Feature Articles

Advise on Using Verbs

Okay, with the past few articles, you've probably gotten a whiff of my signature style, and the overall tone of a feature article.

Now, I'll guide you back on the technicalities of improving your feature, and discovering your own writing voice.

But in creating a potent article, master your spells first. Back to grammar and style.

First, on using verbs in your article.

You've probably heard from your lecturer or trainer that features are descriptive, elaborative pieces of writing. So, you are tempted to use adjectives just like the two consecutive ones I used up there.

But adjectives, despite their purpose, are really cliche tools in the writing game. They don't really persuade your reader that they're interested in your work.

Okay, let's start with the sentence above. Don't write:

         "You've probably heard from your lecturer or trainer that features are descriptive, elaborative pieces of writing."

         Instead use:
        "Your lecturer probably told you that features describe and elaborate a topic."

          Short and 🍭 sweet.

First, I cut the second person (you in English grammar) and stated the direct agent of the action.

Next, instead of using the adjectives descriptive and elaborative, I substituted their verb forms, describe and elaborate.

Verbs empower your writing more than adjectives because they act 💃🕺🏃‍♂️. They sweep your reader into the rhythm, the flow, of your story.

Verbs; 1.) persuade your reader to your argument and, 2.) coax them to finish your article.

Avoid filler words like am, is, was, be, being, were, and are.

Examples

Impotent: The lady was shouting.

Powerful: The lady screeched.

Impotent: Jane is a lover of guitars.

Powerful: Jane worships guitars.

Impotent: There are three things that make me feel the way I do…

Powerful: Three things convince me…

3 Apps to Continue Your Journey

Elevate, the one with the blue brain icon on Google Play Store really heightened my writing skills. Plus, it's gamified, so you'll relish every minute using it!

Eloquence is the best minigame I've gone through so far (if you run out of games, just change your date to tomorrow to unlock more 😉)

Grammarly. If you don't have it yet, download it right now. It doesn't autocorrect your errors but shows them to you, tells you what's wrong with what you wrote, and helps you learn more in the process. Long press a word to substitute if you think it spoils your writing.

The third and last, the Hemingway Editor. Okay, okay, it's not really an app. It's a website whose headline says that it's an app but it isn't. But no fear, just Google it and you're on.

Copy and paste what you've written or just write on there to see what you can improve your writing style on.

It not only corrects hard grammar, but addresses writing techniques like substituting adjectives with verbs (like you did today!), avoiding the passive form, and breaking down your writing into more readable sentences.

Well, that's all folks! Leave a comment for questions, remarks, or just anything, and you'll make a jaded little writer very happy. 😇😘