Verbs
Verbs are the most important part of the sentence.
They move the sentence forward
Verbs help the reader move from the beginning of the sentence to the end. They drive movement between sentences. Imagine the reader skipping from verb to verb as they read.
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What readers expect
Verbs instead of zombie nouns
Readers expect the main actions of the sentence to be expressed as verbs (not zombie nouns). Change zombie nouns back into verbs!
Inhibiting the body's ability to use glucose is lethal.
Several yeasts transport sugar monomers by facilitated diffusion.
A recent study reported only
These publication guidelines hardly affect reporting practices.
Precise verbs
Readers expect verbs to be clear and precise. Try to avoid empty verbs like make, do, has, is, shows, and regards because they usually hide a zombie noun. Clear and precise verbs look like this:
assert postulate consider invoke eliminate radiate isolate restore permeate propel elongate interact cease constrain extend circulate activate scatter simplify generalize derive construct depict speculate investigate assess characterize guide extrapolate infer attribute transmit migrate deteriorate absorb interlock invade exude
Don't replace one empty verb with another! Ask yourself what is actually happening in the sentence and make it the verb.
From empty verbs to precise verbs
The major benefit of this intervention
This intervention allows patients to quickly resume oral intake.
In this paper, we
In this paper, we review...
Removal of the ions
The ions were removed from the plasma... OR
We removed the ions from the plasma...
Subject and verb close together
Readers expect to find the verb immediately after the subject. They tend to skip over the information between the subject and the verb. If you want the reader to read everything, move the verb close to the subject, like this:
In our model, female TMT appointments shift TMT cognitions, which, in turn, redirect knowledge-related strategic renewal from a buying to a building approach. Our model advances research on women at upper echelons and examines time-dependent, within-firm mechanisms linking women in upper echelons and firm outcome.
Active voice
Readers expect verbs to be in the active voice whenever possible. The active voice is usually more concise and is processed more quickly (= easier to read). Active voice must be used when taking responsibility for a decision. For example:
We chose this method because…
Passive voice can be used when the subject is unknown or unimportant as long as the sentence remains clear.
Either can be used to create parallelism or ensure that given information is found in the beginning of the sentence.
Choose passive voice consciously and wisely.
How important are verbs?
On a scale of 1-10, they are a 9: very important! Verbs are the lifeblood of your text. Are you having trouble using verbs wisely? Ask for help!