when applying for jobs. Check out what Indeed.com says about using action verbs:
“The action verbs give the reader a clear understanding of what is happening. When used within a resume or cover letter, action verbs help the application package stand out from other submissions.”
So, it’s important to learn the correct action verbs to use in your writing to make a lasting impact on the readers. Whether you’re working on a fiction book, an essay, or sprucing up your resume, we’ve got everything you need to level up your writing. If you’re interested in this topic, check out our list of feeling words for more!
What Are Action Verbs?
Mental action verbs, action verbs denoting personal improvement, action verbs denoting productivity , action verbs denoting ability, action verbs denoting leadership traits, action verbs denoting initiative, action verbs denoting excellent communication skills, finance action verbs.
Action verbs, a.k.a. dynamic verbs, express an action a person takes. They are one of two major categories of verbs in English (the other one being stative verbs). In other words, active verbs describe what a person is doing or has done and are, consequently, often used in business.
One typical example where action verbs shine is the bullet statement format used when the writer wants to describe their accomplishments using a bare minimum of words. However, remember that not all action verbs are made equal. The words that cement the image of the writer accomplishing something instead of merely being in charge of it are the best choice.
E.g., “handling” is not as illustrative as “executing.” Precision takes precedence and makes a lasting impact. Therefore, pick your verbs carefully. You might also be interested in our list of boring words and phrases to avoid in your writing.
Action Verbs Printable
Mental action verbs describe intellectual or inner dynamic actions. Discerning them can be challenging as many stative verbs describe thoughts and opinions. Therefore, we’re starting with some notable examples of mental action verbs. You might also be interested in our homophones word list .
He was analyzing testimonials all night and was late for work in the morning.
2. Appreciate
He appreciates that cooperation with the sales department is a necessary evil.
3. Consider
Mark considered his roommate’s decisions as foolish but kept silent.
As a child, Anna dreamt of playing the flute, but her parents never allowed it.
5. Evaluate
Nicholas wasn’t able to evaluate the situation properly due to shock.
I fear that the situation is getting out of hand.
Don’t forget to bring the book tomorrow!
The idea is growing on me.
I imagine you’re referring to Star Wars.
The CEO failed to learn anything from employee feedback.
11. Memorize
I try to memorize five new Chinese words every day.
I’m always pondering how to improve my attitude in adversity.
13. Remember
She could vaguely remember Nick’s face after all those years they’d been apart.
14. Resolve
He resolved to learn Japanese and head the regional branch.
Reviewing for exams can help students join the dots seamlessly.
Don’t you think John was unhappy about the prospect?
To underline success, professional and personal alike, you may use suitable action verbs denoting improvement. Here are some examples:
17. Accomplish
I think I’ve accomplished much in this short amount of time.
18. Customize
Our IT team has customized the chatbot.
19. Demonstrate
They demonstrated their knowledge during the seminar.
Merging the two start-ups was the best decision they ever made.
Larry modified his views to meet project requirements.
22. Overhaul
Shareholders have decided to overhaul the training program.
She set to revamp company policies to include hybrid work models.
24. Revitalize
Yoga classes can help you revitalize your body and spirit in no time.
25. Streamline
Mark worked hard to streamline operations to benefit the entire team.
26. Strengthen
She strengthened her resolve to deal with her past trauma.
27. Surpass
He has truly surpassed himself with his latest whitepaper.
I’m just testing my theory out; is there something wrong with that?
Did you know she trained as a psychologist before becoming a translator?
30. Transform
Transforming my career advancement plans is the best thing I’ve ever done.
31. Translate
My teacher says I must translate this sentence twenty times to grasp synonyms.
We’d appreciate it if you could keep us updated on the procedure.
33. Upgrade
I’ve upgraded my skills! Now, I’m a high-level wizard!
There are many action verbs suitable for business English. Let’s consider some examples of verbs denoting productivity. You might also be interested in our list of describing words .
34. Achieve
I need to work hard to achieve my goals.
