195 Powerful 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.
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 195 powerful 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:
Is
Am
Are
Was
Were
Be
Being
Been
Have
Has
Had
Do
Does
Did
Shall
Will
Should
Would
May
Might
Must
Can
Could
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 exhausted 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?]
Examples
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.
Examples
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
Examples
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 List of 195 Powerful Verbs
Advance
Advise
Alter
Amend
Amplify
Attack
Balloon
Bash
Batter
Beam
Beef
Blab
Blast
Bolt
Boost
Brief
Burst
Bus
Bust
Capture
Catch
Charge
Chap
Chip
Clasp
Climb
Clutch
Collide
Command
Crackle
Crash
Crush
Dash
Demolish
Depart
Deposit
Detect
Deviate
Devour
Direct
Discern
Discover
Drain
Drip
Drop
Eavesdrop
Engulf
Enlarge
Ensnare
Erase
Escort
Expand
Explode
Explore
Expose
Extend
Extract
Eyeball
Fish
Frown
Gaze
Glare
Glisten
Glitter
Gobble
Govern
Grasp
Grip
Groan
Growl
Guide
Hail
Heighten
Hurry
Ignite
Illuminate
Inspect
Instruct
Intensify
Intertwine
Impart
Journey
Lash
Lead
Leap
Locate
Magnify
Moan
Modify
Multiply
Mushroom
Mystify
Notice
Notfiy
Obtain
Oppress
Order
Paint
Park
Peck
Peek
Peer
Perceive
Picture
Pilot
Pinpoint
Place
Plant
Plop
Poison
Pop
Position
Power
Prickle
Probe
Prune
Realize
Recite
Recoil
Refashion
Refine
Remove
Report
Retreat
Reveal
Revolutionize
Revolve
Rip
Rise
Ruin
Rush
Rust
Scan
Scrape
Scratch
Scrawl
Seize
Serve
Shatter
Shepherd
Shimmer
Shine
Shock
Shrivel
Sizzle
Skip
Slash
Slide
Slip
Slurp
Smash
Snag
Snarl
Snowball
Soar
Sparkle
Sport
Stare
Steal
Steer
Storm
Strain
Stretch
Strip
Stroll
Struggle
Stumble
Supercharge
Supersize
Surge
Survey
Swell
Swipe
Swoon
Tail
Tattle
Transfigure
Transform
Travel
Treat
Trim
Uncover
Unearth
Untangle
Unveil
Usher
Veil
Weave
Wind
Withdraw
Wreck
Wrench
Wrest
Wrestle
Wring
Click here or below to download a PDF version of the list, along with the three types of verbs to beware of in your writing:
Suggest in the comments three (only) powerful verbs that should be added to my list.
The post 195 Powerful Verbs That’ll Spice Up Your Writing appeared first on Jerry Jenkins | Write Your Book.
