273 Strong Verbs That’ll Spice Up Your Writing
Do you ever wonder why a grammatically correct sentence you’ve written just lies there like a dead fish?
I sure have.
Your sentence might even be full of those adjectives and adverbs your teachers and loved ones so admired in your writing when you were a kid.
But still the sentence doesn’t work.
Something simple I learned from The Elements of Style years ago changed the way I write and added verve to my prose. The authors of that little bible of style said: “Write with nouns and verbs, not with adjectives and adverbs.”
Even Mark Twain was quoted , regarding adjectives: “When in doubt, strike it out.”
That’s not to say there’s no place for adjectives. I used three in the title and first paragraph of this post alone.
The point is that good writing is more about well-chosen nouns and powerful verbs than it is about adjectives and adverbs, regardless what you were told as a kid.
There’s no quicker win for you and your manuscript than ferreting out and eliminating flabby verbs and replacing them with vibrant ones.
- How To Know Which Verbs Need Replacing
Your first hint is your own discomfort with a sentence. Odds are it features a snooze-inducing verb.
As you hone your ferocious self-editing skills, train yourself to exploit opportunities to replace a weak verb for a strong one .
At the end of this post I suggest a list of 273 vivid verbs you can experiment with to replace tired ones.
Want to download a copy of this strong verbs list to reference whenever you write? Click here. What constitutes a tired verb? Here’s what to look for:
- 3 Types of Verbs to Beware of in Your Prose
1. State-of-being verbs
These are passive as opposed to powerful:
Am I saying these should never appear in your writing? Of course not. You’ll find them in this piece. But when a sentence lies limp, you can bet it contains at least one of these. Determining when a state-of-being verb is the culprit creates a problem—and finding a better, more powerful verb to replace it— is what makes us writers. [Note how I replaced the state-of-being verbs in this paragraph.]
Resist the urge to consult a thesaurus for the most exotic verb you can find. I consult such references only for the normal word that carries power but refuses to come to mind.
I would suggest even that you consult my list of powerful verbs only after you have exhaust ed all efforts to come up with one on your own. You want Make your prose to be your own creation, not yours plus Roget or Webster or Jenkins. [See how easy they are to spot and fix?]
Impotent: The man was walking on the platform.
Powerful: The man strode along the platform.
Impotent: Jim is a lover of country living.
Powerful: Jim treasures country living.
Impotent: There are three things that make me feel the way I do…
Powerful: Three things convince me…
2. Verbs that rely on adverbs
Powerful verbs are strong enough to stand alone.
The fox ran quickly dashed through the forest.
She menacingly looked glared at her rival.
He secretly listened eavesdropped while they discussed their plans.
3. Verbs with -ing suffixes
Before: He was walking…
After: He walked…
Before: She was loving the idea of…
After: She loved the idea of…
Before: The family was starting to gather…
After: The family started to gather…
- The Strong Verbs List
- Disillusion
- Reverberate
- Revolutionize
- Supercharge
- Transfigure
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Power Verbs for Essays (With Examples)
By The ProWritingAid Team
Adding power verbs to your academic paper will improve your reader’s experience and bring more impact to the arguments you make.
While the arguments themselves are the most important elements of any successful academic paper, the structure of those arguments and the language that is used influence how the paper is received.
Academic papers have strict formal rules, but as long as these are followed, there is still plenty of scope to make the key points of the paper stand out through effective use of language and more specifically, the effective use of power verbs.
Power verbs are verbs that indicate action and have a more positive and confident tone. Using them brings strength and confidence to the arguments you are making, while also bringing variation to your sentences and making your writing more interesting to the reader.
The best academic papers will use such verbs to support their arguments or concepts, so it is important that your paper contains at least three power verbs.
ProWritingAid will check your writing for power verbs and will notify you if you have less than three throughout your whole academic paper.
Power Verbs Boost Ideas
Examples of power verbs.
Academic papers of all disciplines are often filled with overlong and complicated sentences that are attempting to convey specific ideas and concepts. Active and powerful verbs are useful both to the reader and the author of the paper.
For the reader who is trying to tackle these ideas and concepts, the power verbs provide clarity and purpose. Compare the following sentences:
- This paper will say that there were two reasons for the start of the civil war.
- This paper asserts that there were two reasons for the start of the civil war.
Clearly the second sentence is more confident, direct, and authoritative because it has replaced the dull ‘says’ with ‘asserts.’ For the writer, the power verb expresses confidence in the idea being presented.
The following are examples of power verbs that are useful in academic writing, both for supporting an argument and for allowing you to vary the language you use.
Power Verbs for Analysis: appraise, define, diagnose, examine, explore, identify, interpret, investigate, observe.
Power Verbs to Introduce a Topic: investigate, outline, survey, question, feature.
Power Verbs to Agree with Existing Studies: indicate, suggest, confirm, corroborate, underline, identify, impart, maintain, substantiate, support, validate, acknowledge, affirm, assert.
Power Verbs to Disagree with Existing Studies: reject, disprove, debunk, question, challenge, invalidate, refute, deny, dismiss, disregard, object to, oppose.
Power Verbs to Infer: extract, approximate, surmise, deduce.
Power Verbs for Cause and Effect : impacts, compels, generates, incites, influences, initiates, prompts, stimulates, provokes, launches, introduces, advances.
Legal Power Verbs: sanctions, consents, endorses, disallows, outlaws, prohibits, precludes, protects, bans, licenses, authorizes.
Power Verbs that Say: convey, comment, state, establish, elaborate, identify, propose.
Power Verbs that Show: reveal, display, highlight, depict, portray, illustrate.
Be confident about grammar
Check every email, essay, or story for grammar mistakes. Fix them before you press send.
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280+ Strong Verbs: 3 Tips to Strengthen Your Verbs in Writing
by Joe Bunting | 0 comments
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Strong verbs transform your writing from drab, monotonous, unclear, and amateurish to engaging, professional, and emotionally powerful.
Which is all to say, if you're not using strong verbs in your writing, you're missing one of the most important stylistic techniques.
Why listen to Joe? I've been a professional writer for more than a decade, writing in various different formats and styles. I've written formal nonfiction books, descriptive novels, humorous memoir chapters, and conversational but informative online articles (like this one!).
In short, I earn a living in part by writing (and revising) using strong verbs selected for each type of writing I work on. I hope you find the tips on verbs below useful! And if you want to skip straight to the verb list below, click here to see over 200 strong verbs.
Hemingway clung to a writing rule that said, “Use vigorous English.” In fact, Hemingway was more likely to use verbs than any other part of speech, far more than typical writing, according to LitCharts :
But what are strong verbs? And how do you avoid weak ones?
In this post, you'll learn the three best techniques to find weak verbs in your writing and replace them with strong ones. We'll also look at a list of the strongest verbs for each type of writing, including the strongest verbs to use.
What are Strong Verbs?
Strong verbs, in a stylistic sense, are powerful verbs that are specific and vivid verbs. They are most often in active voice and communicate action precisely.
The Top 7 Strong Verbs
Here are the top 7 I found when I reviewed a couple of my favorite books. See if you agree and tell me in the comments.
Think about the vivid and specific image each of these strong verbs conjures. Each one asserts precision.
It's true that writers will use descriptive verbs that best fit their character, story, and style, but it's interesting to note trends.
For example, Hemingway most often used verbs like: galloped, punched, lashed, and baited. Each of these verbs evokes a specific motion, as well as a tone. Consider how Hemingway's verbs stack up against weaker counterparts:
None of the weaker verbs are incorrect, but they don't pack the power of Hemingway's strong action verbs, especially for his story lines, characters, and style. These are verbs that are forward-moving and aggressive in tone. (Like his characters!)
Consider how those choices differ significantly than a few from Virginia Woolf's opening page of Mrs. Dalloway :
Notice how Woolf's choices create the vibrant, descriptive style that marks her experimental novel and its main character. Consider the difference between “perched” and “sat.” “Perched” suggests an image of a bird, balancing on a wire. Applied to people, it connotes an anxiousness or readiness to stand again. “Sat” is much less specific.
The strongest verbs for your own writing will depend on a few things: your story, the main character, the genre, and the style that is uniquely yours. How do you choose then? Let's look at three tips to edit out weak, boring verbs.
How to Edit for Strong Verbs FAST
So how do you root out those weak verbs and revise them quickly? Here are a few tips.
1. Search for Weak Verbs
All verbs can be strong if they're used in specific, detailed, and descriptive sentences.
The issue comes when verbs are overused, doing more work than they're intended for, watering down the writing.
Here are some verbs that tend to weaken your writing:
Did you notice that most of these are “to be” verbs? That's because “to be” verbs are linking verbs or state of being verbs. Their purpose is to describe conditions.
For example, in the sentence “They are happy,” the verb “are” is used to describe the state of the subject.
There's nothing particularly wrong with linking verbs. Writers who have a reputation for strong writing, like Ernest Hemingway or Cormac McCarthy, use linking verbs constantly.
The problem comes when you overuse them. Linking verbs tend to involve more telling vs. showing .
Strong verbs, on the other hand, are usually action verbs, like whack, said, ran, lassoed, and spit (see more in the list below).
The most important thing is to use the best verb for the context, while emphasizing specific, important details.
Take a look at the following example early into Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls :
The young man, who was studying the country, took his glasses from the pocket of his faded, khaki flannel shirt, wiped the lenses with a handkerchief, screwed the eyepieces around until the boards of the mill showed suddenly clearly and he saw the wooden bench beside the door; the huge pile of sawdust that rose behind the open shed where the circular saw was , and a stretch of the flume that brought the logs down from the mountainside on the other bank of the stream.
I've highlighted all the verbs. You can see here that Hemingway does use the word “was,” but most of the verbs are action verbs, wiped, took, screwed, saw, etc. The result of this single sentence is that the audience pictures the scene with perfect clarity.
Here's another example from Naomi Novick's Deadly Education:
He was only a few steps from my desk chair, still hunched panting over the bubbling purplish smear of the soul-eater that was now steadily oozing into the narrow cracks between the floor tiles, the better to spread all over my room. The fading incandescence on his hands was illuminating his face, not an extraordinary face or anything: he had a big beaky nose that would maybe be dramatic one day when the rest of his face caught up, but for now was just too large, and his forehead was dripping sweat and plastered with his silver-grey hair that he hadn’t cut for three weeks too long.
Vivid right? You can see that again, she incorporates weaker verbs (was, had) into her writing, but the majority are highly descriptive action verbs like hunched, illuminating, spread, plastered, and dripping.
Don't be afraid of linking verbs, state verbs, or helping verbs, but emphasize action words to make your writing more powerful.
2. Remove Adverbs and Replace the Verbs to Make Them Stronger
Adverbs add more detail and qualifications to verbs or adjectives. You can spot them because they usually end in “-ly,” like the word “usually” in this sentence, or frequently, readily, happily, etc.
Adverbs get a bad rap from writers.
“I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs,” Stephen King said.
“Adverbs are dead to me. They cannot excite me,” said Mark Twain .
“I was taught to distrust adjectives,” said Hemingway, “as I would later learn to distrust certain people in certain situations.”
Even Voltaire jumped in on the adverb dogpile, saying, “Adjectives are frequently the greatest enemy of the substantive.”
All of these writers, though, used adverbs when necessary. Still, the average writer uses them far more than they did.
Adverbs signal weak verbs. After all, why use two words, an adverb and a verb, when one strong verb can do.
Look at the following examples of adverbs with weak verbs replaced by stronger verbs:
- He ran quickly –> He sprinted
- She said loudly –> She shouted
- He ate hungrily –> He devoured his meal
- They talked quietly –> They whispered
Strive for simple, strong, clear language over padding your writing with more words.
You don't need to completely remove adverbs from your writing. Hemingway himself used them frequently. But cultivating a healthy distrust of adverbs seems to be a sign of wisdom among writers.
3. Stop Hedging and “Eliminate Weasel Words”
Amazon's third tip for writing for employees is “Eliminate Weasel Words,” and that advice applies to verbs too.
