To be verbs LG’s 4: Use strong, active verbs in your writing 3: Change to-be verbs to strong, active verbs

To-be verbs Is Are Am Was Were Be Being Been

Strong, active verbs They don’t need to be fancy, 10 syllable verbs to be effective. See how I fixed the sentence above: Effective sentences don’t need fancy, 10 syllable verbs.

Get rid of passive voice. Kids are run by social media  Social media runs kids. The doer of the action must be the subject. The ball was thrown by Nick.  Nick threw the ball. The song was sung by Neil.  Neil sang the song. When Huck was posed with the question “is your man white or black” (95)…

Change nouns or adjectives to verbs This is the inauguration of Huck realizing how much a black person can actually mean to him. This inaugurates Huck into realizing… Huck is worried because he “helped a n----- to get his freedom”(214) Huck worries because…

You may use to-be verbs for tense. People always talk about changing and their goals but they never stick to it because new ideas are always popping up on social media or in society clouding their judgement. This is present progressive tense. This is not passive voice. But consider: Would a simple past or present verb suffice just as well? “…new ideas always pop up…”

Sometimes, you just need them. In spite of knowing his real feelings, Huck still questions his own morals about Jim just because he is a slave. Helping Jim is morally correct in Huck’s mind Miss Watson is a slave owner. In the sentences above, though there are ways to rearrange the words, the best form of writing needs the to-be verb.

To recap When you come across a to-be verb in your writing, 1st step: determine if it’s passive voice. A to-be verb attached to an action verb: Was asked Was thrown Were eaten by Am pursued by Fix by making the doer of the action the subject of the sentence. 2nd step: determine if this is an auxiliary verb used for the tense of the verb. “He is walking.” This is the present progressive tense, so it’s OK. “Homework is a necessary to practice concepts learned in class.” The “is” doesn’t change the tense. Consider fixing. 3rd step: Replace the to-be verb with an action verb. 4th: Change other surrounding nouns or adjectives into verbs.

Task Part I: Fix these two sentences. This is Tom’s way of an adventure since the sawing off the leg of the bed was too easy. Huck recounts Jim as being uneducated and doesn't understand much just because Jim’s black.

Task Part II: Use vocab words: base words synonyms, antonyms, enriching words and write 7 sentences. No to-be verbs. Unless you think it is absolutely necessary, in which case, add a sentence that explains why that to-be verb is necessary.