Do you think your verbs are under control? Or could they be weakening your otherwise powerful messages? Read these eight essential points to keep your verbs in line.

1. When you least expect it, your verbs may be "disagreeable."
That is, they may disagree with their subjects. However, for your sentences to be correct, your verbs must agree with their subjects.

Can you recognize the "disagreeable" verbs in these sentences?

• Attached is the signed letter of agreement and the purchase order.
• Always remember that the content of emails are discoverable.
• The cost of benefits continue to rise.

These sentences show the verbs in agreement:

• Attached are the signed letter of agreement and the purchase order. [The letter and purchase order are attached.]
• Always remember that the content of emails is discoverable. [Content is discoverable.]
• The cost of benefits continues to rise. [Cost continues to rise.]

2. Your verbs will carry unnecessary parts with them if you let them.
Those extra parts make everything move slowly in a sentence.
Find the unnecessary verb parts in these sentences:

• The senator will be giving a speech on Monday.
• You should be asking Nina about the budget.
• Your comments are making me blush.

These are unencumbered versions:

• The senator will give a speech on Monday. (OR) The senator will speak on Monday.
• Ask Nina about the budget.
• Your comments make me blush.

As the examples show, -ing verbs often carry extra baggage. Be sure your verbs travel light.

3. If you choose a weak verb, it will bring its modifiers along to make it stronger.
These sentences have lightweight verbs trying to be heavyweights:

• Darren works extremely quickly on his tasks.
• She very creatively came up with a solution.
• I am getting through the lessons with much difficulty.

Notice the powerful verbs here:

The verbs works, came up with, and am getting must be propped up with modifiers. But flies, masterminded, and struggle convey rich ideas in one word.
Note: If you are writing for an international audience or a large group of readers, you may want to use the weaker verbs, which are more widely understood.

4. Despite any desire you may have for variety, your verbs must behave consistently in bullet points and series.
Do you recognize where this set of tasks goes astray?

• Adding everyone to the mailing list.
• Setting up weekly meetings.
• Choose customers for focus groups.
• Complete final run-throughs.
• Decide on point of contact.

All the opening verbs in the bulleted list must be in the same form—either -ing or the imperative form (add, set up, etc.).

The verbs in this sentence are inconsistent too:

• Dale is saying goodbye to friends, flying to London, and she hopes to have her job when she returns in January.

In Dale's sentence, she must do three things consistently, with three consistent (parallel) verbs:

• Dale is saying goodbye to friends, flying to London, and hoping to have her job when she returns in January.

5. If you use action verbs, the action wakes up your sentences.
If you use state of being verbs (is, are, were), your sentences rest dully on the screen or page.

How would you wake up these correct but sleepy sentences?

• Your work is inspiring to the students.
• The result was chaos.
• We were exhausted because of the stress we felt.
• Our clients are in financial difficulty too.

These verbs wake up their sentences—and your readers:

• Your work inspires the students.
• Chaos resulted.
• The stress exhausted us.
• Financial difficulties trouble our clients too.

6. Passive verbs can fool you into thinking they are the only verb available.
Do not believe it! For every passive voice verb, an active voice verb is available—if you want to use it.

Think of active verbs that can replace these passive forms:

• The people in the support group are still employed.
• As can be seen from the attached schedule, there is no room for delays.
• It should be noted that these numbers are estimates.
• Attendance is improved significantly when we use positive incentives.

These versions have active voice verbs:

• The people in the support group still have jobs.
• As the attached schedule shows, there is no room for delays.
• Note: These numbers are estimates.
• Attendance improves significantly when we use positive incentives.

7. Some verbs live only in the past. Others have one foot in the past and one in the present.
Choose the verb that matches your meaning.

These verbs communicate about something in the past:

• We enjoyed having you as a client.
• I did not receive a response from the Tokyo office.
• She taught leadership development for seven years.

These verbs communicate something that is past but may be continuing:

• We have enjoyed having you as a client. [You may still be our client.]
• I have not received a response from the Tokyo office. [I may still receive a response.]
• She has taught leadership development for seven years. [She may still be teaching.]

8. Some verbs do not work without the help of other words. They must have objects.
These sentences contain transitive verbs (verbs that need an object) used incorrectly:

• Let's discuss in our weekly meeting.
• When you have a moment, please advise.

Let's discuss what? Fill in a topic. Please advise whom? Fill in a person or persons to be advised.

If you are in doubt about whether a verb is transitive (needs an object) or intransitive (needs no object), check your dictionary. Transitive verbs are marked Tr.; intransitive verbs are marked Intr.