Becoming an author can be one of the most creative and rewarding careers.
36. Publish
The feeling of publishing your first novel is like nothing else; the excitement and pride you will feel are unparalleled.
37. Actualize
To actualize your potential, you need to train harder.
He’s adapting the play to suit a wider audience.
39. Address
He addressed the audience with an enthusiasm rarely witnessed before.
Individuals need to adjust their approach to suit the team.
41. Advance
The creditor advanced $100 million to help the business with debt repayments.
42. Amplify
Maria’s vision of the upcoming meeting with shareholders was amplifying her morale.
The initiative aims to boost sales during the peak season.
44. Capitalize
He capitalized on the sudden increase in demand.
45. Collect
I’m going to collect the latest issue of the magazine first thing tomorrow morning.
46. Compute
The management uses feedback to compute the rate of employee performance.
47. Conceive
I simply can’t conceive how you could be so insensitive!
48. Conceptualize
I’m unsure if I’ll be able to conceptualize the bigger picture, but I’ll give it my best shot.
49. Consolidate
The HR department consolidated its processes in an attempt to attract talent.
50. Construct
I’m constructing the argument in my mind and have yet to shape it into words.
51. Co-produce
Good news, everyone: we’ll be co-producing the new car model with Honda!
Hannah curated the exhibit alongside her husband, rumored to be an expert in the field.
Nina has been tasked with debugging the company’s in-house software.
54. Deliver
Ronaldo rarely fails to deliver a perfect pass.
We’ve hired a wildly popular digital artist to design our holiday brochure.
He’s good at devising out-of-the-box solutions; that’s why we hired him in the first place.
57. Diagnose
Will you be able to diagnose the error by the end of the day?
58. Enhance
Simon is trying to enhance his reputation by demonstrating his unique expertise.
59. Expedite
Teams’ efforts expedited departmental plans.
60. Explore
The brand is exploring collaborating on a new project with the new regional start-up .
61. Further
Mary’s donation furthered her company’s positive outlook.
62. Improve
We need to improve our merger plans.
63. Maximize
Johanna’s superb design skills maximized company impact during the presentation.
64. Proofread
Nicholas proofreads books for an established publishing company.
65. Reconcile
Reconciling opposing viewpoints may be challenging, but we need to succeed all the same.
66. Stimulate
Her speech stimulated everyone present to perform better.
67. Sustain
Seasonal earnings will sustain our business during the dormant season.
She refused to yield power to the shareholders.
Action verbs can be used to efficiently communicate one’s ability. Here are some examples to help you get started.
69. Administer
They had to administer the revenues to prevent unfair play.
I’m thinking of learning to code programs.
71. Complete
He is working overtime to complete work.
72. Develop
She’s trying to develop empathy in an attempt to reinvent herself.
73. Document
We need to document and report employee feedback before the next meeting.
74. Drive
Sadly, Mary can’t drive, although she’s having none of it!
She edits a business magazine that’s becoming more popular by the day.
76. Execute
The higher-ups are set to execute the new strategy.
There’s much I need to learn to expand my views.
78. Implement
We plan to implement a policy allowing all new hires to sign up for benefits.
79. Interpret
We need to interpret the stats as best we can; we’re not getting any help from higher-ups.
80. Operate
Do you know how to operate the machines?
81. Organize
If I wanted you to organize my life, I wouldn’t have looked for a roommate.
82. Perform
I need to study more if I want to perform better than average.
83. Prepare
I am prepared for any eventuality.
84. Realize
Can you realize the target or not?
Action verbs can be rather impactful when denoting leadership traits. They communicate expertise and willingness to deal with any obstacle. Here are the finest examples of dynamic verbs denoting leadership aspirations and expertise:
85. Arrange
I’ll arrange everything, so the only thing you need to do is follow through.
Management assessed the cost of the latest marketing initiative at ca. £7,000.
I’m assigning this job to you because I find your soft skills quite suitable.
