Writer’s Craft – Vivid Verbs

1. Writer’s Craft – Vivid Verbs • Teach • Authors use vivid and exciting verbs to give readers a clear, exciting picture of the action. • He _______ upon the rail and _______ there. • What verbs can complete this sentence? • Vivid verbs make the sentence more exciting and give the reader more information. • Heleaptupon the rail and balancedthere. • How does the meaning of the sentence change by using vivid verbs?

2. Writer’s Craft – Vivid Verbs • His pipe _______ from his mouth. • He _______ for it. • What verbs can complete this sentence? • Try to select vivid verbs to convey exactly what you want to say. • His pipewas knockedfrom his mouth. • He lungedfor it. • How does the meaning of the sentence change by using vivid verbs?

3. Writer’s Craft – Vivid Verbs • The wash from the speeding yacht _______ him in the face and the salt water in his open mouth made him _______ . • What verbs can complete this sentence? • Try to select vivid verbs to convey exactly what you want to say. • The wash from the speeding yacht slapped him in the face and the salt water in his open mouth made him choke. • How does the meaning of the sentence change by using vivid verbs?

4. Practice Replace the tame, general verbs in these sentences with more vivid, powerful verbs. Rainsfordwent to the cellar. Whitney said something under his breath. Zarofflooked around. An animal called in the night. Rainsford and Zarofflooked at each other.

5. Apply • Select an activity you enjoy doing when you are not in school. • Write a paragraph telling about your participation in this activity. • Use vivid verbs in your paragraph. • Underline at least 5 vivid verbs that you have used.