Why strengthen verbs? |
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As a writer, any sort of writer, you will want to be believed. To be believed, probably most important is a written tone that makes you sound as if you believe in yourself, in what you are saying. This confidence arises not from any breast-beating, but instead from the simplicity with which you make your statements and the apparent naturalness of your expression. One way for you to promote a natural tone in writing is to use powerful verbs; they lend to writing a forcefulness achievable in no other way. We tend to speak with strong verbs, but for some reason, when writing, we almost automatically select the weaker forms. Strengthening verbs is a useful technical revision for two reasons:
Newspaper reporters, who are paid to hold their readers' attention,
are instructed to use eight out of ten concrete, active-voice
verbs. On the other hand, business writers, who too often fail
to consider the reader's time or interest, use sometimes as many
as eight out of ten weak verbs. |
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