My brother said he’d assist me with the task.
You need to decide on your own how to attain the goal; it’s rather subjective.
90. Authorize
To appeal to the workforce, the CEO authorized additional PTO.
He’s built his career around his seamless communication skills.
Peculiarly enough, chairing the meeting is a new hire.
She is performing her tasks so seamlessly that I’m wondering if she’s been coached by a professional.
94. Coordinate
We need to coordinate our efforts to get the job done ASAP.
95. Delegate
Shouldn’t she be delegating work faster?
Higher-ups are deploying resources more sparingly due to past grievances.
A police officer is directing the traffic again.
98. Empower
The matter of how to empower remote workers is gaining broad recognition.
Is it right to enable new hires to become workaholics?
100. Encourage
Top brass are encouraging project development as it is expected to make them rich overnight.
101. Enforce
The police are trying to enforce speed limits with varying degrees of success.
102. Engineer
Can we engineer a successful meeting between office employees and remote teams?
103. Examine
They’re examining the cause of the failure with the help of our brand-new AI solution.
104. Exceed
He is exceeding all expectations; he’s truly a marvel!
105. Explain
Joshua explained to his mates that he’d be leaving the band due to personal obligations.
106. Foster
They’re fostering a sense of inclusivity, but I can tell they’re not too happy about the whole affair.
107. Fulfill
He has failed to fulfill his promise and is trying to make amends.
Mr. Smith guided us through all the trials and tribulations of the takeover.
He is heading the meeting regardless of the uproar.
Helping him overcome the divorce was the best thing I ever did.
111. Individualize
Our HR teams are individualizing onboarding programs to allow for better personalization.
112. Inspect
We went to inspect the damage after the flood.
113. Instruct
The management instructed the team to align goals with the brand mission.
114. Invest
He’s invested in his studies and hardly has any spare time for anything else.
115. Investigate
They’ve investigated allegations of corruption and found nothing conclusive.
116. Lecture
Is he lecturing newcomers again?
Businesses are lobbying for proposed changes in the tax laws.
118. Maintain
Jonny is maintaining a healthy lifestyle with a little help from his wife.
119. Manage
He has managed finances for as long as I can remember.
120. Map
IT teams are mapping all network drives at the moment.
121. Moderate
Mary thinks she needs to moderate her stance as she came across as overly harsh.
Our HR experts mold new hires’ characters with ease.
123. Motivate
I am motivated to help my friends achieve their goals.
124. Network
Company meetings are a good opportunity to network .
125. Orchestrate
He charged us with orchestrating the production.
126. Outperform
Our company will easily outperform our biggest competitor again.
127. Oversee
We need to appoint an engineer to oversee the construction.
128. Participate
We’ll all participate in the upcoming get-along and are fired up.
129. Partner
Mark and Maria partnered for the competition, hoping to place better.
They are planning a project in line with new directives.
131. Preside
The new integrator will preside at tomorrow’s meeting.
Their HR representative probed into my private life, and I’m outraged!
133. Project
The revenue is projected to surge again.
134. Spearhead
He spearheaded the company’s expansion into the U.S.A.
135. Supervise
The logistics department is supervising the distribution of resources.
136. Support
I planned to support her claim, but she’d been lying through her teeth.
By nature, initiative portends action. That’s why dynamic verbs are so illustrative in this regard. Take a look at a couple of examples below:
I’m asking you again: “Will you be joining us tonight?”
138. Balance
Balancing professional and private life can get tricky during the peak season.
139. Budget
An additional $10 million needs to be budgeted for new projects in Q3.
140. Calculate
I’m calculating the total right now.
Mr. Watson is continually charting the progress of each team member, so be careful.
We’ll be able to close the deal tomorrow.
143. Co-author
Maria and her brother have co-authored a vegetarian cookbook.
144. Collaborate
We’ll be collaborating with a Korean firm to develop the new product.
145. Create
Creating new initiatives is going as planned, so don’t worry.
