WRITING TECHNIQUES
Buried Verbs and "Zombie" Nouns
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Concise writing avoids buried verbs and "zombie" nouns. Buried verbs are those that are
needlessly converted to wordy noun expressions. This happens when verbs such as acquire,
establish, and develop are made into nouns such as acquisition, establishment, and
development. Such nouns often end in -tion, -ment, and -ance. Sometimes called zombie
nouns because they cannibalize and suck the life out of active verbs, these nouns increase
sentence length, slow the reader, and muddy the thought.*
Notice how you can make your writing cleaner and more forceful by avoiding buried verbs
and zombie nouns:
Buried Verbs Creating Zombie Nouns
conduct a discussion of
create a reduction in
engage in the preparation of
give consideration to
make an assumption of
perform an analysis of
reach a conclusion that
take action on
Unburied Verbs
discuss
reduce
prepare
consider
assume
analyze
conclude
act
Revise the following sentences to unbury the verbs and convert the zombie nouns.
1. Our business cannot succeed unless we immediately effect a reduction in overhead
expenses.
2. Did anyone actually conduct an analysis of every department's expense items?
3. After analyzing current expenses, management has reached the conclusion that our
budget is already trim.
4. Nevertheless, our directors insist that we take action immediately to slash the budget.
5. One director made the assumption that our Internet usage was excessive.
6. As a result, the CEO is giving consideration to an extensive Internet survey of all
employee usage.
7. It may be necessary for some departments to make application for budget exemptions.
8. Department heads must make a determination of what costs are essential and what can
be trimmed.
*Zombie nouns, coined by Dr. Helen Sword, appears in her Stylish Academic Writing (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2012).
© Dr. Mary Ellen Guffey – May be duplicated for educational purposes only.
ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
BUSINESS COMMUNICATION: PROCESS AND PRODUCT
9. It may be unnecessary for departments to undergo the cancellation of needed programs.
10. We hope that departments will take part in collaboration with other departments to see
about the combination of selected services.
11. Department heads are encouraged to make an examination of what services might be
combined.
12. We have made an estimation of possible savings of several hundreds of thousands of
dollars.
13. Through the generation of cost-saving programs, the company should see a significant
decline in expenses.
14. Once our departments are in agreement with regard to the combination of selected
services, we can move forward with a trimmer budget.
15. Although we have experienced frustration with previous budget cutting, we have high
hopes for success when departments undergo collaboration.
Suggested Revisions
1. Our business cannot succeed unless we immediately reduce overhead expenses.
2. Did anyone actually analyze every department's expense items?
3. After analyzing current expenses, management has concluded that our budget is
already trim.
4. Nevertheless, our directors insist that we act immediately to slash the budget.
5. One director assumed that our Internet use was excessive.
6. As a result, the CEO is considering an extensive Internet survey of all employee use.
7. It may be necessary for some departments to apply for budget exemptions.
8. Department heads must determine what costs are essential and what can be trimmed.
9. It may be unnecessary for departments to cancel needed programs.
10. We hope that departments will collaborate with other departments to combine
selected services.
11. Department heads are encouraged to examine what services might be combined.
12. We have estimated possible savings of several hundreds of thousands of dollars.
13. By generating cost-saving programs, the company should see a significant decline in
expenses.
© Dr. Mary Ellen Guffey – May be duplicated for educational purposes only.
ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
BUSINESS COMMUNICATION: PROCESS AND PRODUCT
14. Once our departments agree to combine selected services, we can move forward with
a trimmer budget.
15. Although we have been frustrated with previous budget cutting, we have high hopes
for success when departments collaborate.
© Dr. Mary Ellen Guffey – May be duplicated for educational purposes only.
ESSENTIALS OF BUSINESS COMMUNICATION
BUSINESS COMMUNICATION: PROCESS AND PRODUCT