Open a stack of student essays and you will find the same verbs again and again: is, are, was, has, shows, uses. These verbs are not wrong, but when they carry too much of the load, the writing goes slack. Verlyn Klinkenborg's Several Short Sentences About Writing draws attention to the work a sentence does, which naturally leads to a closer look at the verb. Teachers who can help students notice and strengthen their verbs will see an immediate improvement in clarity and energy.

Passive voice is often blamed for weak writing, but the real issue is more subtle. A passive sentence like "The experiment was conducted" is perfectly acceptable in a lab report where the actor is unimportant. It becomes a problem when it hides the actor in a place where the reader needs to know who did what, as in "Mistakes were made." Teachers should teach students to ask whether the passive serves a purpose.

Similarly, forms of the verb "to be" are not inherently bad. They are essential for definitions and descriptions, and sometimes the plain statement is the best one. The trouble starts when a student uses them as a default, so that every sentence says that something is something else. Feedback should push students to consider whether a more active verb would show what is actually happening.

Showing Students What Verbs Can Do

The most convincing lesson is a side-by-side comparison. Take a sentence such as "There is a strong connection between the setting and the mood of the story" and revise it to "The fog and silence of the setting deepen the story's mood of dread." The second sentence is more specific, more vivid, and more interesting to read. Students can see the difference immediately and begin to look for opportunities to make similar changes.

• Highlight every form of "to be" in a paragraph and decide which ones can be replaced.
• Ask who or what is doing the action in each passive sentence and whether the reader needs to know.
• Replace general verbs like "shows" or "uses" with verbs that name the specific action.
• Rewrite a sentence beginning with "There is" or "It is" so the real subject comes first.
• Read the revised paragraph aloud and listen for sentences that now move with more energy.

Writing Comments That Teach

Comments on verbs should be concrete and brief. Instead of writing "weak verb," a teacher can underline the verb and ask "What is the character actually doing here?" This prompts the student to look back at the text and find a more precise word. For passive constructions, a comment like "Who did this?" invites the student to restore the actor and see how the sentence changes.

Teachers should also point out strong verbs when they appear. Noting "this verb is exact and vivid" reinforces good choices and shows students what the teacher values. Because students tend to remember praise as well as correction, this balance helps them build a sense of what effective verbs look like. Over time, they begin to seek out those verbs on their own.

Grading Verb Choice Fairly

A rubric can address verb quality without becoming rigid. A row on precision might ask whether the writer chooses specific verbs that convey action and meaning, and whether passive voice is used purposefully. Descriptors at each level can describe how often vague verbs appear and whether they interfere with clarity. This keeps the criterion focused on effect rather than on a rule such as "never use passive voice."

Disciplinary conventions matter too. Science and social science writing often uses passive voice appropriately, and teachers should not penalize students for following norms of the field. Clarifying expectations in the assignment, such as noting that methods sections may use passive voice, prevents confusion and shows students that style depends on context.

Using Technology to Spot Patterns

Verb patterns are easy for software to detect, which makes them a good candidate for automated assistance. A tool can count how often forms of "to be" appear and highlight passive constructions, giving teachers a quick overview of a paper. The teacher can then decide which instances matter and comment accordingly. This saves the tedious work of counting and leaves time for the judgment about what to flag.

Students can also use these tools to examine their own drafts before submitting them. A student who sees that nineteen of twenty-two sentences use a form of "to be" gets a clear signal about where to focus. Combined with teacher guidance, this kind of self-check builds independence and helps students take ownership of their revision.