146. Discover
I’m discovering more about the wabi-sabi concept with each passing day.
147. Establish
Establishing a new regional branch sounds like a good idea at this point.
148. Facilitate
To facilitate group discussion, project leaders should be inventive.
To form an impactful sentence, you should consider using active verbs.
Who founded the museum, do you know?
151. Formalize
They are planning to formalize the deal, but details have yet to be defined.
152. Formulate
Try as I might, I failed to formulate a proper response.
153. Gather
Everyone should gather here after work as we will throw a welcome party.
154. Initiate
There are several ways to initiate knowledge sharing, and AI is just the tip of the iceberg.
155. Institute
Policymakers are about to institute a number of measures to enforce public safety.
156. Introduce
Today, he’ll be introducing new technological developments in healthcare.
Join us for the outing tonight; it’ll be fun.
Don’t joke around; it’s a serious matter!
The football player kicked his opponent during the match and was removed from the game.
160. Launch
We’re launching the project tomorrow, so prepare for potential inquiries.
161. Pioneer
He’s regarded as a pioneer in the world of art and literature.
Your son is playing with matchsticks again!
163. Present
I’ll present the latest developments I’ve worked hard to come by.
164. Propose
The judge proposed the establishment of special tribunals for the trial of offenses disturbing the general peace.
He did raise some important questions, but the audience remained silent.
I’ll have reached NY headquarters by 5 PM.
167. Survey
I’m surveying the terrain now, so give me some time, and I’ll get back to you with the findings.
168. Team (up)
They teamed up for the upcoming competition, and their morale is through the roof!
I’ve been tutoring my son, but he’s still as dumb as a brick! It’s infuriating!
170. Visualize
I can visualize my future in the company going forward.
Communication rules supreme, especially in the age of rapid digitalization. Use action verbs to demonstrate your skill! Let’s illustrate best practices.
171. Convince
I am sure I can convince her to share her thoughts.
172. Communicate
We need to communicate the news during the meeting.
173. Compose
It took me some time to compose myself after the incident.
174. Cooperate
My son refuses to cooperate and denies his involvement in the incident.
175. Correspond
He still corresponds with Jamaican friends he met in Germany five years ago.
176. Define
Will you be able to define what’s wrong with this initiative?
Yes, he is drafting the legislation, but he’s taking his time.
178. Illustrate
Let me give you an example to illustrate the point.
179. Outline
The professor outlined his methodology in his latest book.
180. Persuade
Can I persuade you to come with us to the meet-up after work?
181. Promote
Mark was promoted to the First Division after nailing down his previous mission.
182. Publicize
He never did publicize his book, but it was an instant success nevertheless.
We’ve managed to find a volunteer to write our manifest.
Finally, finance experts use action verbs galore and not without a good reason. This hectic industry is best described by dynamic words, but do note that these verbs can be equally impactful in other contexts as well.
Let’s take a look at some notable examples.
184. Appraise
The team is appraising the property , with estimates still being vague.
They audit all accounts annually to ensure they align with company policies.
186. Convert
He keeps converting all his cash from pounds into dollars. Is he planning to visit the States?
187. Decrease
I’m decreasing the revenue forecast due to last month’s unexpected losses.
188. Estimate
Analysts estimate the trend will be reversing any time now.
189. Forecast
Shareholders forecast the profit to grow by 2% in this quarter.
I’ve lowered the assessment to reflect recent data.
191. Measure
Measuring the impact of public involvement in research is never an easy task.
192. Qualify
They seem to think that reading a couple of books on AI qualifies them as experts.
193. Reduce
Team members worked hard to reduce the negative impact the latest marketing initiative had invoked.
194. Report
Reporting with the latest developments is our journalist Mark. Mark, tell us what’s going on!
195. Research
Researching her prior experiences, Viola discovered how to further her goals.
Financial aid is available to help those struggling with essential payments like rent or mortgage fees.
