Writing - Using Precise Verbs

As a writer, you can use fewer words to greater effect when you replace long strings of words containing vague verbs with more precise verbs.

hoosing precise verbs is another way to make your writing more concise. A verb is a word or group of words indicating the action or state of being of the subject in a sentence.

The verbs "reviewed" and "are" are highlighted in the sentence, "We reviewed the report and are happy with the results."

Verbs tell the reader that something exists, acts in a certain way, or has certain features.

The verb "is" is used in the sentence, "The box is square and blue."

As a writer, you can use fewer words to greater effect when you replace long strings of words containing vague verbs with more precise verbs. This adds force and impact to your writing. Consider the sentence, "The team made slow progress through the testing stage, and resource costs were beginning to rise." The string "made slow progress" can be replaced by "progressed slowly" and the string "were beginning to rise" can be replaced by one word – "rose."

The vague verbs and unnecessary words in the text "The team made slow progress through the testing stage, and resource costs were beginning to rise" are "made slow progress" and "were beginning to rise." The vague verbs and unnecessary words are removed to make the text read "The team progressed slowly through the testing stage, and resource costs rose."

Forms of the verb "to be" – such as am, are, is, was, were, being, and been – are the most commonly used vague verbs.

The word "are," is the form of the verb to be in the sentence:

"Lois's duties are to log purchases and to verify account numbers."

Often you can replace them with more precise action verbs to create more concise sentences.

The original sentence is rewritten using the precise action verbs logs and verifies, and reads:

"Lois logs purchases and verifies account number."

Other verbs, especially those that don't indicate action – such as "do," "exist," and "perform" – are often used vaguely. If you add more words to clarify the meaning of these vague verbs, the combination may make your document long and lifeless.

The vague verb "does" is used in the sentence:

"Our department does investigations of billing complaints."

The vague verb "exist" is used in the sentence:

"Guidelines exist to ensure consistency in our publications."

The vague verb "perform" is used in the sentence:

"With our outdated software, we could barely perform calculations of discounts for our large customers."

Again, it's better to substitute precise verbs for vague ones and their additional terms. In this way, you can be more concise without having to sacrifice the clarity of your message. So "our department does investigations" becomes "our department investigates."

The wordy sentence:

"Our department does investigations of billing complaints"

Can be written more concisely as:

"Our department investigates billing complaints."

How would you revise the verbs in the following sentences?

"Guidelines exist to ensure consistency in our publications."

"With our outdated software, we could barely perform calculations of discounts for our large customers."

How to revise the sentences using precise verbs?

You can rewrite the first sentence as:

"Guidelines ensure consistency in our publications."

And the second one can be more concise by changing it to

"With our outdated software, we could barely calculate discounts for our large customers."

It's also possible for verbs that signify an action to be far from precise. For instance, the verb "look" is an action verb, but it's still vague. You may need to add other words to clarify the particular meaning of "look" when used in a sentence. Alternatively, to be more concise, you can replace "look" with a more precise verb, such as "glance," "observe," or "peer."

The vague phrase "look quickly" is replaced with the precise verb "glance."

The vague phrase "look with attention to details" is replaced with the precise verb "observe."

The vague phrase "look searchingly" is replaced with the precise verb "peer."

Precise verbs should also be used to replace vague verbs linked with nouns. Nouns are words that designate a person, place, thing, state, or quality.

Examples of nouns are Alice (which is a person), Boston (place), computer (thing), peace (state), and generosity (which is a quality).

In most sentences, you can replace verb-noun combinations with one precise verb without losing any vital information. For example, "send a response" is the verb-noun combination in the sentence

"She'll send a response by the end of the day."

In this sentence, the verb-noun combination is replaced by a precise verb that relates to the noun "response." So the revised sentence is:

"She'll respond by the end of the day."

Consider how the three sample sentences presented might be revised.

1. The executive board wants to bring a resolution to this problem.
2. The executive board wants to resolve this problem.
3. The chairperson has submitted a request to the committee to do a study of the results.
4. The chairperson has asked the committee to study the results.
5. She'll probably give the promotion to Betty.
6. She'll probably promote Betty.

QUESTION

Consider this text:

"There is a belief among team members that the figures are incorrect. I will have to look at them, make sure I do an investigation of any irregularities, and consult the relevant guidelines. This will eliminate any doubts."

Which parts of the sample sentence could be replaced by more precise verbs?

The precise verb "believe" should be used to replace the vague verb "is" in the phrase "is a belief." So the revised snippet is, "team members believe."

The word "consult" is already a precise verb denoting a specific action.

Although "look" is an action verb, it's still vague. Here, it will require another word to make its meaning more clear – for example, look carefully. A more direct and concise approach would be to replace "look carefully" with the word "monitor."

The verb "do" is vague and requires the addition of extra words to clarify its meaning. A more concise approach would be to use the precise verb "investigate."

The word "eliminate" is already a direct, precise verb denoting a specific action and does not need to be replaced. It is here combined with the helping verb "will" to indicate intention.

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