Lars Eighner's Homepage Writers' Workshop FAQ

Q. Alright, what are the weak words or expressions to look for?

A. In English the parts of speech have a natural hierarchy.

Verbs are the most important part of speech from the writers' perspective because verbs contain all the action that a sentence can express. Effective writing is about action. Often the action is not buildings being blown up or cars being wrecked (although sometimes it is). Stories about character are about the actions that demonstrate character and, usually, how character changes or responds to change. Everything we know about our environment comes from our interaction with it.

Thus, the best return for the effort invested in revision will come from revising weak verbs.

• Q. How can I identify weak verbs?

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