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What Are Dead Verbs?

A dead verb lets us know an action has taken place, but it doesn't provide a detailed picture of the action. A list of common dead verbs include: is, are, am, have, had, has, be, been, was, look, were, take, took, went, go, ran, run, make, do, did, gone, came and come. This list also includes the 'ing' forms and contractions of dead verbs. Using dead verbs saps the life out of writing. Once you understand what dead verbs are, you can change your sentences haunted by dead verbs into lively and descriptive writing.
  1. Find a Spicier Verb

    • 'The dog is running through the park.' Change 'is running' to 'dashes' or 'bounds.' This not only livens up the sentence but it provides detail for the noun. 'The dog dashes through the park,' shows us a smaller creature traveling at a great speed. 'The dog bounds through the park,' conjures up the image of a larger animal moving at a steadier speed. Once we replaced the dead verbs 'is' and 'running,' the sentence shines with new detail and life.

    Form an Appositive

    • 'There is a dog at the park. He is a Great Dane.' Combine these two sentences to include an appositive, then throw in spicier verb. 'The dog, a Great Dane, ambles around the park.' This sentence still contains all the information in the original sentences, but provides a clearer picture than the original without the dead verbs.

    Move the Adjective and Add Action

    • 'The dog is friendly.' This sentence states the dog exists in a friendly state.

      Move the adjective before the noun and add action to complement the adjective and noun. 'The friendly dog wags his tail.' This sentence shows the dog's friendliness instead of stating it.

    Reconstruct the Entire Sentence

    • 'Here are the names of the dogs at the park: Bonnie, Buddy and Honey.' If we apply the techniques we know, we can change this drab list into a livelier scene.

      'Bonnie, Buddy and Honey, playful puppies, chase each others' tails as they scamper around the park.' We still have all the information of the original sentence but instead of a drab list with a dead verb, we see a playful scene, and without losing the intended information.

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