Instead of “nearly all customers,” say, “89 percent of customers.”
Instead of “significantly better,” say, “a 43 percent improvement.”
Weasel words are a form of hedging.
Hedging allows you to avoid commitment by using qualifiers such as “probably,” “maybe,” “sometimes,” “often,” “nearly always,” “I think,” “It seems,” and so on.
Hedge words or phrases soften the impact of a statement or to reduce the level of commitment to the statement's accuracy.
By eliminating hedging, you're forced to strengthen all your language, including verbs.
What do you really think about something? Don't say, “I think.” Stand by it. A thing is or isn't. You don't think it is or believe it is. You stand by it.
If you write courageously with strength of opinion, your verbs grow stronger as well.
Beware the Thesaurus: Strong Verbs are Simple Verbs
I caveat this advice with the advice to beware thesauruses.
Strong writing is almost always simple writing.
Writers who replace verbs like “was” and “get” with long, five-syllable verbs that mean the same thing as a simple, one-syllable verb don't actually communicate more clearly.
To prepare for this article, I studied the verb use in the first chapters of several books by my favorite authors, including Ernest Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls and Naomi Novik's Deadly Education.
Hemingway has a bigger reputation as a stylist and a “great” writer, but I found that Novik's verb choice was just as strong and even slightly more varied.
Hemingway tended to use simpler, shorter verbs, though, often repeating verbs, whereas Novik's verbs were longer and often more varied.
I love both of these writers, but if you're measuring strength, simplicity will most often win.
In dialogue this is especially important . Writers sometimes try to find every synonym for the word, “said” to describe the exact timber and attitude of how a character is speaking.
This becomes a distraction from the dialogue itself. In dialogue, the words spoken should speak for themselves, not whatever synonym the writer has looked up for “said.”
Writers should use simple speaker tags like “said” and “asked” as a rule, only varying that occasionally when the situation warrants it.
270+ Strong Verbs List
We've argued strong verbs are detailed, descriptive, action verbs, and below, I list over 200 strong verbs to make your writing better.
I compiled this list directly from the first chapters of some of my favorite books, already mentioned previously, For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway, Deadly Education by Naomi Novik, and The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis.
This is a necessarily simplified list, taken only from the first chapters of those books. There are thousands of strong verbs, usually action verbs, but these are a good start.
I've also sorted them alphabetically and put them into present tense.
- Collaborate
- Intellectualize
The Best Way to Learn to Use Strong Verbs
The above tips will help get you started using strong verbs, but the best way to learn how to grow as a writer with your verbs is through reading.
But not just reading, studying the work of your favorite writers carefully and then trying to emulate it, especially in the genre you write in.
As Cormac McCarthy, who passed away recently, said, “The unfortunate truth is that books are made from books.”
If you want to grow as a writer, start with the books you love. Then adapt your style from there.
Which tip will help you use more strong verbs in your writing today? Let me know in the comments.
Choose one of the following three practice exercises:
1. Study the verb use in the first chapter of one of your favorite books. Write down all of the verbs the author uses. Roughly what percentage are action verbs versus linking verbs? What else do you notice about their verb choice?
2. Free write for fifteen minutes using only action verbs and avoiding all “to be” verbs and adverbs.
3. Edit a piece that you've written, replacing the majority of linking verbs with action verbs and adverbs with stronger verbs.
Share your practice in the Pro Practice Workshop here , and give feedback to a few other writers.
Joe Bunting
Joe Bunting is an author and the leader of The Write Practice community. He is also the author of the new book Crowdsourcing Paris , a real life adventure story set in France. It was a #1 New Release on Amazon. Follow him on Instagram (@jhbunting).
Want best-seller coaching? Book Joe here.
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The Ultimate Strong Verbs List And Guide To Power Up Your Writing
Why should it matter so much whether your verbs are strong or weak?
And how do you even know if you’re using weak verbs?
If you know the answer to the question, “What is a verb?” and if you enjoy reading, it won’t take long to answer the bigger question of how to replace weak verbs with strong ones.
Because you know the purpose of the verb isn’t just to give you a pencil tracing of what’s going on.
It’s supposed to show you as much as possible with an economy of words .
This is why adverbs get so little love from writers nowadays.
They try to compensate for the inadequacies of weak verbs, but all they end up doing is making the sentence harder to read (without cringing).
Who knew there were two types of verbs, anyway, though?
Don’t all verbs basically do the same thing?
Well, yes and no.
Weak verbs can tell your reader what’s happening, but only strong verbs can catapult them right into the action.
Want to know how? Of course, you do!
What writer doesn’t want to master the art of captivating their readers with strong, evocative language?
And to help you do this, we’ve included a strong verbs list, which you can draw from to turn a basic narration into a full-color IMAX in-house movie.
But how do you tell a weak verb from a strong one?
Strong Verbs Vs. Weak Verbs
Replacing to be verbs, to be verbs list, power verbs, vivid verbs, forceful verbs, interesting verbs, descriptive verbs, cooler ways to say “said”, strong action verbs, what are strong verbs.
Strong verbs are the best verbs for a specific context because they do the following:
The strongest verb is the one that communicates exactly what someone is doing and how they are doing it — without any need for an adverb.
By contrast, the weakest verb is the easiest one to use, and it communicates as little as possible while giving you the basic idea of what’s going on.
Sometimes, a weak verb is the one to use, but if all or most of your verbs are weak, your writing will be dull and lifeless. It won’t paint a clear picture, and it won’t evoke an emotional response.
And it’s way too easy to put down.
While strong verbs are specific, weak verbs are general.
For example, you can say someone ran down the hallway, and that gives you the basic idea of what’s happening, but it’s also bland.
But if you say he bolted down the hallway, you communicate more of the urgency or even panic behind it.
You show the reader some of the emotion behind the action. Weak or “basic” verbs don’t do that.
When you use weak verbs like “ran” or “walked” or “smiled,” it’s tempting to use an adverb or a clichéd adverbial phrase to make the verb sound more interesting by telling the reader how the subject is doing something.
Strong verbs SHOW. Weak verbs — and their supporting adverbs — TELL.
The adverbs don’t really make the verb more compelling. They add detail but without making the action feel more real.
The character running frantically down the hallway is as much a stick figure as the one running like a cheetah. But the character bolting down the hallway makes the reader wonder what might be pursuing him or what’s at stake.
Or if the reader already knows the why, the word “bolted” is more satisfying than simply “ran.”
As the more appropriate verb, it feels more like the appropriate response to the danger at hand, and it leads the reader deeper into the story .
Strong verbs paint clearer and more vivid images in the reader’s mind, making them care more about what will happen next. They add an extra dimension to the character taking action.
How easy is it, though, to replace your weak verbs with strong ones?
Weak verbs are everywhere because they’re easy to use.
If there was a supermarket for verbs, the weak ones would be at eye-level and right across from the ice cream freezer. We’re only human.
The weakest of the weak verbs are “to be” verbs (also called simply “be verbs”). They’re not evil incarnate, though. and there are times when they’re the best words to use.
If you can say the same thing with a strong verb — in a way that doesn’t sound like you’re forcing it in there — go with it. But don’t try to make every verb a strong one.
No one wants to read something that sounds like the writer swallowed a thesaurus and chased it with some ipecac, but try to mix it up as much as you can.
When your reader’s attention is at stake, it’s worth it to find verbs that will get the response you want.
It’s also worth changing combinations like the following to eliminate the extra “to be” verb:
These verbs are used alone and as part of compound verbs like “are used” and “has been scared.”
If you’re yawning right now, you’re not alone. While there’s definitely a place for “to be verbs,” don’t let them do all the work.
Don’t beat yourself up, though, if you look through something you’ve written and you find that most of your verbs (or even all of them) are weak verbs. As I mentioned earlier, they’re low-hanging fruit. We all use them.
But when you’re more conscious of the verbs you choose, chances are your readers will be more conscious, too.
If you’re not already familiar with the “to be” verbs, here’s a list:
The Ultimate Strong Verbs List
We’ve broken the following list of strong verbs into subsets to help you more quickly find the strong verb with the exact quality you want — from vivid to forceful to fun.
Verbs do have a tone, and even verbs that mean generally the same thing won’t work equally well in the same context.
If your character is having a nighttime phone conversation within earshot of her sleeping captors, you’ll want to avoid dialogue tags with verbs like “broadcasted,” “blabbered,” or “announced.”
The thesaurus does open the door to a whole new universe of more evocative verbs, though, and the lists below give you a taste.
Part of what makes the verb appropriate, though, is the sound it makes and how it affects the rhythm of your sentence.
So, read the word aloud in the context of your sentence and make sure it reads easily, sounds like it belongs there, and creates the right visual effect.
The same verb can belong to multiple categories, based on the impact you want to make and on the mood you’re in as you read this.
Take a slow read through the lists that follow and take note of the ones that stand out for you.
If you’re rereading one of your sentences and feeling the need for a more powerful verb — one that grabs the reader’s attention and leaves them in no doubt as to your meaning — see if one of the following verbs are a better fit.
Maybe they’ll at least get your mind so in tune with powerful verbs that you have an easier time thinking of just the right one.
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Some verbs just don’t create a vivid enough picture for your reader . You want a verb with visuals that pop in your reader’s mind.
The following should give you some ideas.
If you’re looking for a verb with a strong and undeniable presence — one that gets the message across with a one-two punch and without apologies — consider the verbs in this list.
Maybe you just want a verb that sounds more interesting than your original choice — but without sounding forced or flowery.
You don’t want purple prose, but you do want to keep your reader interested. So, mix it up with one of the dazzling verbs below.
Some verbs are just more fun than others. It’s not a competition; it’s just how it is.
Some verbs get all the oohs and ahhs but none of the laughs. They’re cool with it. They know their place.
Some verbs just do a better job of describing how a character is doing something.
It paints a clearer picture, so the reader is better able to visualize what’s going on.
These might not be the most vivid verbs, but they do show you more detail than your average “basic” verb.
You’ll find some of these in the other lists, but it makes sense to gather up other ways to say “said” into a list of their own.
Sometimes, “said” is just fine. But if you’re using a lot of dialogue tags, and you’d like to show a little more of how your character is saying something (with making things awkward), a list of strong “said” verbs will come in mighty handy.
Don’t overdo them, though. And if you can indicate who’s speaking without using a dialogue tag at all, so much the better.
The following verbs are also helpful in other contexts where you might use the word “said.”
Side Note: I’m omitting the word “exclaimed” on purpose; the word is overused and pure torture to read.
With strong action verbs, you can almost physically feel their impact. You should also be able to picture the action each word represents. Look through the following list and see what visuals and sounds come to mind.
Was this list of strong verbs helpful?
Now that you have a fair sampling of strong verbs to choose from, we hope you keep this post handy, and that it serves you well.
Remember that it’s not so much a question of good verbs vs. bad verbs.
The weakness of a “to be” verb or a general verb doesn’t make it bad; it just makes it less communicative. It has less of an impact than a strong verb.
But as we mentioned before, sometimes a weak verb is honestly the best fit. Think of dialogue, for example. How many people do you know who always use strong verbs in every spoken sentence?
I don’t know any. And that’s okay. Sometimes, phrases using weak verbs — like “Need more coffee” — say everything you need to say. So, no verb shaming allowed.
May your ingenuity and compassion influence everything you do today.
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50 Verbs of Analysis for English Academic Essays
Note: this list is for advanced English learners (CEFR level B2 or above). All definitions are from the Cambridge Dictionary online .
Definition: to have an influence on someone or something, or to cause a change in someone or something.
Example: Experts agree that coffee affects the body in ways we have not yet studied.
Definition: to increase the size or effect of something.
Example: It has been shown that this drug amplifies the side effects that were experienced by patients in previous trials.
Definition: to say that something is certainly true .
Example: Smith asserts that his findings are valid, despite criticism by colleagues.
Characterizes
Definition: Something that characterizes another thing is typical of it.
