Here
are three tips to strengthen your sentences and make your writing stronger.
1.
Your writing will be more effective if you use strong verbs and nouns instead
of trying to prop up weak ones with adjectives and adverbs.
Weak:
The dentist intentionally spoke untruthfully about the diagnosis.
Strong:
The dentist lied about the diagnosis.
Weak:
The insurance agency maliciously took advantage of persons with limited income
and limited knowledge.
Strong:
The insurance agency deceived the poor and the ignorant.
2.
If you use adjectives and adverbs choose strong ones and avoid adding
intensifiers.
violent -- not-- rather violent
starved
-- not-- somewhat starved
histrionic
-- not-- slightly histrionic
3.
In contrast, do not try to prop up weak adjectives and adverbs with a string of
intensifiers.
She
was infuriated. (Not: She was very, very, very mad.)
The
pain was excruciating. (Not: The pain was really, really bad.)
Be
sure to get a copy of my book, Simple Steps to Sentence Sense, which
includes 8 simple steps to help you become a better writer.
