This post is the second in my series on “parts of speech.”
Workshop teachers often instruct aspiring fiction writers to begin their stories: “in media reas” (in the middle of the action). Without verbs, a story would have no action. How dull would that be?
Verbs – Verbs are action words. Nouns can “do” verbs.
Dogs bark.
Writers have blogs.
Friends are the friendliest. (Thanks to Moose A. Moose, Nick Jr.’s resident mascot and musician).
Those are the basics. Now let’s explore types of verbs.
Intransitive verbs: These powerful verbs work with a noun to express a complete thought: Dogs bark. No other words are necessary.
Transitive verbs: These verbs also paint a vivid verbal picture of an action, but need an object in the sentence to complete the thought. Writers have blogs. Without the word “blog,” we have no idea what it is writers have.
Editors? Deadlines? Money? Bills? Headaches? All of the above? These verbs are “transitive” because the meaning of the sentence can change dramatically based on the object you use to complete it.
Case in point: “Writers have money” and “writers have headaches” paint two very different pictures of life as a writer.
Linking verbs: Linking verbs are similar to transitive verbs; they need something in order to form a complete sentence. Transitive verbs need a noun or pronoun. Linking words, on the other hand, are more flexible and get by with an adjective, noun or noun phrase.
Linking verbs encompass all forms of the verb “to be,” plus verbs of the senses (feel, look, smell, taste), and a few other verbs, including “remain” and “seem.”
Passive verbs: Passive verbs show up when you use a form of the verb “to be” in a particular construction — a passive construction. It’s a common misconception that any time you use a form of the verb “to be,” you are writing in passive voice. That’s not true. It’s typically a good idea to substitute “be” verbs with more exciting, action-oriented verbs in your writing, but merely using the verb “to be” doesn’t make a sentence passive.
When you use passive verbs, the subject of the sentence is acted upon, rather than taking action. Limit the use of passive verbs in your writing. It’s not a good way to live and it’s not a good way to write.
Many times, the subject of the sentence (who is doing the action) is implied, but it may not always be clear. Politicians sometimes write this way in order to obscure facts.
Passive:
The deadline was missed (by the writer).
The writer was fired (by the editor).
Active:
The writer missed the deadline.
The editor fired the writer.
It’s something to think about…