Example: His early paintings are characterized by a distinctive pattern of blue and yellow.
Definition: to say that something is true or is a fact , although you cannot prove it and other people might not believe it.
Example: Smith claims that the study is the first of its kind, and very different from the 2015 study he conducted.
Definition: to make something clear or easier to understand by giving more details or a simpler explanation .
Example: The professor clarified her statement with a later, more detailed, statement.
Definition: t o collect information from different places and arrange it in a book , report , or list .
Example: After compiling the data, the scientists authored a ten-page paper on their study and its findings.
Definition: to judge or decide something after thinking carefully about it.
Example: Doctor Jensen concluded that the drug wasn’t working, so he switched his patient to a new medicine.
Definition: to prove that a belief or an opinion that was previously not completely certain is true .
Example: This new data confirms the hypothesis many researchers had.
Definition: to join or be joined with something else .
Example: By including the criticisms of two researchers, Smith connects two seemingly different theories and illustrates a trend with writers of the Romanticism period.
Differentiates
Definition: to show or find the difference between things that are compared .
Example: Smith differentiates between the two theories in paragraph 4 of the second part of the study.
Definition: to reduce or be reduced in s i ze or importance .
Example: The new findings do not diminish the findings of previous research; rather, it builds on it to present a more complicated theory about the effects of global warming.
Definition: to cause people to stop respecting someone or believing in an idea or person .
Example: The details about the improper research done by the institution discredits the institution’s newest research.
Definition: to show.
Example: Smith’s findings display the effects of global warming that have not yet been considered by other scientists.
Definition: to prove that something is not true .
Example: Scientists hope that this new research will disprove the myth that vaccines are harmful to children.
Distinguishes
Definition: to notice or understand the difference between two things, or to make one person or thing seem different from another.
Example: Our study seems similar to another one by Duke University: how can we distinguish ourselves and our research from this study?
Definition: to add more information to or explain something that you have said.
Example: In this new paper, Smith elaborates on theories she discussed in her 2012 book.
Definition: to represent a quality or an idea exactly .
Example: Shakespeare embodies English theater, but few can understand the antiquated (old) form of English that is used in the plays.
Definition: to copy something achieved by someone else and try to do it as well as they have.
Example: Although the study emulates some of the scientific methods used in previous research, it also offers some inventive new research methods.
Definition: to improve the quality , amount , or strength of something.
Example: The pharmaceutical company is looking for ways to enhance the effectiveness of its current drug for depression.
Definition: to make something necessary , or to involve something.
Example: The scientist’s study entails several different stages, which are detailed in the report.
Definition: to consider one thing to be the same as or equal to another thing.
Example: Findings from both studies equate; therefore, we can conclude that they are both accurate.
Establishes
Definition: to discover or get proof of something.
Example: The award establishes the main causes of global warming.
Definition: to make someone remember something or feel an emotion .
Example: The artist’s painting evokes the work of some of the painters from the early 1800s.
Definition: to show something.
Example: Some of the research study participants exhibit similar symptoms while taking the medicine.
Facilitates
Definition: to make something possible or easier .
Example: The equipment that facilitates the study is expensive and of high-quality.
Definition: the main or central point of something, especially of attention or interest .
Example: The author focuses on World War II, which is an era she hasn’t written about before.
Foreshadows
Definition: to act as a warning or sign of a future event .
Example: The sick bird at the beginning of the novel foreshadows the illness the main character develops later in the book.
Definition: to develop all the details of a plan for doing something.
Example: Two teams of scientists formulated the research methods for the study.
Definition: to cause something to exist .
Example: The study’s findings have generated many questions about this new species of frog in South America.
Definition: to attract attention to or emphasize something important .
Example: The author, Dr. Smith, highlights the need for further studies on the possible causes of cancer among farm workers.
Definition: to recognize a problem , need, fact , etc. and to show that it exists .
Example: Through this study, scientists were able to identify three of the main factors causing global warming.
Illustrates
Definition: to show the meaning or truth of something more clearly , especially by giving examples .
Example: Dr. Robin’s study illustrates the need for more research on the effects of this experimental drug.
Definition: to communicate an idea or feeling without saying it directly .
Example: The study implies that there are many outside factors (other than diet and exercise) which determine a person’s tendency to gain weight.
Incorporates
Definition: to include something as part of something larger .
Example: Dr. Smith incorporates research findings from 15 other studies in her well-researched paper.
Definition: to show, point , or make clear in another way.
Example: Overall, the study indicates that there is no real danger (other than a lack of sleep) to drinking three cups of coffee per day.
Definition: to form an opinion or guess that something is true because of the information that you have.
Example: From this study about a new medicine, we can infer that it will work similarly to other drugs that are currently being sold.
Definition: to tell someone about parti c ular facts .
Example: Dr. Smith informs the reader that there are some issues with this study: the oddly rainy weather in 2017 made it difficult for them to record the movements of the birds they were studying.
Definition: to suggest , without being direct , that something unpleasant is true .
Example: In addition to the reported conclusions, the study insinuates that there are many hidden dangers to driving while texting.
Definition: to combine two or more things in order to become more effective .
Example: The study about the popularity of social media integrates Facebook and Instagram hashtag use.
Definition: to not have or not have enough of something that is needed or wanted .
Example: What the study lacks, I believe, is a clear outline of the future research that is needed.
Legitimizes
Definition: to make something legal or acceptable .
Example: Although the study legitimizes the existence of global warming, some will continue to think it is a hoax.
Definition: to make a problem bigger or more important .
Example: In conclusion, the scientists determined that the new pharmaceutical actually magnifies some of the symptoms of anxiety.
Definition: something that a copy can be based on because it is an extremely good example of its type .
Example: The study models a similar one from 1973, which needed to be redone with modern equipment.
Definition: to cause something to have no effect .
Example: This negates previous findings that say that sulphur in wine gives people headaches.
Definition: to not give enough c a re or attention to people or things that are your responsibility .
Example: The study neglects to mention another study in 2015 that had very different findings.
Definition: to make something difficult to discover and understand .
Example: The problems with the equipment obscures the study.
Definition: a description of the main facts about something.
Example: Before describing the research methods, the researchers outline the need for a study on the effects of anti-anxiety medication on children.
Definition: to fail to notice or consider something or someone.
Example: I personally feel that the study overlooks something very important: the participants might have answered some of the questions incorrectly.
Definition: to happen at the same time as something else , or be similar or equal to something else .
Example: Although the study parallels the procedures of a 2010 study, it has very different findings.
Converse International School of Languages offers an English for Academic Purposes course for students interested in improving their academic English skills. Students may take this course, which is offered in the afternoon for 12 weeks, at both CISL San Diego and CISL San Francisco . EAP course graduates can go on to CISL’s Aca demic Year Abroad program, where students attend one semester at a California Community College. Through CISL’s University Pathway program, EAP graduates may also attend college or university at one of CISL’s Pathway Partners. See the list of 25+ partners on the CISL website . Contact CISL for more information.
444+ Strong Verbs for More Powerful Writing and Storytelling
Picture this: You’re on a writing adventure, and you’re armed with a quiver full of arrows. These arrows are your words, your tools of the trade. But what if I told you that not all arrows are created equal? Some are dull, while others are sharp, gleaming, and ready to pierce the hearts of your readers. Which ones would you choose?
That’s right, you’d go for the most lethal, the most captivating, the most powerful arrows in your arsenal. In the world of writing, these arrows are known as strong verbs.
Now, buckle up and join me as we embark on a journey to uncover the secrets behind these magical linguistic weapons. Together, we’ll learn how to wield strong verbs like a pro and transform your piece of writing into a riveting masterpiece. Are you ready to become a true wordsmith? Let’s dive in!
What Are Strong Verbs?
Strong verbs are specific, precise words that convey a clear action or emotion. They paint a vivid picture in the reader’s mind, making your writing more dynamic and compelling. Strong verbs stand on their own, without the need for adjectives or adverbs, and they often replace weaker, more generic verbs.
Strong verbs are essential for creating a vivid, immersive experience for readers. They serve as the driving force behind the action, helping to bring characters (whether they are round or flat characters ) and scenes to life. With the right choice of verbs, writers can paint a picture that is both engaging and emotionally resonant, allowing readers to become invested in the story.
In addition to their impact on storytelling, strong verbs offer a range of benefits that can enhance your writing overall:
- Clarity: Strong verbs provide clear, concise descriptions of actions, making it easier for readers to understand your message.
- Engagement: Powerful verbs draw readers in, keeping them interested and invested in your content.
- Emotion: Vivid verbs help evoke emotions, allowing readers to connect with your writing on a deeper level.
- Pacing: Using strong verbs can enhance the pacing of your narrative, sustaining momentum and ensuring a smooth flow.
- Variety: A diverse range of verbs prevents your writing from becoming repetitive, helping your readers to maintain their levels of attention.
- Impact: Strong verbs create powerful imagery, leaving a lasting impression on readers and making your content memorable.
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Strong Verbs vs. Weak Verbs
While strong verbs are specific, vivid, and powerful, weak verbs are vague, generic, and lack the impact needed to hold a reader’s attention.
Weak verbs tend to dilute the message and make the writing less dynamic. In contrast, strong verbs help paint a clear picture, allowing readers to visualize the action and connect with the story emotionally. By replacing weak verbs with their stronger counterparts, you can significantly improve the quality and impact of your writing.
Here are five examples of weak verbs and useful strong verbs that can replace them:
|
|
|---|---|
Look | Gaze, Glance, Stare, Peek, Scan |
Touch | Caress, Stroke, Tap, Graze, Poke |
Talk | Whisper, Shout, Mumble, Chatter, Exclaim |
Laugh | Giggle, Chuckle, Snicker, Guffaw, Cackle |
Walk | Stroll, Stride, Amble, Saunter, March |
3 Types of Weak Verbs to Replace
Recognizing weak verbs in your writing is the first step towards creating more vivid content. Here are three common types of weak verbs to look out for in your writing.
1. State-of-Being Verbs
State-of-being verbs often contribute to weak writing as they lack action or specificity. These verbs include:
Replacing state-of-being verbs with strong action verbs can enhance clarity and make your writing more engaging.
Weak: The storm is fierce.
Strong: The storm ravages the coastline.
Weak: He does everything his boss tells him to do, although he dislikes him.
Strong: Despite his aversion for him, he always obeys his boss.
Weak: They had a secret now.
Strong: They remained silent about it and never shared the story with anyone.
2. Verbs That Rely on Adverbs
When a verb needs an adverb to provide additional information, it’s often a sign of a weak verb. Replacing the verb-adverb combination with a single, stronger verb can make your writing more concise and impactful.
Weak: She opened the door quietly.
Strong: She tiptoed through the door.
Weak: He looked around analytically.
Strong: He examined the room and those in it.
Weak: The horse moved quickly.
Strong: The horse galloped across the field.
3. Verbs With -ing Suffixes
Verbs with an -ing suffix can sometimes weaken your writing, particularly when they create a continuous tense or a gerund that isn’t necessary. Replacing them with a simple present or past tense verb can make your writing more direct.
Weak: The leaves were rustling in the breeze.
Strong: The leaves rustled in the breeze.
Weak: She was hesitating before making her decision.
Strong: She hesitated before making her decision.
Weak: The sun was setting behind the mountains.
Strong: The sun set behind the mountains.
The Ultimate Strong Verbs List
Unlock the potential of your writing with our handpicked selection of strong verbs. These powerful words will serve as inspiration for you to craft vivid, compelling stories that grab your readers’ attention.
- Commiserate
- Contemplate
- Deteriorate
- Disintegrate
- Reverberate
- Revolutionize
- Supercharge
Tips & Tricks for Using Strong Verbs
Using strong verbs can significantly elevate your writing, making it more vivid and intriguing for readers. Here are some practical tips and tricks to help you incorporate strong verbs into your writing effectively.
Read Widely
One of the best ways to develop a robust vocabulary, including a wide range of strong verbs, is to read widely. By exposing yourself to various genres and styles, you’ll naturally come across new verbs and expand your understanding of their usage.
