USING STRONG VERBS
In any kind of writing, showing rather than telling is better! Avoid using the following
"dead" verbs whenever possible because they weaken your sentences.
DEAD VERBS: is, am, are, was, were, be, being, been
feels, sounds, smells, becomes, looks, acts (and any form of these verbs)
STRONG VERB SENTENCES
Look at the following sentences. In each sentence, one of the "dead" verbs is used.
Replace the "dead" verb with a strong action word to improve the sentence.
Example: The boy is helpful.
Better: The helpful boy demonstrated the proper use of the remote control.
Example: My mom was mad at me.
Better: My mom yelled at me when she saw my room.
Example: The woman became hysterical.
Better: The woman screamed for her husband and began crying hysterically.
I. Now-Rewrite the following sentences, replacing the "dead" verbs with better action
words.
1. My friend is mean to me.
2. The teacher is totally crazy.
3. There are always lots of students in the hallways.
4. She seemed angry.
5. The boy is a very disrespectful.
II. Select one of the following sentences. Replace the "dead" verb with a better action
word. Then write at least eight more sentences in a paragraph with the new sentence as
your topic sentence. Write your strong-verb paragraph on the back of this paper. Do not
use any "dead" verbs in your paragraph. Remember, you need a total of nine sentences
in your paragraph.
a. The party was awesome
b. My room is a mess.
c. The students were impossible for the substitute.