197. Advise
A great accountant will advise you on the best business practices as well as help with your taxes.
Looking for more? Check out our list of adjectives for strong men !
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Blog • Perfecting your Craft
Posted on Dec 03, 2018
265+ Forceful Verbs to Turn You Into a Literary Tyrannosaurus
About the author.
Reedsy's editorial team is a diverse group of industry experts devoted to helping authors write and publish beautiful books.
About Martin Cavannagh
Head of Content at Reedsy, Martin has spent over eight years helping writers turn their ambitions into reality. As a voice in the indie publishing space, he has written for a number of outlets and spoken at conferences, including the 2024 Writers Summit at the London Book Fair.
Writing is a storytelling medium. Every sentence is an opportunity to tell a part of that story, elaborating on the plot , characters, atmosphere — whatever. This also means that every time the author writes a sentence like, “Harry opened the door,” they are missing out on a key opportunity to tell us more . What if Harry “jimmied the door,” or “threw the door open”? By using forceful verbs, we get a better sense of what’s happening without many extra words.
Why should you use forceful verbs?
A lot of the time, it simply comes down to using evocative verbs: doing words that not only tell us what is happening but how it is being done as well. But wait! you say, isn’t that what adverbs are for?
Adverbs: who needs them?
Adverbs, by definition, are modifiers that writers can use to describe an action:
- He walked slowly
- She ate voraciously
- They sleep lightly
The thing is, more often than not, you can pick a forceful verb that makes the adverb redundant:
- He sauntered
- She gobbled
Apart from simply being economical with words and avoiding purple prose , however, there are plenty of sound reasons to choose stronger verbs.
Show, Don’t Tell
The granddaddy of writing aphorisms: show, don’t tell. The principle behind this is that it’s far more satisfying for readers to infer what’s happening than for every piece of information to be spoon-fed to them. But perhaps more importantly, “showing” keeps a reader under the spell of the story, while “telling” reminds them that there’s a narrator at work, spinning a tale.
By choosing a solid, evocative verb, you deliver so much more information to the reader while remaining under the radar.
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Maintain immediacy and build pace
Another reason for maintaining an arsenal of forceful verbs is to preserve and build momentum . By economizing on words and packing each action with more meaning, you can up the pace of a passage. Strip out ALL the adverbs and adjectives and deploy some well-chosen verbs, and watch how your writing hums along like a cigarette boat off the coast of Miami.
This is by no means an exhaustive list. But by browsing through these hand-picked verbs, you should start to get an idea of how many words are already in your vocabulary — and how you can employ them in your writing.
Moving verbs
The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog.
How can a phrase with so many letters of the alphabet also be so dull? It’s a surprise that the fox didn’t fall asleep half-way through that sentence and come crashing down on the lethargic mongrel. Instead of rolling out boring words like ‘walk’ and ‘run,’ give your characters an early birthday present and spice up their motions with these verbs.
Handling verbs
Don’t have your protagonist ‘hold’ something or ‘put’ it down — that tells us nothing about the character, object, or the action. Here are some sweet alternate verbs that will pull readers into your scene about a guy with a thing in his hand:
Speaking verbs
Buckle up: you’re about to get some advice that sounds contradictory, but really isn’t. The widely held rule about writing dialogue is that you shouldn’t use dialogue tags more exotic than “he said,” and “she said.” And that is true. If you tell your readers that Doctor Watson ejaculated in surprise, you’re more likely to distract your readers than if you wrote: “My word, Holmes. What a shock!” Watson said.
But, while keeping your dialogue tags unobtrusive, you don’t have to describe all acts of speech as “saying.” Here are some strong alternate verbs for characters who are flapping their lips:
However, if you are looking to beef up your arsenal of dialogue tags even more, why not download our free list of 150 other words for ‘said’?
How to Write Believable Dialogue
Master the art of dialogue in 10 five-minute lessons.
Attacking verbs
Verbs maketh the action, and nowhere is this truer than in action scenes. There’s no easier way to ruin a fight than by using the first, boring words that come to mind.
