De-emphasizing the "Be" Verb
1. Turn the noun after a "be" verb into an
appositive, adding additional information to flesh
out the sentence.
Example:
John is a doctor.
John, a doctor, attended Harvard.
My dog is a Great Dane.
My dog, a Great Dane, barks at birds.
2. Move an adjective following a "be" verb to the
front of the noun it describes, adding additional
information to complete the sentence.
Example:
When I went to school, I discovered my teacher was
demanding.
When I went to school, I discovered my demanding
teacher assigned homework daily.
The lawyer was talented.
The talented lawyer argued the case
successfully.
3. When you write a sentence with a "be" verb, ask
yourself what the subject of the "be" verb
does, not what the subject is.
Example:
My favorite musician is the most awesome drummer I
have ever heard.
Here you tell what the musician is. Ask
yourself what the musician does. What does
he do? He plays the drum well.
My favorite musician plays the drum well.
My mother is a great cook.
What does your mother do?
My mother cooks great.
4. Words like "include" and "exist" can sometimes
stand in for "be" especially when your sentence
starts with "there" or "here." Sometimes simply
moving words around eliminates the "be."
Examples:
There are three reasons I like pizza.
I like pizza for three reasons.
Three reasons exist for my liking pizza.
Three reasons I like pizza include the cheese, the
sauce, and the crust.
5. Watch out for the following:
*Contractions which contain a "be" verb still count
as a "be" verb. Watch out for "it's," "they're."
"we're," and other contractions containing
"be."
*After you remove the "be," make sure you still have
a complete sentence. I would rather see "be" verbs
than fragments. Sometimes you must add additional
information to complete the sentence.
*Remember, you committ no sin when using "be" verbs.
However, active action verbs add strength to your
writing.
*The "be" verbs include am, is, are, was, were, be,
been, being.
Actual Sentences Written by
Students
1. You should think about what your interests
are.
2. The second sport I enjoy is
basketball.
3. James Mayes Smith was the inventor of the game
we call basketball.
4. In today's society teenage friendship is
priceless.
5. Football is what we call soccer in the United
States.
6. Where would we be if we didn't have
cars?
7. Luxuary cars are one type of car that we
drive.
8. These dogs are fun to play with and a lot less
hassle than larger dogs.
9. These dogs are by far the hardest to take care
of.
10. Offense is very important in
basketball.
11. There are so many people, including teens, who
have this problem and are living on the
street.
12. Premarital teenage sex is a big issue in the
world today.
13. Limp Bizkit is an internationally-known
band.
14. My final example of a band at Edgefest '98 is
Third Eye Blind.
15. Punk rock over the years has been the voice for
counter-culture teens who are tired of normal
American life.
16. To explain, professional wrestling matches are
staged.
17. The leather golf balls were not distance balls,
falling somewhat short of 200 yards.
18. Another way to have a happy dog is to spend
time with it.
19. Goths are those people that dress in black with
black lipstick and sad eyes.
20. The eating area is crowded and loud, and the
food is greasy and unhealthy.
Email:
kglee@webtv.net
