1. How To Fix a Wordy, Boring Verb
To Be or Not To Be or
How To Fix a Wordy, Boring Verb

2. Watch overusing these words in revised drafts.
To Be Verbs
Am Is Are Was Were Be Been Being
Watch overusing these words in revised drafts.

3. To Be or Not To Be How To Fix Wordy, Boring Verbs
Look for a better verb in the sentence and use it.
Use a different, better verb
Change a verb-like structure to a verb
Combine two sentences.
Make the end of the sentence the beginning
Delete the “to be” verb (and other unnecessary fillers).

4. Use a Better Verb. ordered
“Those are not the tapes
that I ordered (Adkins, 22).
I never those tapes (Adkins, 22).
ordered
Find a stronger verb and make it the main one.

5. Use a Better Verb Find a stronger verb and make it the main one.
“This is about all I can take” (Adkins, 22).
I not this (Adkins, 22).
can take
Find a stronger verb and make it the main one.

6. Use a Better Verb Find a stronger verb and make it the main one.
“Those are the people who
live next door” (Adkins, 22).
Those people next door (Adkins, 22).
live
Find a stronger verb and make it the main one.

7. Watch connotative meaning
Watch connotative meaning. The phrase “those people” could offend a reader; therefore, “they” might be a better choice.

8. Find a stronger verb and make it the main one.
Use a Better Verb
This is the thermostat on which they changed the temperature (Adkins, 22).
They the temperature on that thermostat (Adkins, 22).
changed
Find a stronger verb and make it the main one.

9. Mini quiz In your notebook, improve the following sentence.
There are three girls who gossip at school.
Three girls gossip at school.

10. Delete the “to be” verb and other unnecessary fillers.
There are
three girls
who
gossip at school.

11. Use a Different, Stronger Verb
“These are my snowshoes in the garage” Adkins, 22).
This sentence states the snowshoes are kept in the garage.
I my snowshoes in the garage (Adkins, 22).
store
keep
To find a better verb, right click with your mouse.

12. Use a Different, Better Verb
This is the thermostat on which they changed the temperature (Adkins, 22).
They that thermostat (Adkins, 22).
used

13. Use a Different, Better Verb
Mini-quiz
Use a Different, Better Verb
These are made from quality material.
They quality material (Adkins, 22).
used

14. Change a Verb-like Structure to a Verb
This is a broken computer.
“Broken” is currently an adjective, a word that describes a noun or pronoun.

15. Change a Verb-like Structure to a Verb
“This is a broken computer” (Adkins, 22).
This computer
broke (Adkins, 22).

16. Mini-quiz Change a Verb-like Structure to a Verb
“That was a terrifying movie for a
child to view” (Adkins, 22).
That movie would terrify children
(Adkins, 2)..

17. Add It to Another Sentence
Too many short sentences makes
a paper choppy.
Use an appositive, a word or phrase immediately following
and renaming a noun, to negate a
“to be” verb.

18. Use an appositive
Abraham Lincoln was our sixteenth president. He was famous for leading the Northern Civil War troupes. Abraham Lincoln, our sixteenth president, famously led the Northern Civil War troupes.

19. Turn a verb-like structure into a verb
Abraham Lincoln was our sixteenth president. He was famous for leading the Northern Civil War troupes. Abraham Lincoln, our sixteenth president, famously led the Northern Civil War troupes.

20. Turn a subject complement into an adverb.
Abraham Lincoln was our sixteenth president. He was famous for leading the Northern Civil War troupes. Abraham Lincoln, our sixteenth president, famously led the Northern Civil War troupes.

21. Add It to Another Sentence
Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, in Kentucky. He lived most of his life in Illinois.
Abraham Lincoln, born February 12, 1809, in Kentucky, spent most of his life in Illinois.
Notice, combining the sentences also fixes the redundant sentence openers since Abraham Lincoln and He are the same.

22. Add It to Another Sentence
If you feel too many commas muddle the sentence, the following could also work. Abraham Lincoln, born February 1809 in Kentucky, spent most of his life in Illinois.

23. Mini-quiz Add It to Another Sentence or Expand
“This is a precarious situation” (Adkins, 22).
This precarious situation needs solving.

24. Make the End of the Sentence the Beginning
A mistake was made by Bill. Bill … Bill made a mistake.

25. Improve your writing by
“being”
your own editor
before you peer edit

26. Work Cited The Prentice Hall Grammar Workbook, Second Addition
Jeanette Adkins
Pearson Education, Inc.
2006
New Jersey

27. Work Cited Adkins, Jeanette. The Prentice Hall
Grammar Workbook, Second Edition.
New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.
2006.