Vary Your Verbs
While it’s essential to use strong verbs, be mindful not to overuse the same verbs repeatedly. Overusing a specific verb can make your writing monotonous. Instead, try to mix up your strong verbs list to keep your readers hooked. Experiment with different verbs to see which ones best convey the actions, emotions, and energy in your writing.
Convey Emotions
Strong verbs can evoke powerful emotions and create vivid images in the reader’s mind. Think about how a verb can convey the emotional intensity of a scene or action. For example, instead of using “said”, consider using more expressive verbs like “whispered,” “murmured,” “bellowed,” or “shouted” to add depth and emotion to your writing. This is important in any genre, but is crucial in stories where the inner world and perception of the characters carry the weight of the plot , such as romance novels or horror stories .
Use Active Voice
Incorporating strong verbs often goes hand-in-hand with using the active voice. The active voice makes your writing more engaging and direct, as it focuses on the subject performing the action. This emphasis on action can also help you select more powerful verbs. For instance, instead of writing “The letter was read by Emma,” write “Emma tore open the letter, her eyes racing across the words.” The active voice and the strong verbs “tore” and “racing” make the sentence more dynamic.
Revise and Edit
Finally, remember that strong verbs are often discovered during the revision and editing process. As you go through your drafts, keep an eye out for opportunities to replace weak verbs with more compelling options. Use your growing knowledge of vivid verbs to transform your writing, and don’t be afraid to make changes to enhance your prose.
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Guide to Using Powerful Verbs
The use of strong verbs is crucial in crafting compelling narratives and descriptions. As you embark on your writing journey, understanding how to select and use powerful verbs will dramatically enhance the quality of your prose. This guide will explore the difference between strong and weak verbs, provide practical examples, and offer tips to refine your writing style. By the end of this guide, you'll be equipped to create more vivid and engaging content, drawing your readers deeper into your writing world.
Understanding the Power of Strong Verbs
Strong verbs are the backbone of descriptive and action-packed writing. They help you convey actions and states of being with precision and energy. Unlike weak verbs, which often require adverbs for clarity, strong verbs stand on their own, providing a clear and powerful picture of the action. When you use strong verbs, you allow your readers to visualize your narrative more vividly, making your writing more memorable and impactful. The right verb can turn an ordinary sentence into a striking piece of art.
Verbs to Avoid or Replace
Common weak verbs like 'walked' or 'said' can often be replaced with stronger alternatives to add more specificity and vigor to your writing. For example, 'strolled' or 'whispered' instantly create a stronger visual and convey more information about the action. It's not just about finding synonyms; it's about choosing verbs that add depth and emotion to your narrative. By being mindful of these choices, you can transform your writing from simple to sophisticated.
Strong Verbs Improve Your Writing
Integrating strong verbs into your writing is not just about enhancing style; it's about effective communication. Strong verbs give your writing a sense of authority and confidence. They help you to succinctly convey complex ideas and emotions, making your writing more engaging and easier to read. When you choose strong verbs, you take control of your narrative and guide your readers through your text with ease and precision.
Strong vs. Weak Verbs: Examples
To illustrate the difference between strong and weak verbs, consider these examples. Instead of saying 'she walks slowly,' say 'she meanders.' Replace 'he eats quickly' with 'he devours.' Each strong verb provides a clearer, more specific picture of the action, adding depth and texture to your writing. These examples demonstrate how switching out a weak verb for a stronger one can instantly elevate the quality of your sentence.
List of Powerful Verbs
Here's a list of powerful verbs to enhance your writing arsenal: illuminate, shatter, galvanize, meander, whisper, saunter, plummet, soar, captivate, and devastate. Each of these verbs carries a weight and specificity that weaker verbs lack. Experiment with these in your writing to see how they change the tone and impact of your sentences.
Dos and Don'ts of Using Strong Verbs
Do: Choose verbs that add specificity and energy to your writing. Be creative and experiment with different verbs to find the perfect fit. Don't: Overuse strong verbs to the point where they lose their impact or make your writing feel forced. Balance is key.
FAQs About Using Strong Verbs
Q: How can I identify weak verbs in my writing? A: Look for verbs that are generic or lack specificity, and consider if there are stronger alternatives that could add more detail or emotion. Q: Can strong verbs be overused? A: Yes, like any stylistic device, overuse of strong verbs can make your writing seem unnatural. Use them judiciously for maximum effect.
Final Thoughts on Using Powerful Verbs
Mastering the use of strong verbs is a key step in refining your writing style. By choosing verbs that are precise and evocative, you can transform your prose into a more vivid and engaging narrative. Remember, strong verbs are a tool to bring your writing to life. Use them to create a visual and emotional impact that resonates with your readers, making your writing unforgettable.
Useful Resources: https://thewincolumn.ca/2022/06/23/essay-on-hockey-10-tips-to-write-a-top-notch-paper/
Powerful Verbs for Your Writing
Inventory Your Own Verbs for Powerful Writing
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Verbs are action words, right? We all remember that from elementary school. Verbs describe the action that is taking place.
But verbs don't have to surrender all the fun and emotional power to adjectives —the words that traditionally paint the pictures in our heads. As a matter of fact, the most powerful writers use verbs quite effectively to illustrate their writing.
Review Your Verbs
After you complete a draft of your paper, it might be a good idea to conduct a verb inventory. Just read over your draft and underline all your verbs. Do you see repetition? Are you bored?
Verbs like said, walked, looked, and thought can be replaced with more descriptive words like mumbled, sauntered, eyeballed, and pondered . Here are a few more suggestions:
- severed (with his eyes)
Get Creative With Verbs
One way to make verbs more interesting is to invent them from other word forms. Sounds illegal, doesn't it? But it's not like you're printing dollar bills in your basement.
One type of noun that works well is animal types, since some animals have very strong characteristics. Skunks, for instance, have a reputation for being stinky or spoiling the air.
Do the following statements evoke powerful images?
- He skunked the party up with his cologne... She snaked the hallways... She wormed her way out of the class...
Jobs as Verbs
Another noun type that works well is names of occupations. We often use doctor as a verb, as in the following sentence:
- She doctored the paper until it was perfect.
Doesn't that evoke the image of a woman hovering over a piece of writing, tools in hand, crafting and nurturing the paper to perfection? What other occupations could paint such a clear scene? How about police ?
- Mrs. Parsons policed her garden until it was completely pest free.
You can get very creative with unusual verbs:
- bubble-wrapped the insult (to suggest that the insult was surrounded by "softer" words)
- tabled your idea
But you do have to use colorful verbs tactfully. Use good judgment and don't overdo the creativity. Language is like clothing--too much color can be just plain odd.
List of Power Verbs
abscond | accelerate | adapt |
advocate | afflict | agonize |
analyze | anticipate | ascertain |
aspire | assess | assimilate |
barter | better | bypass |
calculate | challenge | champion |
clarify | coordinate | define |
delegate | describe | detail |
devalue | dispense | divert |
duplicate | examine | execute |
exhibit | expedite | facilitate |
forge | formulate | generalize |
generate | halt | halve |
hypothesize | illustrate | implement |
inquire | labor | launch |
lull | manipulate | model |
monitor | observe | observe |
orchestrate | position | procure |
qualify | reconcile | refrain |
regulate | restructure | revisit |
secure | simplify | solve |
surpass | table | tabulate |
taint | thwart | trigger |
undervalue | undulate | utilize |
value | verify | verify |
vex |
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Powerful Verbs: A Quick & Easy Guide To Power Up Your Writing
- February 28, 2022
As a reader or writer, you will notice that not all verbs are created equal. You know a powerful verb when you read one in a book or write one because its effect on the context of the writing is far superior to that of a standard or weak verb. This article will explain what powerful verbs are and how they can improve your writing. There will also be several examples of strong verbs to point out the difference between a powerful verb and a weak verb.
What Is a Powerful Verb?
Before you can start choosing powerful verbs, you have to know what a verb is. Verbs are necessary to almost any sentence, describing the state of being. Verbs tell the reader what actions are taking place, and the words you choose as verbs can strengthen or weaken your story.
Powerful verbs are verbs that you can use in your writing to describe better the action or state of being of a character. Here is an example of a murder story that uses several verbs.
Example: June couldn’t believe what she had just witnessed. The murderer, caught in the act, right in front of her. She wasn’t sure that he had seen her looking through the curtain of the restaurant into the alley where he’d killed his victim, but she wasn’t going to wait to find out.
She grabbed her purse, didn’t even bother to pay for her meal, and ran out of the restaurant to go to the police station two blocks away. Opening the door to the station, she approached the front desk and said , “I’ve just seen a murder take place in the alley next to Abuela’s Casita restaurant. You’ve got to go now. He may still be there.” The officer at the desk was surprised and asked her to repeat herself. “Just go now! Someone has been killed,” June told the officer.
In the example paragraphs above, you have a murder that has taken place with one eyewitness. While the example is an okay piece of writing, it is chock full of weak verbs. A simple look at a strong verbs list could have helped this writer tremendously. Here is the edited version of the example murder story above, replacing the weak verbs with strong ones.
Example: June couldn’t believe what she had just witnessed. The murderer, caught in the act, right in front of her. She wasn’t sure that he had seen her gawking through the curtain of the restaurant where he’d butchered his latest victim, but she wasn’t going to wait to find out.
Snatching her purse and not even bothering to pay for her meal, she ran out of the restaurant and down the two short blocks to the police station. Throwing open the door to the station, she ambushed the front desk. “I’ve just seen a murder take place in the alley next to Abuela’s Casita restaurant! You’ve got to go now. He may still be there,” she panted, doubled over and out of breath. The officer at the desk, shocked , demanded that she repeat herself. “Just go now! Someone has been killed,” June screeched .
In the edited version of the story, you can see that the writer started using strong verbs. These words mean the same thing, and the story does not change, but the tone does. Using powerful verbs in your story can push the plot forward and is a great way to give your characters life and be more descriptive to keep the readers engaged.
Powerful Verbs List
You can find many powerful verbs online or in books, or even from teachers, that will give you exciting, descriptive, powerful words to use as verbs. This list is often called a strong verbs list or a power verbs list. The meaning of the words stays the same, but when you replace a regular verb with one of these words, the text will usually matter more to the person reading your work.
Nouns are given more power, the idea of the text takes on more meaning, and you will have more compelling writing. You will find that the quality of your work is elevated with the use of powerful verbs. Below is a small power verbs list, but remember that this is a sample of the verbs available to replace weak or dull verbs.
Powerful Verbs Examples
- Use: screamed, cried, whispered, groaned, sobbed, choked, muttered, stuttered
- Use: gazed, witnessed, examined, stalked, peeked, gawked, stared
- Use: sauntered, stomped, stumbled, tripped, skipped, tip-toed
- Use: sobbed, wept, melted, blubbered, whimpered
- Use: Discovered, uncovered, revealed, collected, unearthed
You can also benefit by writing up your own list of powerful verbs. You can easily do this by writing common verbs that might be considered weak or cliché, and making a list below of stronger verbs that better describe the way people behave in real life, are more exciting, and do a better job of creating a good story. Then, when you start to overuse a weaker verb in your writing, you can replace it with a verb on the list you have created.
Too Much of a Good Thing
Do not think that just because you can replace a standard verb with a powerful verb, you must do it all the time—this is not true. Too much of a good thing is a bad thing. Remember that sometimes people just say something. They do not always have to whisper or shout or sob. Sometimes people just find things. They do not always stumble upon, unearth, or discover something.
Overly using powerful verbs in your fiction writing will instantly lose the audience’s attention because they will be too busy getting through all of the clunky and extremely varied languages. Take note of these pieces of advice:
- Develop the best story by playing the scenes out in your head.
- Boost sentences that you think need to hit harder with powerful verbs.
- Leave unimportant sentences alone with a regular verb. Readers will understand the difference and appreciate it.
