Igniting Writing: When a Teacher Writes by Wright Alan

Author:Wright, Alan [Wright, Alan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hawker Brownlow Education
Published: 2011-03-08T16:00:00+00:00

By looking for 'Vivid verbs' to replace any tired or junky verbs we could immediately improve the quality of our writing and make it easier for our readers to visualise. I read to them from the picture storybook Fox by Margaret Wild and Ron Brooks. This text is awash with powerful verbs - pelt, exult, rejoice and streak to name but a few. I wanted them to see how other writers use strong verbs to convey images. They then set about identifying the verbs used in their own writing. They underlined them and then began considering alternatives. They talked and shared possible choices. Some rightly defended their original choices; others felt they needed verbs that were more powerful and accurate.

One student told me he was going to replace the word 'fall' in his writing with the word 'plummet'. Bells and whistles immediately sounded in my head. This small moment gave me joy, as it should. This was cause for celebration!

'Wow, you have chosen a really vivid verb in plummet. Tell me, do you read a lot?' Before he could respond, a number of his classmates chimed in. 'He reads all the time. He loves reading.'

Enough said. We shared the before and after entries. It was reminiscent of those advertisements we see so often on television. The difference was startling. The light in the eyes of those young writers said it all. We get it! This makes a real difference to my writing. Such is the wonder that comes from sharing the secrets of writing. Verbs are, without a doubt, valuable to the writer. When used effectively, they make sentences vibrate with energy. They are the life support system of the sentence. Mark Tredinnick, in The Little Red Writing Book , says this about verbs:

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