Why I love verbs - by Fran Hill

Verbs.

They are adorable. I love them to bits. Not quite as much as I love chocolate, Prosecco and Flog It, but almost.

Ask any of my students, 'What does she bang on about most when she's teaching you creative writing?'

They're used to it now: highlighting the verbs in their sentences and deciding on new ones in the search for originality. And more striking expression. And higher marks.

Three things about verbs, then, that have helped their creative writing, and mine, and may help yours.

Thing One. Sentences rely on verbs. 

Each English sentence we write relies on its verb(s) for completeness. Here's an example.

The woman wrote the blog post.

Without the verb 'wrote', you have a woman and you have a blog post. But you don't have the vital question answered: what about them? We are curious beings. We want to know. What happened? 

The woman started the blog post.
The woman finished the blog post.

Okay, thanks. That tells us something. But it's pretty boring so far. These verbs were predictable. Anything more interesting that hints at a story?

The woman resented the blog post. 
The woman cried over the blog post.
The woman deleted the blog post.
The woman yelled at the blog post.
The woman mocked her blog post. 
The woman lobbed her blog post onto the screen as though glad to be rid of it. 

Getting more interesting, perhaps.

In each of those sentences, we have the woman and we have the blog post. They don't change. It's the dynamic between them that creates intrigue. The verb is what does that.

An alien and Earth. 
A detective and a murderer. 
A wizard boy and a sworn enemy. 

What? What? What happens between them????


Thing Two. The precise verb.

The following sentences go some way towards telling us about a character's actions. That's the verb's job: to make actions clear.

He got out of bed and dressed in his work clothes. Going into the kitchen, he put the kettle on. He sat on a chair and drank some coffee then went into work.

But, because these verbs are fairly standard, it makes them imprecise for creative writing that is meant to engage a reader. We're not sure what mood this character is in. What attitude does he have towards the start of his day? What kind of day might he have as a result?

We can make a huge difference to this portrayal of the character with the verbs alone. None of the other words need to change:

He swore himself out of bed and flung on his work clothes. Slouching into the kitchen, he flicked the kettle on. He slumped on a chair and slurped some coffee, then grumbled into work. 

You could argue that the description is verb-heavy now, but hopefully you can see the point.

Let's try again, and make him sound a bit keener about his job! Perhaps it's his first day, and he's anxious to make an impression:

He leapt out of bed and selected his work clothes. Singing into the kitchen, he tapped the kettle on. He fidgeted in a chair, hot-sipping some coffee, then bombed it into work. 

Hurrah! He's cheered up!


Thing Three. Using verbs to set a scene. 

'Have your scene DOING something,' is what I tell my students. 'Replace those adjectives with verbs to make your writing go tra-la-la.'

'Writing doesn't go tra-la-la, Miss.'

'It absolutely CAN. That's my point!'

Here are some sentences about a hot day, using adjectives.

The sun was hot. The sun was glaring. The sun was scorching. The sun was burning. The sun was baking.

The following sentences introduce the same idea, but the use of a verb says something much more precise and original. Each one specifies better the type of heat and its effect.

The sun punished me. The sun rode on my back. The sun caressed the back of my neck. The sun tortured me. The sun kiss-kissed my shoulders. The sun tricked me. The sun stalked me. The sun favoured me with its rays. The sun bombarded me with its heat.

Likewise, here are some sentences about a room, using adjectives.

The room was stifling. The room was claustrophobic. The room was stuffy.

Let's try with some verbs. Obviously, there are subtle differences between the following sentences, and in which context you'd use them. But as soon as you have the room 'doing' something - we call it personification - the sense of tension increases.

The room closed in around me. The room stole all my air. The room's walls inched towards me. The room throttled me. The room threatened me. I knew the room was preparing to edge me out. 

Even better, have your setting speak. Settings love to have their say.

The room's walls whispered. 'There is no space here for such as you. We will squeeze you out.'



This picture of sheep probably comes as a surprise, but it's what came up when I looked for
a photograph to illustrate 'claustrophia'. I now see the life of a sheep differently. 





Fran Hill is a writer and English teacher from Warwickshire. You can read more about Fran and her work here, where you can also buy her book 'Being Miss', a comic tale about a day in a teacher's life.








Comments

  1. Fabulous! Thanks Fran – wish I could be in your class.

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    1. You'd be welcome, Eileen, especially as Eileen was my mum's name.

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  2. I think I NEED to be in your class

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  3. This is wonderful!Some of the examples you gave are incredible. Can I come to your class too?

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    1. I now have three extras in my class! Glad the examples were helpful :)

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    2. Anyway, you are a verb expert yourself, especially in your writing about landscapes and nature. I've always said so :)

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  4. Great post, Fran. Wish you had been my teacher! Flash fiction encourages precise writing and to use the strongest words possible for the greatest impact. One of my favourites on this was using the phrase "take the Garibaldi" in a flash fiction exercise I was set. Much more lively than just take the biscuit. Tells you something about the character too (likewise if I'd used "take the Aldi Rich Tea"!).

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    1. You're right, Allison. Flash fiction is a fantastic way to practise precision. All those words we thought essential when we drafted it - GONE!!

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  5. Thanks Fran, this is a post I'm keeping to refer back to. I went through the year at school that the powers that be stupidly decided not to teach grammar to so I always struggle with adjectives and verbs and things. Would love to sit in on your English lessons.

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    1. Thanks so much, Mandy, for your comments, and for sharing on FB. I did get taught grammar but I was so naughty in the lessons I retained none of it and had to learn All Over Again when I trained to teach English. Now I am on the other side of the desk, finding out what it's like to try and engage people in grammar! What goes around ....

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  6. Love this. So true, too. Of course we mustn't over-write, must we? The trouble is sometimes these devices are hugely powerful and then when overdone they become counter-productive... a little like this business of "show don't tell". But the principles here are excellent and good to refer to when editing our work.

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    1. I agree. It's a case of balance so that we achieve an original voice but without sounding like a thesaurus!!

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  7. 'The woman created a blog post that inspired and encouraged many to craft their writing in a whole new way.' Thank you, Fran :) ps. if the class isn't full, can I come too? I'll even bring cake!

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    1. If you're bringing cake, Martin, you can come now. Classes begin in 2 minutes.

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  8. Oh just love this and want to be in your class too. I love verbs so much more than adverbs, they have so much more power ��

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    1. Welcome to the class! I agree so much about verbs versus adverbs. I think adverbs have to be strategic to be effective.

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  9. This was so informative. I feel it has become official that I knew nothing about writing until now. Better hire a football stadium for that class we’re all joining....

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    1. A football stadium? The teacher's dream classroom - I could sit everyone so far away from each other that no one would be able to poke anyone else with a compass or pass notes.

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