Once you learn to table a weaker verb in favor of a powerful verb when necessary, you will start to see more impactful and strong writing. Just keep in mind that you are looking for accurate verbs to describe the scene, not unnecessarily ornate words, so it can be proven you own a thesaurus.
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Power Verbs List in English You Should Know
By: Author English Study Online
Posted on Last updated: November 10, 2023
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What are the power verbs? The list below is provided to help you find some great, active verbs to help the descriptive lines on your resume stand out.
Table of Contents
List of Power Verbs in English
Here are some better alternatives to common weak words.
Weak Word: DID
Weak word: make, weak word: fix.
- Investigated
- Revitalized
- Synthesized
Weak Word: SHOW
- Demonstrate
Weak Words: TALK, SPEAK, WRITE, COMMUNICATE
- Communicate
- Collaborate
- Disseminate
Weak Word: KEEP
Weak word: use, weak word: get, common power verbs.
In this section, we will cover some of the most commonly used power verbs in English. These verbs can help you communicate your message more effectively and confidently.
One of the most powerful verbs in English, “act” is a versatile word that can convey a wide range of meanings. It can mean to perform a specific action, to behave in a certain way, or to take a particular course of action.
- For example, you could say “ I acted quickly to resolve the issue ” or “ We need to act now to prevent further damage .”
“Achieve” is another powerful verb that can help you communicate your accomplishments and successes. It means to successfully accomplish a goal or objective.
- For example, you could say “ I achieved my sales targets for the quarter ” or “ We achieved our goal of reducing waste by 50% .”
“Create” is a verb that can be used to describe the act of making something new or bringing something into existence. It can be used in a wide variety of contexts, from art and music to business and technology.
- For example, you could say “ I created a new marketing campaign that increased sales ” or “ We created a new product that revolutionized the industry. “
“Improve” is a verb that can be used to describe the act of making something better or enhancing its quality. It can be used in a wide variety of contexts, from personal development to business and technology.
- For example, you could say “ I improved my public speaking skills by attending a workshop ” or “ We improved our production process to increase efficiency. “
“Solve” is a verb that can be used to describe the act of finding a solution to a problem or challenge. It can be used in a wide variety of contexts, from math and science to business and personal relationships.
- For example, you could say “ I solved the technical issue by rebooting the system ” or “ We solved the customer complaint by offering a refund. “
Power Verbs for Communication
In English, power verbs are action words that have a positive connotation. They help you communicate your message more strongly and confidently. Power verbs are essential in communication, especially in written communication such as resumes, essays, and business presentations. In this section, we will explore some of the most commonly used power verbs for communication.
When communicating, it is essential to use power verbs that paint a picture for the reader or listener by highlighting your skills and accomplishments. Here are some examples of power verbs to use when communicating:
- Achieved : This power verb communicates that you have accomplished something significant. It shows that you have put in the effort to achieve a goal and have succeeded.
- Collaborated : This power verb communicates that you have worked with others to achieve a common goal. It shows that you are a team player and can work well with others.
- Demonstrated : This power verb communicates that you have shown something in action. It shows that you have the ability to put your skills and knowledge into practice.
- Implemented : This power verb communicates that you have put something into action. It shows that you have taken the initiative to make something happen.
- Negotiated : This power verb communicates that you have successfully reached an agreement with others. It shows that you have strong communication and persuasion skills.
- Resolved : This power verb communicates that you have solved a problem. It shows that you have the ability to think critically and find solutions to complex issues.
Using power verbs in your communication helps you stand out from the crowd and shows that you are confident in your abilities. When writing or speaking, it is important to use power verbs that accurately reflect your skills and accomplishments. By doing so, you can communicate your message more effectively and achieve your goals.
Power Verbs for Leadership
As leaders, it’s important to communicate effectively and convey a sense of authority and confidence. One way to do this is by using power verbs in your speech and writing. Power verbs are action words that have a strong and positive connotation, helping to convey your message more effectively.
Here are some power verbs that can be used in a leadership context:
- Advocated : To support or recommend a particular course of action.
- Enabled : To give someone the ability or resources to do something.
- Led : To guide or direct a group of people towards a common goal.
- Aroused : To stir up or inspire a particular emotion or feeling.
- Energized : To give energy or enthusiasm to someone or something.
- Lobbied : To try to influence a decision or policy by speaking to those in power.
- Assembled : To bring together a group of people or things in one place.
Using these power verbs can help you to communicate your ideas more effectively and inspire confidence in others.
As a leader, it’s also important to use power verbs when describing your past experience and accomplishments. This can help to demonstrate your leadership abilities and show that you are capable of taking charge and getting things done.
Here are some power verbs that can be used to describe leadership experience:
- Organized : To arrange or coordinate something in a structured and efficient manner.
- Motivated : To inspire or encourage someone to take action.
- Influenced : To have an effect on someone or something, often through persuasion or negotiation.
- Directed : To give guidance or instructions to a group of people.
- Coordinated : To work together with others to achieve a common goal.
- Managed : To oversee and be responsible for the successful completion of a task or project.
By using these power verbs, you can effectively communicate your leadership experience and skills to potential employers or colleagues.
Power Verbs for Teamwork
When it comes to teamwork, using the right power verbs can make all the difference in how you communicate your skills and accomplishments. These action words not only highlight your teamwork abilities, but also demonstrate your leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills. Here are some of the most effective power verbs to use when describing your teamwork experience:
- Collaborated : This power verb showcases your ability to work effectively with others towards a common goal.
- Coordinated : This verb demonstrates your organizational skills and ability to manage multiple tasks and team members.
- Facilitated : This verb shows that you are skilled at guiding and leading a group towards success.
- Mentored : This verb highlights your ability to provide guidance and support to team members, demonstrating your leadership and coaching skills.
- United : This verb emphasizes your ability to bring people together and work towards a common goal.
- Volunteered : This verb demonstrates your willingness to step up and contribute to the team, highlighting your teamwork and initiative.
By using these power verbs, you can effectively communicate your teamwork experience and skills to potential employers. Remember to use them in a way that accurately reflects your experience and accomplishments, and be sure to provide specific examples to back up your claims.
Power Verbs for Problem Solving
When facing a problem, it’s essential to communicate effectively and confidently. Using power verbs can help you convey your message more strongly and efficiently. Here are some power verbs that can be used for problem-solving:
- Analyze: To examine something in detail and identify its essential features and elements.
- Evaluate: To assess the significance, worth, or quality of something.
- Identify: To recognize and name something accurately.
- Solve: To find a solution to a problem or issue.
- Implement: To put a plan or solution into action.
- Collaborate: To work together with others to achieve a common goal.
- Innovate: To introduce new ideas or methods to solve a problem.
- Optimize: To make the best use of something or to improve its efficiency.
- Refine: To make small improvements to something to make it better.
- Streamline: To simplify a process to make it more efficient.
By using these power verbs, you can show your problem-solving skills and communicate your ideas more effectively. For example, instead of saying, “I worked on a problem,” you can say, “I analyzed the issue and implemented an innovative solution that optimized the process.”
Power Verbs for Achievements
In English, power verbs are action words that have positive meanings. They can help you communicate your achievements and rewards more strongly and confidently. When you’re writing a resume or other job application materials, it’s critical to mention your achievements and rewards to convey your skills, ability to complete projects, and excel at tasks.
Here are some power verbs you can use to describe your achievements:
- For example, “ I achieved a 25% increase in sales last quarter. “
- For example, “ I completed a major website redesign project on time and under budget. “
- For example, “ I exceeded my sales targets by 50% last year. “
- For example, “ I implemented a new customer service program that improved customer satisfaction ratings by 20%. “
- For example, “ I streamlined our inventory management system, reducing waste and saving the company $50,000 annually. “
Power Verbs for Creativity
As we all know, creativity is a crucial aspect of our lives, whether it be in our personal or professional lives. Using power verbs to describe our creative abilities can help us stand out from the crowd. Here are some power verbs that can be used to describe creativity:
- Conceptualize
By using these power verbs, we can effectively communicate our creative abilities to potential employers, clients, or colleagues. For example, instead of saying “I came up with a new idea,” we can say “I innovated a new solution that increased productivity by 50%.”
Power Verbs for Job Applications
When applying for a job, it is important to use power verbs in your resume and cover letter. Power verbs can help you communicate your skills and accomplishments more effectively. Here are some power verbs that you can use in your job application:
- Coordinated
- Implemented
- Streamlined
Using these power verbs can help you stand out from other applicants and demonstrate your value to potential employers. However, it is important to use them appropriately and accurately. Don’t use a power verb just for the sake of using one – make sure it accurately reflects your experience and accomplishments.
In addition to using power verbs, it is also important to quantify your achievements whenever possible. For example, instead of saying “improved sales,” you could say “increased sales by 20%.” This helps to make your accomplishments more tangible and impressive.
Power Verbs for Presentations
In any presentation, it is important to use powerful and effective language to engage your audience and convey your message with confidence. This is where power verbs come in handy. Power verbs are action words that have a positive and strong meaning in English, making them perfect for presentations.
Using power verbs can help you communicate your message more effectively and confidently, which can make a big difference in how your audience perceives you and your presentation. Some examples of power verbs that you can use in your presentations include:
- Inspire : to fill someone with the urge or ability to do or feel something
- Motivate : to provide someone with a reason to do something
- Engage : to attract and hold someone’s attention
- Persuade : to convince someone to do or believe something
- Impress : to make someone feel admiration and respect
By using these power verbs, you can make your presentation more engaging and persuasive, and leave a lasting impression on your audience.
Practice and Exercises with Answers
Now that we have covered what power verbs are and how to use them, it’s time to practice! In this section, we will provide you with some exercises to help you strengthen your knowledge of power verbs.
Exercise 1: Fill in the Blanks
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate power verb from the list below:
- The new employee __________ the project with great enthusiasm.
- The CEO __________ the company’s profits in the last quarter.
- The team __________ a new strategy to increase sales.
- The teacher __________ the students to always try their best.
Power Verbs: innovate, motivate, initiate, analyze
Exercise 2: Match the Definition
Match the power verb with its correct definition:
A. To make something as good as it can be B. To make something easier or more convenient C. To assess the value or quality of something D. To convince someone to do something
Exercise 3: Rewrite the Sentence
Rewrite the following sentence using a power verb:
- The manager was happy with the team’s progress.
Answer: The manager was pleased with the team’s progress.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some strong action verbs to use in lesson plans?
When creating lesson plans, it’s important to use strong action verbs to clearly communicate the intended learning outcomes. Some examples of strong action verbs to use in lesson plans include: analyze, compare, contrast, create, evaluate, explain, identify, interpret, and summarize. By using these verbs, we can guide students towards specific learning goals and help them to develop critical thinking skills.
What are some power verbs that students can use to improve their writing?
In order to improve their writing, students can use power verbs to make their writing more engaging and effective. Some examples of power verbs that students can use include: persuade, convince, describe, illustrate, demonstrate, and narrate . By using these verbs, students can create more vivid and descriptive writing that captures the reader’s attention.
What are some powerful verbs to use on a resume?
When creating a resume, it’s important to use powerful verbs to highlight your skills and accomplishments. Some examples of powerful verbs to use on a resume include: achieved, created, developed, implemented, managed, organized, and supervised. By using these verbs, we can showcase our achievements and demonstrate our value to potential employers.
What are some action verbs to use when trying to convey knowledge?
When trying to convey knowledge, it’s important to use action verbs to clearly communicate the intended message. Some examples of action verbs to use when trying to convey knowledge include: explain, demonstrate, illustrate, teach, and train. By using these verbs, we can effectively communicate complex ideas and help others to understand and learn.
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Make Your Writing Pop: An Essential List of Strong Verbs
Strong verbs are an important part of any piece of writing. They can make your sentences more vivid and engaging, allowing your readers to visualize the scene in their minds. Strong verbs also help add a sense of action and movement to your writing, making it more exciting and interesting. They can also help to make your writing more concise and direct, helping to get your point across quickly and effectively.
