2

Using Exact and Vivid Verbs

• The surest way to attract and hold a reader's interest is to use exact and vivid words.

Choose verbs with action and color to create mental pictures in the reader's mind. Notice the following sentence: The stream flowed. The verb flowed is a general word that does not show any specific action. Observe how the mental pictures change when exact verbs are substituted for the word flowed.

The stream gushed. The stream gurgled.

The stream swirled. The stream meandered.

The stream splashed. The stream tricked.

Wherever possible, use exact and vivid verbs instead of verb-adverb combinations.

• The dog lay carelessly on the floor. (verb-adverb combination)
• The dog sprawled on the floor. (exact and vivid verb)
• He ran quickly from the room. (verb-adverb combination)
• He dashed from the room. (exact and vivid verb)

Practice

• Exercise A (Number 1-8). P.118
• Exercise B (Number 1-5). P.118