Arnold hit the other robot powerfully, who then used his .44 Magnum to shoot him back.
Boo. Hiss. Snooze. In action scenes, your job as a writer is to excite the reader — and for that, you need to quicken the pace of your writing. No time for adjectives or adverbs that lengthen sentences. Pick verbs that evoke the movements, speed, and emotions that you’re looking for. Start here:
Sensing verbs
In films, a lot of storytelling is done through the close up: a wide shot of a rotting corpse cutting to a close-up of a grizzled detective squinting his eyes tells us that he’s closely scrutinizing the body and wondering what happened. However, that’s Cinema — and books are not a visual medium. Luckily, a well-deployed verb in context can imply how a character is reacting to something they’re witnessing. So take a peek at these:
Standing verbs
Sure, someone might be standing on the street — but what else are they doing? You don’t have to tell us that they’re playing on the phone or thinking about their vacation, but you can give us a better picture of how they’re behaving with one of these actions:
Eating verbs
The Duchess of Devonshire doesn’t dine in the same way that a soldier in the trenches scoops from his mess tin. Pick the right verbs and you'll have your readers (and characters) eating out of your hand.
Transforming verbs
Describing what humans are doing is a lot easier than trying to communicate something that people have never seen before. How do you paint a word-picture of a cute alien who is transmogrifying into a deadly monster? And how can you explain to people what it’s like being on the deck of an aircraft carrier, with its various moving parts? If you’re not already shouting, “Verbs! Verbs!” then you haven’t been paying attention.
- Revolutionize
- Transfigure
Emoting verbs
“Show, don’t tell” was made for writing about emotion. If ever you feel the urge to write, “He was very sad,” then please power down your computer and take a nap. Nobody needs to read that. Instead of telling us how a character feels, show them doing something that reveals this emotion. Why not start by checking out these evocative verbs:
Shining verbs
“Don’t tell me the moon is shining,” Chekhov once wrote. “Show me the glint of the light on broken glass.” As a tip of the great Russian dramatist and short story maestro, we’ll finish up with some more alternatives for shining .
Well-chosen, powerful verbs are the secret weapons in a wordsmith’s holster. Always remember that using a bog-standard, overused verb is a missed opportunity. Make every word count, and give your readers something they can get lost in.
Have we missed out on your favorite forceful verb? Let us know in the comments below!
2 responses
Camilla Rose says:
19/09/2019 – 00:54
I think you should add like "Looking verbs" so to speak. Like watched, stared, glanced, etc.
↪️ Martin Cavannagh replied:
07/10/2019 – 15:53
Oh, great suggestion! We'll do just that with next update :)
Comments are currently closed.
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How To Know Which Verbs Need Replacing. Your first hint is your own discomfort with a sentence. Odds are it features a snooze-inducing verb. As you hone your ferocious self-editing skills, train yourself to exploit opportunities to replace a weak verb for a strong one.
We’ve made it easy for you to find more powerful verbs by putting all 400 dynamic verbs into categories. So, if you want to write more concise, direct, and dramatic sentences you need this list of action verbs.
Check out our guide with action verbs to add to your next piece of writing; create impactful storylines that keep your readers hooked with these powerful verbs.
Powerful action verbs create a more vivid picture in your readers’ minds, helping them visualize the precise action of the story. Picking strong verbs seems like it should be easy, but time after time, I see manuscripts or even published novels with boring, blink-and-you’ll-miss-them weak verbs.
A strong verb is a better and more descriptive version of a word that depicts the way the verb is performed, making it specific and sharper for the scene you’re writing. Thanks to every English class growing up, you know a verb is a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence.
Adverbs, by definition, are modifiers that writers can use to describe an action: He walked slowly. She ate voraciously. They sleep lightly. The thing is, more often than not, you can pick a forceful verb that makes the adverb redundant: He sauntered. She gobbled. They dozed.