The Ultimate Strong Verbs List That'll Supercharge Your Writing | strong verb
Doyoueverwonderwhyagrammaticallycorrectsentenceyou’vewrittenjustliestherelikeadeadfish?Isurehave.Yoursentencemightevenbefullofthoseadjectivesandadverbsyourteachersandlovedonessoadmiredinyourwritingwhenyouwereakid.Butstillthesentencedoesn’twork.SomethingsimpleIlearnedfromTheElementsofStyle[1]yearsagochangedthewayIwriteandaddedvervetomyprose.Theauthorsofthatlittlebibleofstylesaid:“Writewithnounsandverbs,notwithadjectivesandadverbs.”EvenMarkTwain[2]wasquoted,regardingadjectives:“Whenindoubt,str...
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 [1]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[2] 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 strong 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 m...