Replace These Verbs in Your Writing
Change your verbs with “ing” suffixes.
Before: I was running to the store. After: I sprinted to the store or I ran to the store.
Before: She was walking home. After: She strolled home or she walked home.
Replace Your Adverbs With Verbs
Replace Your Adverbs With Verbs is an important writing tool to help make your writing more vivid and engaging. It’s a great way to make your sentences more concise and effective by swapping out adverbs for verbs. This can help your writing stand out from the crowd and make it more memorable.
A quick way to do this while editing is simply to search for “ly” and replace some of the words with more vivid verbs.
Replace Your State-of-Being Verbs
Be en, Had, Do, Does, Did, Can, Are, Could, Am, Is, Will, Would, Should, May, Have, Has, M ight, Mus,t Sh all, Would, Was
List of 300 Strong Verbs
You might also be interested in learning all about how to make your own tongue twisters .
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Strong Verbs Cheat Sheet: A Word List for Writers
Ambiguous Verbs Dilute Writing
Which of these sentences prompts a more powerful image?
He walked to the door.
He plodded to the door.
The second example shows us a character who might be tired, lonely, or depressed. One verb paints a powerful picture.
Some sources insist that writers should show — almost to the exclusion of tell. A frequent consequence of this approach is word bloat . However, well-chosen verbs deliver precise meanings. They invigorate narrative without increasing word count.
Harness Strong Verbs and Their Diverse Nuances
The child was under her guardian’s care.
This statement offers a basic fact but no details that might further the story.
Review the following three revisions. Each one replaces was with a stronger alternative:
The child thrived under her guardian’s care.
This child is healthy. We intuit a caring guardian who probably feeds the girl well and attends to her physical and emotional needs.
The child endured under her guardian’s care.
The second child might be alive in spite of her guardian’s care. Perhaps he abuses her physically or emotionally.
The child subsisted under her guardian’s care.
The third child survives, albeit at a minimal level. Perhaps the guardian doesn’t provide a healthy diet or a clean environment.
Let’s Evaluate Another Scenario
Alyssa walked toward the table while she looked at the grandfather clock next to the china cabinet. The clock chimed midnight. She pulled out her phone and touched the screen. Three hours. Henry had been gone for three hours.
Here, we see a woman who is waiting for Henry. However, we don’t know whether she’s worried or angry . Let’s change the underlined verbs:
Alyssa trudged toward the table while she stared at the grandfather clock next to the china cabinet. The clock chimed midnight. She dragged out her phone and fondled the screen. Three hours. Henry had been gone for three hours.
The strong verbs show an Alyssa who seems worried, perhaps even depressed. She fondles the screen of her phone. Maybe her screensaver is a photo of Henry.
Alyssa stomped toward the table while she glared at the grandfather clock next to the china cabinet. The clock chimed midnight. She jerked out her phone and jabbed the screen. Three hours. Henry had been gone for three hours.
Do you have any doubt that this Alyssa is angry?
A Final Set of Examples
Sparks appeared in the hallway, and smoke blew into the coffee room. Trent went to the fire alarm and pulled the handle. He listened . No sound from the alarm. He moved toward the emergency exit.
In view of the circumstances, Trent seems illogically nonchalant.
Sparks erupted in the hallway, and smoke billowed into the coffee room. Trent raced to the fire alarm and wrenched the handle. He concentrated . No sound from the alarm. He inched toward the emergency exit.
This Trent acts suitably anxious, but he exhibits care while he moves through the smoke toward the emergency exit.
The Cheat Sheet
The following list contains several common verbs, along with suggested alternatives.
appear: emerge, erupt, expand, flash into view, materialize, pop up, solidify, spread out, surface, take shape, unfold, unfurl, unwrap
be: bloom, blossom, endure, exist, flourish, last, live, manage, persevere, persist, prevail, remain, stay, subsist, survive, thrive
begin: activate, commence, create, initiate, launch, originate [Do you need begin, start, or their relatives? Writing is usually stronger without them.]
believe: accept, admit, affirm, conjecture, hope, hypothesize, imagine, postulate, presume, speculate, surmise, suspect, trust
blow: billow, blast, curl, drift, eddy, flow, flutter, fly, gasp, glide, gust, puff, roar, sail, scud, sough, storm, surge, swell, undulate, waft, whirl
break: crush, decimate, demolish, destroy, disintegrate, flatten, fracture, fragment, raze, shatter, smash, snap, splinter, split
bring: bear, carry, cart, drag, draggle, ferry, fetch, forward, haul, heave, heft, lug, relay, schlep, send, shuttle, tow, transport
close: bang shut, bar, block, blockade, bolt, bung, cork, fasten, latch, lock, obstruct, plug, seal, secure, slam, squeeze shut, stopper
come: advance, approach, arrive, draw near, drive, enter, fly, near, proceed, reach, show up, slip in, sneak, travel, turn up
cry: bawl, bellow, bleat, blubber, howl, keen, mewl, moan, snivel, scream, sob, squall, squeal, wail, weep, whimper, whine, yelp
disappear: atomize, crumble, disband, disperse, dissipate, dissolve, evaporate, fade away, fizzle out, melt away, scatter, vaporize
do: accomplish, achieve, attempt, complete, consummate, enact, execute, fulfill, implement, perform, shoulder, undertake
eat: bolt, chomp, consume, devour, dine, gobble, gnaw at, gorge, guzzle, ingest, inhale, munch, nibble, pick at, scarf, wolf down
feel (1): appreciate, bear, encounter, endure, experience, face, tolerate, stand, suffer, suspect, undergo, weather, withstand
feel (2): brush, caress, finger, fondle, grope, knead, manipulate, massage, palpate, pat, paw, poke, press, prod, rub, stroke, tap
get: annex, acquire, appropriate, attain, capture, clear, collect, earn, gain, gather, gross, land, procure, purchase, score, secure, steal, win
give: award, bequeath, bestow, confer, contribute, deliver, donate, grant, lend, offer, present, proffer, turn over, volunteer, vouchsafe
go: abscond, bolt, escape, exit, flee, fly, hightail it, journey, retire, retreat, sally, scram, set out, split, travel, vamoose, withdraw
have: boast, brandish, conserve, control, display, enjoy, flaunt, hoard, husband, keep, maintain, own, possess, preserve, retain
help: abet, aid, alleviate, assist, augment, back, bolster, comfort, encourage, improve, relieve, rescue, sanction, succor, support
hold: capture, clasp, clench, cling, clutch, cuddle, embrace, enfold, envelop, grapple, grasp, grip, hug, pinch, seize, snatch, squeeze
jump: bob, bobble, bounce, bound, caper, cavort, clear, frisk, hop, hurdle, jolt, jounce, leap, leapfrog, rocket, romp, skip, spring, vault
know: appreciate, comprehend, fathom, follow, grasp, identify, perceive, realize, recollect, recognize, register, twig, understand
let: accept, acquiesce, allow, approve, authorize, consent, empower, enable, facilitate, license, okay, permit, sanction, suffer, tolerate
like: admire, adore, adulate, cherish, dote, enjoy, esteem, honor, idolize, relish, respect, revere, savor, treasure, venerate, worship
listen: earwig, concentrate, eavesdrop, focus on, heed, monitor, overhear, pay attention, perk the ears, snoop, spy, take note
look: eye, examine, gape, gawk, gaze, glance, glare, goggle, inspect, ogle, peek, peer, rubberneck, scrutinize, stare, study, survey
move: advance, budge, climb, creep, edge, gallivant, inch, progress, reposition, shift, sidle, slide, slink, slip, slither, stir, tiptoe, travel
occur: arise, befall, betide, chance, coalesce, crop up, crystalize, ensue, eventuate, manifest, supervene, surface, transpire
pull: drag, draw, extract, haul, jerk, lug, mine, pluck, schlep, seize, snatch, tow, trawl, troll, tug, tweak, twist, withdraw, wrench, yank
put: arrange, deposit, drop, dump, lay, leave, lodge, organize, park, place, plant, plonk, plunk, position, push, release, stash, wedge
run: bolt, charge, dart, dash, gallop, hurtle, jog, lope, race, rush, scamper, scurry, scoot, shoot, speed, sprint, tear, trot, zip, zoom
see: detect, differentiate, discover, distinguish, glimpse, identify, notice, observe, perceive, recognize, sight, spot, view, witness
shake: agitate, churn, convulse, jiggle, joggle, jostle, judder, quake, quiver, rock, seethe, shudder, sway, tremble, vibrate, wobble
sit: alight, collapse into, drop into, fall into, flop, hang, loll, lounge, park, perch, recline, rest, roost, settle, slump into, sprawl, straddle
smile: beam, brighten, dimple, flash the teeth, glow, grin, leer, light up, radiate delight, simper, smirk, sneer, snigger, sparkle, twinkle
speak: articulate, chat, chatter, converse, enunciate, gossip, mumble, murmur, natter, orate, parley, proclaim, verbalize, vocalize, whisper
stand (1): abide, bear, brook, countenance, endure, live through, suffer through, stomach, survive, tolerate, undergo, weather
stand (2): arise, bob up, get to one’s feet, get up, jump out of one’s seat, jump up, leap up, push out of one’s seat, rise, rise up, spring up
stand (3): peacock, pose, position oneself, posture, seesaw, shift from foot to foot, strike a pose, sway, teeter, teeter-totter, wobble
take: carry, cart, conduct, convey, deliver, escort, ferry, guide, marshal, shepherd, shoulder, steer, tote, transfer, transport, usher
talk: argue, blather, burble, confer, converse, debate, deliberate, discuss, lecture, maunder, prate, splutter, sputter, stammer, stutter
tell: announce, apprise, assert, avow, chronicle, claim, declare, describe, disclose, divulge, maintain, narrate, proclaim, report, reveal
think: conceive, concoct, contemplate, deliberate, dream, envisage, imagine, invent, meditate, muse, ponder, reflect, visualize, weigh
touch: caress, elbow, finger, fondle, graze, handle, jab, jostle, manhandle, mess, pat, scrape, scratch, shove, stroke, tap, tousle
turn: circle, gyrate, gyre, pirouette, pivot, reel, revolve, rotate, spin, spiral, swivel, twirl, twist, twizzle, wheel, whip around, whirl
understand: absorb, believe, cognize, comprehend, conclude, decipher, fathom, grasp, interpret, make out, make sense of, unravel
use: apply, channel, deploy, employ, establish, exercise, exploit, harness, maneuver, manipulate, practice, ply, utilize, wield
walk: amble, dance, drift, march, meander, parade, patrol, plod, promenade, saunter, slog, stomp, stroll, trek, tromp, trudge, wander
watch: eyeball, follow, guard, inspect, observe, police, protect, safeguard, scan, scrutinize, stalk, study, surveil, survey, track, view
work: aspire, drudge, endeavor, exert oneself, fight, grind, labor, slog, skivvy, strain, strive, struggle, sweat, toil, travail, wrestle
Ready for a Few Verb Aerobics?
Replace the underlined words with stronger choices.
With a scowl on her face , Endora put her arms across her chest and looked at Samantha. “You haven’t looked like that since your father won the Mr. Universe Pageant two centuries ago. What’s up?”
“Oh, nothing.” Samantha smiled . “Darrin just received a promotion, and we’re going to the Bahamas to celebrate.”
“Goodie. I can babysit while you’re gone.”
“Sorry, Mom. The kids are going with us.”
A thunderclap sounded . The house shook . Endora looked at her daughter. “They’re what?”
Suggested solution
Endora crossed her arms and scowled at Samantha. “You haven’t looked like that since your father won the Mr. Universe Pageant two centuries ago. What’s up?”
“Oh, nothing.” Samantha grinned . “Darrin just received a promotion, and we’re going to the Bahamas to celebrate.”
A thunderclap boomed . The house juddered . Endora glared at her daughter. “They’re what?”
Notes: Put her arms across her chest becomes crossed her arms . Dialogue remains as is to seem realistic, including Samantha’s repetition of going . The short sentences in the final paragraph speed the action and amplify the tension.
