Mass Communications 210
Media Writing

Verbs Are Golden

Verbs put the muscle in strong writing. While adjectives and adverbs rapidly become cloying – and are often a hallmark of florid, overwritten prose – verbs add vigor, precision and life.

And there’s a bonus: Verbs may cover the "when" that’s essential in media writing, making your writing tighter. They can even sometimes stand alone as a complete sentence:
     Run!

Verbs tell what a noun or its pronoun substitute is doing or being. They describe action or state of being.

To Be ... No, Not "To Be"

"To be," used on its own, is the wimpiest of verbs. It’s often the glue that connects wimpy nouns to weak adverbs and adjectives.
    She was sad. [She mourned.]

Variations of "to be" drain the vitality from sentences.

Tip: When strengthening sentences that use "to be," turn descriptive nouns or adjectives into vigorous verbs.
    She is a preacher. [She preaches.]
    He was the winner. [He won.]
    They had a drink. [They drank.]

Expletives

No, not the kind that media censors bleep out! These expletives describe the grammatical but deadly constructions "there is" and "there are."

Avoid starting sentences with "there is" and its variations. They delay getting to the meat of the sentence. Instead, locate the subject and put it in its rightful place at the head of the line.

         There are clouds of gnats near the dock. 
         [Clouds of gnats hover over the dock.]

Active Voice

Active verbs ... good. Passive verbs ... bad (usually).

Media writers have developed a strong preference for active voice. These statements are easier for readers and listeners to comprehend. They follow the classic sentence structure that’s always clearest:          
       Subject – verb – object.

Active voice stresses the doer of an action. The doer of the deed comes before the verb.
    Roger Maris struck the ball.

Passive voice, on the other hand, stresses the receiver of the action, since the receiver becomes the subject. It uses some form of the verb "to be" (a clue!) and usually includes the words "by" or "for."
    The ball was struck by Roger Maris.

Solution: Your writing is stronger when your subjects are active. Avoid passive voice in most instances. It uses superfluous words and sounds weak – as though the buck is being passed or someone is ducking responsibility.

But passive voice is acceptable, even preferable, in situations in which the recipient of the action is more important than the doer.
    The student body president was struck by a chocolate cream pie.

Passive also is necessary when the doer of the deed is unknown.
    Five break-ins were reported to police.

More Tips for Word Misers

Progressive forms of verbs – the [-ing] form — establish that something begun in the past is still going on. Like passive voice, these verb forms tend to be wordy and weak. Try replacing present progressive with present tense, and past progressive with past tense.
    She is attending class. [She attends class.]
    He was driving a 1956 Chevy. [He drove a 1956 Chevy.]

The progressive form can’t always be eliminated, since it sometimes is the most precise choice. But when it’s taking place in the present, other time-keeping words – currently, presently, now – are unnecessary and repetitive.

To verb exercises

Last updated on 10/24/02 by Nancy E. Hanson