the action. Example 1 The original screenplay for Good Will Hunting was written by Matt Damon for an English class when he was a student at Harvard University. Example 2 As an actor, Matt Damon is loved by millions of fans worldwide. Put the following four sentences to the test in order to determine the voice of each: Is the doer in the subject position paired with an action verb (active voice) or placed as an indirect object of a prepositional phrase after a version of the verb “to be” (passive voice) and a verb in past perfect tense? Matt Damon and Ben Affleck grew up together and are still colleagues and friends today. (active) An Oscar was given to Matt Damon and Ben Affleck for the Good Will Hunting script. (passive) Jason Bourne, a character from the novels of Robert Ludlum, was played several times by Matt Damon. (passive) Besides acting in the Bourne movies, Matt also played the title character in Good Will Hunting, Saving Private Ryan, and The Talented Mr. Ripley. (active) Using Action Verbs to Make Sentences More Interesting Two sentences can generally say the same thing but leave an entirely different impression based on the verb choices. For example, which of the following sentences gives you the most vivid mental picture? A bald eagle was overhead and now is low in the sky near me. OR A bald eagle soared overhead and then dove low, seemingly coming right at me. As a rule, try to express yourself with action verbs instead of forms of the verb “to be.” Sometimes it is fine to use forms of the verb “to be,” such as “is” or “are,” but it is easy to overuse them (as in this sentence—twice). Overuse of such verbs results in dull writing. Read each of the following sentences and note the use of the verb “to be.” In your head, think of a way to reword the sentence to make it more interesting by using an action verb. Then look at how each revision uses one or more action verbs. Examples Original: A photo was snapped, the tiger was upset, and Elizabeth was on the ground.
the action. Example 1 The original screenplay for Good Will Hunting was written by Matt Damon for an English class when he was a student at Harvard University. Example 2 As an actor, Matt Damon is loved by millions of fans worldwide. Put the following four sentences to the test in order to determine the voice of each: Is the doer in the subject position paired with an action verb (active voice) or placed as an indirect object of a prepositional phrase after a version of the verb “to be” (passive voice) and a verb in past perfect tense? Matt Damon and Ben Affleck grew up together and are still colleagues and friends today. (active) An Oscar was given to Matt Damon and Ben Affleck for the Good Will Hunting script. (passive) Jason Bourne, a character from the novels of Robert Ludlum, was played several times by Matt Damon. (passive) Besides acting in the Bourne movies, Matt also played the title character in Good Will Hunting, Saving Private Ryan, and The Talented Mr. Ripley. (active) Using Action Verbs to Make Sentences More Interesting Two sentences can generally say the same thing but leave an entirely different impression based on the verb choices. For example, which of the following sentences gives you the most vivid mental picture? A bald eagle was overhead and now is low in the sky near me. OR A bald eagle soared overhead and then dove low, seemingly coming right at me. As a rule, try to express yourself with action verbs instead of forms of the verb “to be.” Sometimes it is fine to use forms of the verb “to be,” such as “is” or “are,” but it is easy to overuse them (as in this sentence—twice). Overuse of such verbs results in dull writing. Read each of the following sentences and note the use of the verb “to be.” In your head, think of a way to reword the sentence to make it more interesting by using an action verb. Then look at how each revision uses one or more action verbs. Examples Original: A photo was snapped, the tiger was upset, and Elizabeth was on the ground.