What’s that noise? Angela turned around. She listened .
Maximus appeared in the mist. She moved toward him — close, closer. She touched his arm. He spoke so quietly she couldn’t understand his words.
Puzzled, she looked into his eyes . He looked back with opaque amber orbs.
She shook .
What’s that noise? Angela whipped around. She concentrated .
Maximus materialized in the mist. She inched toward him — close, closer — and caressed his arm. He mumbled so quietly she couldn’t decipher his words.
Puzzled, she peered into his eyes. He stared back with opaque amber orbs.
She trembled .
Notes: Each verb in the suggested solution was selected from the cheat sheet.
Timmy put his tooth under his pillow and smiled at Mummy. “When will the Tooth Fairy come?”
She touched his forehead. “Not until you’re asleep. When she hears you snoring, she’ll sneak in. You’ll never see her, because she makes herself invisible.”
He closed his eyes and made a snoring noise .
Mummy touched his hair. “Nuh-uh. She’s too smart to fall for that.”
“Awwww. But I want to see her.”
Timmy stashed his tooth under his pillow and beamed at Mummy. “When will the Tooth Fairy come?”
She stroked his forehead. “Not until you’re asleep. When she hears you snoring, she’ll sneak in. You’ll never see her, because she makes herself invisible.”
He squeezed his eyes shut and faked a snore .
Mummy tousled his hair. “Nuh-uh. She’s too smart to fall for that.”
Notes: Once again, dialogue is untouched. The replacements are straightforward.
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8 thoughts on “ Strong Verbs Cheat Sheet: A Word List for Writers ”
Very thoughtful and practical- I support your efforts.
Thanks, John.
I always enjoy your worthsmithing, Kathy, and this is one of your best. I’ll be sharing it with my writing critique group. Thanks! Lakota
Thanks, Lakota!
And thanks again for your advice on how writers can increase productivity and perseverance .
Thank you posting. I love it. Sounds strange I have aphasia a language disorder I got after having strokes. Did not take up writing before strokes wanted to. But now here I am and your message make purrrr fect sense. May I show my speech therapist? Copy it out and show her? blessings
Sure, Donna. Feel free to share. Do you find that your symptoms are improving with time and therapy?
Love your posts Kathy. Thank you. 🙂
Thanks for reading and sharing them, Debby!
List of Strong Verbs: 300 Powerhouse Words for Nonfiction Writers
by Harry Wallett
You know the feeling–you’re working on a piece and the words just seem flat. Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Have you ever wondered how to inject some excitement into your prose without going overboard?
One of the secrets to making your writing more engaging is using strong verbs. They add vigor and clarity, transforming your work into a captivating read.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ve compiled a list of 300 strong verbs divided into six groups to punch up your work. But we won’t stop there. We’ll also provide tips on how to use them effectively so you can make the most of their power.
Our goal is to help you create more engaging, dynamic, and vivid pieces that will leave your nonfiction readers feeling both informed and entertained.
So, buckle up and get ready to dive into the world of strong verbs. By the time you’re done with this post, you’ll have a treasure trove of linguistic gems to enhance your nonfiction writing.
Let’s go!
300 Strong Verbs to Elevate Your Nonfiction Writing
As a nonfiction writer, your choice of verbs can make all the difference in the world. Strong verbs not only help you convey your message more effectively, but they also add precision to your writing.
Below, I’ve compiled a list of 300 strong verbs, divided into six groups, that’ll take your nonfiction writing to new heights. They’ll help you add depth and dimension to your writing:
Action Verbs
Action verbs are your best friends when it comes to keeping your reader’s attention. They help you convey movement and energy–making your writing more dynamic.
By incorporating these verbs into your nonfiction work, you’ll create a stronger connection with your readers and invite them to experience the action alongside you.
Whether you’re writing about a historical event, a scientific discovery, or a personal experience, action verbs can are particularly useful when you want to add pace and urgency to your writing, making your narrative more gripping and exciting.
Here’s are some action-packed verbs that’ll take your nonfiction writing to the next level:
- X-ray (as in examining)
Descriptive Verbs
Descriptive verbs play a crucial role in making your nonfiction writing come alive. They help you paint a vivid picture in your reader’s mind, allowing them to fully grasp the essence of your message.
When you use descriptive verbs effectively, your readers will feel like they’re right there with you, experiencing your story firsthand.
These verbs add depth, clarity, and engagement to your writing, making it more relatable and appealing. They can turn a mundane description into a captivating one, capturing your reader’s imagination and holding their interest.
The following descriptive verbs are perfect for when you want to showcase the finer details or create an immersive atmosphere:
- Xerox (as in duplicate)
Persuasive Verbs
Persuasive verbs are the secret sauce that can elevate your nonfiction writing from good to great. They’re the key to convincing your readers, swaying their opinions, and inspiring them to take action.
By using persuasive verbs effectively, you’ll be able to make a compelling case for your ideas, while also adding credibility and authority to your work.
Whether you’re writing a persuasive essay, an op-ed piece, or a call-to-action, these verbs will help you communicate your message in a powerful and influential manner.
They can also be used subtly in your writing to emphasize specific points or to steer your readers towards a particular conclusion.
Here’s a collection of persuasive verbs that will help get there quickly:
- Corroborate
Emotional Verbs
Emotional verbs hold the power to evoke deep feelings and emotions in your readers. They can make your nonfiction writing more relatable and memorable.
When used effectively, emotional verbs help you connect with your readers on a deeper level, drawing them into your story and making them care about the outcome.
These verbs are particularly useful in personal essays, memoirs, or any nonfiction writing where you want to convey the emotional landscape of your story. They can also be used to create empathy, build tension, or provide insight into your inner thoughts and feelings:
- Commiserate
Verbs for Comparison and Contrast
Verbs for comparison and contrast are essential tools for nonfiction writers. These verbs allow you to highlight similarities and differences between ideas, objects, or situations–making your writing more insightful and engaging.
Comparison and contrast verbs are particularly useful in essays, articles, and other nonfiction writing where you need to analyze, evaluate, or make connections between different aspects of your topic.
They can be used to present contrasting viewpoints, emphasize key points, or simply to illustrate the complexity of an issue.
Here’s a list of verbs for comparison and contrast to help you make your nonfiction writing more analytical and thought-provoking:
- Approximate
- Commensurate
- Differentiate
- Discriminate
- Synchronize
Verbs for Analysis and Explanation
Verbs for analysis and explanation also play a crucial role in nonfiction writing. They help you present complex ideas, arguments, or data in a clear and easily understandable manner.
These verbs allow you to dig deep into your topic, offering your readers a more detailed and nuanced understanding of your subject.
Using these verbs will enable you to effectively break down concepts, interpret information, and communicate your findings to your readers. They’ll also contribute to the overall clarity and coherence of your writing–making it more enjoyable to read and easier to follow:
- Authenticate
- Consolidate
- Contemplate
- Distinguish
- Extrapolate
- Investigate
- Systematize
7 Tips for Using Strong Verbs in Nonfiction Writing
Now that you’ve got a hefty list of strong verbs, here are some tips for using them effectively:
- Choose the right verb for the context . Strong verbs can’t work their magic if they don’t fit the situation.
- Balance strong verbs with other language elements . Your writing should have a nice mix of strong verbs, adjectives, and other parts of speech.
- Avoid overusing strong verbs . While they’re great, too many strong verbs can make your writing feel overwhelming.
- Use strong verbs to create vivid imagery . By choosing verbs that evoke specific images in your readers’ minds, you can make your nonfiction writing more engaging and memorable.
- Replace weak or generic verbs with more precise ones . If you find yourself using plain-sounding words like “do,” “make,” or “go,” consider whether a stronger, more specific verb might better convey your meaning.
- Vary your verbs throughout your writing –using a diverse range of strong verbs helps maintain your readers’ interest and prevents your writing from becoming monotonous.
- Consider the tone and style of your writing . While strong verbs are generally a good choice, make sure they align with the overall tone and style you’re aiming for in your nonfiction piece. Some verbs may be too informal or jarring for certain contexts.
In Conclusion
And there you have it–300 strong verbs to spice up your nonfiction writing. By now, you should have a solid understanding of the power that strong verbs hold in nonfiction writing.
With these versatile verbs at your disposal, you’ll be equipped to breathe new life into your work and create pieces that are engaging, dynamic, and vivid.
But don’t forget, using strong verbs effectively is an art in itself. Make sure to choose the right verb for the context, balance strong verbs with other language elements, and avoid overusing them.
As a nonfiction writer, your mission is to inform, educate, and inspire your readers. By incorporating strong verbs into your writing, you’ll not only make your prose more captivating but also build trust and credibility with your audience.
So, go ahead, experiment with these linguistic gems, and watch as your writing gets transformed!
Harry Wallett is the Managing Director of Cascadia Author Services. He has a decade of experience as the Founder and Managing Director of Relay Publishing, which has sold over 3 million copies of books in all genres for its authors, and looks after a team of 50+ industry professionals working across the world.
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The 108 Most Persuasive Words In The English Language
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THE 108 MOST PERSUASIVE WORDS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
It’s a long known fact that the secret to persuasive writing isn’t in the adjectives, it’s in the verbs.
Copywriters know power verbs sell and convince.
Internally, we have a list of 108 verbs that we’ve been using for a good decade, and we recently thought we should share it with proper credit to the original author.
We found that although the list is being recirculated (and in many cases claimed as original by several different authors!), the original author is, in fact, nowhere to be found.
So, if anyone knows who wrote this, we’d love to know!
With or without the original author, it’s still a great list…here it is!
According to legendary advertising man, Leo Burnet, “Dull and exaggerated ad copy is due to the excess use of adjectives.”
To prove it, he asked his staff to compare the number of adjectives in 62 ads that failed to the number of adjectives in Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, and other age-old classics.
Here’s what he discovered:
Of the 12,758 words in the 62 failed ads, 24.1% were adjectives.
By direct comparison, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address contains only 35 adjectives out of 268 immortal words – only 13.1% adjective-to-total-word ratio.
Winston Churchill’s famous “Blood, Sweat and Tears” speech rates even lower and has a 12.1% adjective ratio (81 adjectives from 667 words).
Burnett found that similar ratios applied to great works such as The Lord’s Prayer, the Ten Commandments, and the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution. Conclusion: Use more verbs, not adjectives.
Verbs increase the pulling-power and believability of ad copy.
That’s why it makes sense to keep this 108-VERB “CHEAT-SHEET” close-by whenever you begin to draft your next space ad, sales letter, Website, or email campaign.
Still unsure how to incorporate these verbs into your marketing campaign? Or, perhaps, you just don’t have the time?
Then consider hiring a team of professional copywriters to do it for you! Talented advertising and marketing writers can take mediocre content and use power verbs to turn it into engaging copy that meets goals and produces results.
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3 thoughts on “ The 108 Most Persuasive Words In The English Language ”
It is remarkable, very amusing piece
Hi there, love your website. I am a teacher and my kids love using your amazing verbs you have provided us with in their writing. Email me and I could send you some drafts of their writing – you’ll be blown away!
Catch up soon 🙂
Thanks, Hope Brown
Hi Hope! We are so happy to hear that our blog has helped you and your students. We would love to see some of their writing!
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Which of these “Power Verbs” do you find most persuasive?
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Power Verbs in English
What are power verbs?
Power verbs are action words that have positive meanings in English. When you use a power verb, you can communicate your message more strongly and confidently than when using other verbs. This is especially useful when you are applying for a job and want to appear as a confident and competent candidate. Power verbs can also make your writing more interesting and help prevent you from using the same words too many times.
The following sentences are examples from the Work Experience section of a resume. Notice the differences between the sentences.
Made new software for ABC Company. → Made is a weaker verb. Developed new software for ABC Company. → Developed is a power verb. You sound more confident and interesting using ‘developed’ .
Where can I use power verbs?
Power verbs are useful in many situations. They are especially great for resumes, job interviews, and academic writing like essays.
