No More Be Verbs!
This is the thirty-sixth installment of The Curious Creative, weekly 10-minute writing exercises for busy individuals interested in exploring their creativity. For the complete rationale, click here.
Writing teachers will often tell you to replace your be-verbs (is, am, are, was, were, have been, am being) with more interesting action verbs. The idea of be-verbs is very boring because something that ‘is’ is not doing anything. ‘Existing’ is very abstract. It is hard for the mind’s eye to imagine, but an action can be imagined. This week, we will play with a paragraph authored by someone else. This simple exercise will get you thinking about stronger verbs, so when you write your own material, you are conscious of making interesting verb choices.
1. Glean a paragraph from anywhere. Make sure it is littered with be-verbs. Highlight the be-verbs.
example: Have you ever wondered why most of the things in Nature are so visually pleasing? Why spirals, though imperfect, are so attractive? Why four petal flowers are so rare? The answers can be found in mathematical principles.
2. In this first round, replace the be-verbs with action verbs that don’t change the meaning of the paragraph too much.
example: Have you ever wondered why most of the things in Nature PIECE TOGETHER so visually pleasingly? Why spirals, though imperfect, CURVE so attractively? Why four petal flowers VISIT so rarely? The answers SCREAM in mathematical principles.
Note: You may have to make some small changes in the rest of the sentences. If the sentence is a passive sentence, you may have to switch the subject and object for the sentence to make sense with an action verb. For example, you would change “He was eaten by the crocodile” to “The crocodile devoured him.” If the sentence uses a be-verb to describe something, you may have to change the part of speech of the adjective in the sentence. For example, you would change “She is beautiful” to “She hovers beautifully.”
3. In the second round, be more creative. Have fun! Wax poetic! Don’t be afraid to change the meaning of the paragraph.
example: Have you ever wondered why most of the things in Nature BLEED so visually pleasingly? Why spirals, though imperfect, WINCE so attractively? Why four petal flowers GIVE BIRTH so rarely? The answers DRESS in mathematical principles.
How did you do? Do your verbs give visuals? Does your last paragraph lean towards poetry? Are you more aware of how interesting action verbs can enhance writing?
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Source: “Why Seashells are so Alluring?” Inspiration Bit. http://www.inspirationbit.com