Last week, we learned about action and linking verbs.
Linking verbs connect the subject to a noun that renames the subject or to an adjective that describes the subject.
Linking verbs give extra information about subjects. However, using too many linking verbs can result in writing that has no action. Look at this paragraph:
Angela is a student. Angela is an 8th grader. Angela is smart. Angela is in honors classes. Angela is my classmate. Angela became my friend. She has been loyal. I am her friend too. We are lucky to know each other.
We learn lots of information about Angela and the writer, but the writing is boring and stilted. For one thing, too many sentences begin with the same word. Another problem is that only simple sentences are used. A third problem is the lack of action verbs. Every single verb in this paragraph is a linking verb.
Here are three suggestions for improving the paragraph:
1. Join some of the simple sentences to make compound and complex sentences
2. Begin each sentence with a different word.
3. Use a mixture of action and linking verbs.
Why don’t you try your hand at improving the paragraph, using these three techniques to make the writing better? Here’s what I came up with:
Angela, an 8th grader, attends our school. Because she is smart, she was placed into honors classes, and she became my classmate. Now Angela is a loyal friend, and I’m her friend, too. We are lucky to know each other!
Remember, there is no one correct way to craft a paragraph. Each writer will bring their own style to the writing. Just be sure to vary sentence structure, use a variety of words to begin your sentences, and include a mixture of action and linking verbs.