Before you use a power verb…
- Make sure you understand the exact meaning of the power verb you are going to use. You don’t want to make a mistake with the word, especially on a resume.
- Look the word up in a dictionary, search the internet for examples of sentences where it has been used, and if possible, find someone to check your sentence to make sure that you’ve used it correctly.
- Make sure you are comfortable with the word before you use it.
Weak verbs to avoid: ☹
Here is a list of verbs you should avoid on your resume where possible:
GENERAL POWER VERB LIST
Here are some better alternatives to common weak words.
Weak Word: DID
Weak word: make, weak word: fix.
- investigated
- revitalized
- synthesized
Weak Word: SHOW
- demonstrate
Weak Words: TALK , SPEAK , WRITE , COMMUNICATE
- communicate
- collaborate
- disseminate
Weak Word: KEEP
Weak word: use, weak word: get, weak word: change , make something better , get results.
- recognize for (passive verb = “is/was recognized for”)
Weak Word: HELP
Weak word: add, weak word: start, power verbs for specific industries.
Here are some power verbs we often use when talking about our experience in certain jobs and industries. This is not a complete list of power verbs. I have covered some of the most common power verbs in the list below, but there are many more. Please note that the same power verbs can be used for many different jobs, so if you see a power verb in one job category such as medicine, it may also apply to a different job too.
Customer Service, Tourism, Hospitality, Retail Store
- accommodate
Law & Legal Professions
- interviewed
- investigate
Leader & Management
- consolidate
- orchestrate
Business, Finance, Accounting
- account for
Public Sector & Government
Administrative, clerical, receptionist, secretary, teaching & advising, researcher, scientist, academic, it, computers, tech.
- rehabilitate
Machine Operator
- manufacture
Watch my video on power verbs for a full explanation of how to use them in your resume, with examples:
Test your understanding of this English lesson
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Strong Verbs to Instantly Elevate Your Writing
By: Author Sophie
Posted on Last updated: August 16, 2023
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Welcome! Today, we’re going to talk about strong verbs and how they can make your writing more captivating and engaging. Strong verbs are an essential part of any writer’s toolkit, and they can help you create more vivid and descriptive sentences that will capture your reader’s attention.
In this article, we’ll explore what strong verbs are and why they’re important. We’ll also provide you with some examples of strong verbs, so you can see how they can be used in different contexts. By the end of this article, you’ll have a better understanding of how to use strong verbs in your writing and how they can help you create more powerful and effective sentences.
Strong Verbs – Image
Understanding Strong Verbs
As a writer, you want your work to be clear, concise, and engaging. One way to achieve this is by using strong verbs in your writing. Strong verbs are powerful words that convey precise meaning without the need for modifiers or qualifiers. They add depth and clarity to your writing, making it more interesting and engaging for your readers.
Strong verbs are also useful in avoiding vague descriptions and making your writing more concise. When you use strong verbs, you don’t need to add adverbs or adjectives to describe the action. This makes your writing more efficient and effective.
Here are some examples of how strong verbs can improve your writing:
- Weak verb: The dog walked slowly.
- Strong verb: The dog sauntered.
- Weak verb: She ate quickly.
- Strong verb: She devoured.
- Weak verb: He looked at her angrily.
- Strong verb: He glared at her.
As you can see, using strong verbs can make your writing more vivid and engaging. They help you create a more precise picture in your reader’s mind, making your writing more memorable.
To help you understand how to use strong verbs, here is a table of weak verbs and their strong verb alternatives:
| Weak Verb | Strong Verb |
|---|---|
| Walked | Strolled |
| Ran | Sprinted |
| Said | Whispered |
| Looked | Glanced |
| Ate | Devoured |
| Laughed | Chuckled |
By using strong verbs, you can create a more engaging and memorable piece of writing. So, next time you’re writing, try to incorporate some strong verbs into your work and see the difference it makes.
Importance of Strong Verbs
Enhancing Communication
Strong verbs help you convey your message more effectively. They allow you to express your ideas more precisely and vividly. By using strong verbs, you can paint a clear picture in your reader’s mind, making your writing more engaging and memorable.
For example, instead of saying “The man walked slowly,” you could use a stronger verb like “The man sauntered.” This word choice not only conveys the same message but also adds a sense of style and personality to your writing.
Improving Writing Style
Strong verbs can also improve your writing style by making it more interesting and engaging. By using strong verbs, you can avoid vague and boring descriptions that can make your writing dull and unappealing.
For instance, instead of saying “The car moved quickly,” you could use a stronger verb like “The car zoomed.” This word choice not only conveys the same message but also adds a sense of excitement and energy to your writing.
To help you choose strong verbs, we have compiled a list of some of the most powerful and precise verbs you can use in your writing:
| Verb | Definition |
|---|---|
| Accelerate | To move faster |
| Captivate | To attract and hold the attention of |
| Devour | To eat quickly and eagerly |
| Extinguish | To put out a fire or light |
| Illuminate | To light up or make clear |
| Jolt | To shock or surprise |
| Obliterate | To destroy completely |
| Quicken | To make faster |
| Reveal | To make known or visible |
| Unleash | To release or set free |
By incorporating these strong verbs into your writing, you can make your work more dynamic and engaging.
Examples of Strong Verbs
Action Verbs
Action verbs are used to describe physical or mental actions. They help to create a sense of movement and energy in a sentence. Here are some examples of strong action verbs:
| Verb | Definition |
|---|---|
| Sprint | To run at a fast pace |
| Pummel | To hit repeatedly |
| Conquer | To overcome or defeat |
| Devour | To eat greedily |
| Illuminate | To light up or brighten |
Emotional Verbs
Emotional verbs are used to describe feelings and emotions. They help to create a sense of empathy and connection with the reader. Here are some examples of strong emotional verbs:
| Verb | Definition |
|---|---|
| Adore | To love intensely |
| Despise | To hate strongly |
| Empathize | To understand and share the feelings of another |
| Fret | To worry or be anxious |
| Yearn | To long for or desire strongly |
Sensory Verbs
Sensory verbs are used to describe the five senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. They help to create a vivid and immersive experience for the reader. Here are some examples of strong sensory verbs:
| Verb | Definition |
|---|---|
| Glimpse | To see briefly |
| Roar | To make a loud noise |
| Caress | To touch gently |
| Savor | To enjoy the taste or smell of something |
| Inhale | To breathe in deeply |
Utilizing Strong Verbs in Sentences
By using strong verbs, you can create more dynamic and engaging sentences that draw the reader in and keep them interested. Let’s take a look at a few examples:
- Weak: The dog ran across the field.
- Strong: The dog bounded across the field, his tail wagging with excitement.
- Weak: She said hello to her friend.
- Strong: She greeted her friend with a warm smile and a hug.
As you can see, the strong verbs in these sentences help to paint a clearer picture of what is happening and create a more engaging reading experience.
But how do you go about incorporating strong verbs into your writing? Here are a few tips:
- Use a thesaurus to find more descriptive verbs that convey the exact meaning you are trying to convey.
- Look for opportunities to replace weak, generic verbs with more specific and vivid ones.
- Avoid using passive voice and opt for active voice instead, which often requires stronger verbs.
- Read widely and pay attention to how other writers use strong verbs in their writing.
By following these tips and incorporating strong verbs into your writing, you can create more engaging and effective sentences that will capture your reader’s attention and keep them interested.
Strong Verbs in Literature
Strong verbs are an essential tool for writers to create vivid and engaging literature. They allow writers to convey precise meaning without relying on modifiers or qualifiers. In literature, strong verbs can help create a mood, establish character, and move the plot forward.
One of the most famous examples of the power of strong verbs in literature is Ernest Hemingway’s writing style. Hemingway was known for his minimalist approach to writing, and his use of strong verbs played a significant role in his success. Hemingway’s verbs were often short, simple, and powerful, conveying a sense of action and urgency.
For example, in his novel “ The Old Man and the Sea ,” Hemingway uses strong verbs to create a vivid picture of the protagonist’s struggle with a giant marlin. He writes, “The fish surged, pulling the boat forward. The old man leaned back and pulled on the line, his muscles straining.” The verbs “surged” and “pulled” create a sense of movement and tension, while the use of “leaned back” and “muscles straining” conveys the effort the old man is putting into the fight.
Another example of the power of strong verbs in literature is in J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” series. Rowling uses strong verbs to create a sense of magic and wonder in her writing. For example, in “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,” she writes, “The Sorting Hat had barely touched his head when it whispered in his ear – Gryffindor!” The verb “whispered” creates a sense of intimacy and mystery, while the use of the exclamation mark conveys the excitement of the moment.
Tips to Incorporate Strong Verbs in Your Writing
Strong verbs are essential for making your writing more powerful and engaging. They add action, vitality, color, and zest to your writing. Here are some tips to help you incorporate strong verbs in your writing:
1. Use specific verbs instead of adverbs
Adverbs, such as “quickly,” “loudly,” and “easily,” are often used to modify weak verbs. However, using specific verbs instead of adverbs can make your writing more concise and powerful. For example, instead of saying “She walked quickly,” say “She sprinted.”
2. Use strong verbs in place of passive voice
Passive voice can make your writing sound dull and lifeless. Using strong verbs in place of passive voice can make your writing more active and engaging. For example, instead of saying “The ball was thrown by John,” say “John threw the ball.”
3. Use strong verbs to show instead of tell
Instead of telling your readers what is happening, use strong verbs to show them. For example, instead of saying “He was angry,” say “He seethed with anger.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some examples of strong verbs used in writing?
Strong verbs are action words that convey a clear and vivid image to the reader. Here are some examples of strong verbs used in writing:
- Sprinted instead of ran
- Devoured instead of ate
- Pondered instead of thought
- Cackled instead of laughed
How can strong verbs improve my writing?
Strong verbs can improve your writing by making it more engaging, descriptive, and impactful. They can help you create a clear picture in the reader’s mind and convey emotions and actions more effectively.
What is the difference between a strong verb and a weak verb?
A strong verb is a specific, descriptive, and action-packed word that conveys a clear image to the reader. A weak verb, on the other hand, is a generic and vague word that requires an adverb to convey the intended meaning.
How do I identify strong verbs in a sentence?
To identify strong verbs in a sentence, look for action words that convey a clear and vivid image to the reader. Strong verbs often replace weak verbs and adverbial phrases. For example, instead of saying “she walked slowly,” you can say “she sauntered.”
Why are strong verbs important in English grammar?
Strong verbs are important in English grammar because they help you convey your message more effectively and engage your reader. They can make your writing more descriptive, engaging, and impactful. Using strong verbs can also help you avoid wordiness and redundancy in your writing.
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Strong verbs can improve your writing by making it more engaging, descriptive, and impactful. They can help you create a clear picture in the reader's mind and convey emotions and actions more effectively.
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To identify strong verbs in a sentence, look for action words that convey a clear and vivid image to the reader. Strong verbs often replace weak verbs and adverbial phrases. For example, instead of saying \"she walked slowly,\" you can say \"she sauntered.\"
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Here are some tips for using strong verbs effectively:
- Use strong verbs to replace weak verbs and adverbial phrases
- Choose verbs that convey the intended meaning clearly and vividly
- Use strong verbs to create a clear picture in the reader's mind
- Avoid using weak verbs and adverbial phrases as crutches
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Discover our list of strong verbs with 249 carefully chosen words to energize your nonfiction writing. Transform your work and captivate readers.
THE 108 MOST PERSUASIVE WORDS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE It's a long known fact that the secret to persuasive writing isn't in the adjectives, it's in the verbs. Copywriters know power verbs sell and convince.
What are power verbs? Power verbs are action words that have positive meanings in English. When you use a power verb, you can communicate your message more strongly and confidently than when using other verbs. This is especially useful when you are applying for a job and want to appear as a confident and competent candidate.
Strong verbs are powerful words that convey precise meaning without the need for modifiers or qualifiers. They add depth and clarity to your writing, making it more interesting and engaging for your readers.