Boring and weak language abounds in marketing.
Fortunately, polishing a skill you learned in grade school banishes ineffective language from your brand’s content.
The power behind better writing? Verbs.
Slash through wasted, wimpy verbs, and your content will pack a bigger punch and better motivate your audience.
Review these five tips and before-and-after examples to get ideas for peppering powerful verbs into your writing. The “before” excerpts come from paragraphs in writing-advice articles. (I do love irony.)
1. Know the subject of an active verb
Passive verbs work best when the subject of an action is unknown, explains the Guide to Grammar and Writing.
It shares this example: “The professor was assaulted in the hallway.” Since the assailant (i.e., subject) is unknown, this sentence couldn’t work in active voice.
But many writers weaken their sentences by using passive verb forms when the subject is known. Passive voice creates rudderless sentences. Active verbs, on the other hand, create visuals, instill emotions, and motivate readers.
Consider this verb transformation example:
Passive: “Jane is a shining example of why you should study hard.”
Active: “Jane shines as an example of why you should study hard.”
2. Move verbs into the open
As of May 2025, the U.S. government still operates a website devoted to writing effectively. On the don’t-use list? Hidden verbs.
It explains: “A hidden verb (or nominalization) is a verb converted into a noun. It often needs an extra verb to make sense. For example, ‘Please make an application for a personal loan’ is longer and less clear than ‘Please apply for a personal loan.’”
The Writing Cooperative notes hidden verbs usually end with -tion, -sion, -ment, -ance, and –al. It shares this example:
Hidden: We will conduct a demonstration of the process.
Obvious: We will demonstrate the process.
3. Minimize connecting
Linking verbs — usually forms of “to be” — connect the subject to the subject or adjective complement (a descriptor of the subject). Think of forms like am, is, are, was, were, be, been, and being.
Scribbr notes linking verbs also encompass the senses, such as taste, sound, smell, feel, and look.
Here’s a simple example of a linking verb: “The cat is asleep.” Now, change that linking to an active verb: “The cat sleeps.” Not only do you shorten the character count, but you give the sentence more oomph.
However, not all linking verbs are that easy to transform. Consider this example: “Devon is being a poor sport.”
Omitting the linking and passive verbs requires more details. With additional information, I could add action verbs to the example: “Devon lost the game and slammed their tennis racquet on the ground.”
Omitting linking verbs allows writers to better illustrate what happens because they require more explanation.
4. Stop hedging and hesitating
Don’t use unnecessary hedging verbs or phrases. Let me explain.
The Cambridge Dictionary says hedges “soften what we say or write … They make what we say less direct.”
You may need to hedge because you are uncertain of the statement or want to cushion the language to achieve a desired effect.
People sometimes use “I feel” or “we think” as a prelude to a statement, softening the takeaway. For example, “I feel you should consider increasing your video production because the research shows audiences prefer that format.”
Instead, use direct language: “Increase your video production because research shows audiences prefer that format.”
5. Avoid the overused
Following the four tips above will create more powerful content. Yet, you also should take a moment to reflect: Do those active, obvious, non-linking, non-hedging verbs dominate similar content? If so, your choice to use them could diminish that newly found verb power.
The recent U.S. stock market turmoil reflected the overuse of similarly dramatic verbs. Plunged, plummeted, slashed, slid, and rattled dominated news alerts, making it difficult to figure out how one media site’s content differed from another.
Rezi says overused verbs in resumes include worked, made, took, showed, explained, and saw. It explains the impact: “All of these verbs downgrade the significance of your skills, work experience, and achievements.”
By selecting less-used active verbs, your content will get noticed and recognized as different from all your competitors that seem to be using the same thesaurus.
TIP: Clichés also fall into the avoid category. These overused expressions lose their originality. Just like your verb choice, you have the power to resist using the tried-and-true that everybody’s seen.
Revised examples for better verbing
I found many examples of poor verb use in articles that purport to teach writing skills. Few committed a single verb sin so they would fit neatly under a tip above, so I share them here.
This paragraph from MasterClass has changed over the years.
Original: “There are certain elements that every good writing style should have, like simple words, short sentences, and direct language that engage readers. While you want to preserve your unique tone, there are ways to improve your style by being more deliberate in how you arrange your words and craft your story.”
Revised: “There are many types of writing styles, though many of them incorporate simple words, short sentences, and direct language that engage readers. While you should preserve your unique authorial tone, you can also improve your writing style with deliberate choices about structure and usage.”
In the revision, the MasterClass team removed the passiveness in the second sentence, going from “... there are ways to improve your style by being more deliberate ...” to “... you can also improve your writing style with deliberate choices ...”
However, MasterClass didn’t make every verb edit available to strengthen the paragraph. Starting with "There are many types of writing styles” immediately weakens the rest of the content.
Suggested verb-focused edit: “Many writing styles incorporate simple words, short sentences, and direct language that engage readers. While you should preserve your unique authorial tone, you can improve your style with deliberate choices about structure and usage.”
In this example from Grammarly, I get rid of an unnecessary gerund and eliminate the passive voice.
Original: “An effective book analysis is more than sharing your opinion; it’s interacting with the text and demonstrating that you’ve read it critically and formed a well-developed opinion about it.”
Suggested verb-focused edit: “An effective book analysis involves more than sharing your opinion. Interacting with the text demonstrates that you’ve read it critically and formed a well-developed opinion about it.”
In this passage from MasterClass, I switch up the less powerful passive voice and get rid of the hidden verb.
Original: “Short sentences are easier to comprehend, something that readers appreciate. Avoid trying to pack too much into a line.”
Suggested verb-focused edit: “Readers appreciate short sentences because they are easier to comprehend. Avoid packing too much into a line.”
Put verbs into an action plan
Practice verb-focused editing to pack bigger punches into your content.
Try this: On the next three pieces you edit, dedicate one round to checking verbs only. Once you do it a few times, your verb use (writing and editing) will improve. Eventually, your verb superpower will be at full strength, and you won’t need a separate verb-centered editing round.
Updated from a July 2023 post.
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