The verb forms you choose can brighten or dull your writing. Next time when you read a passage, find out whether the language was energetic, vibrant or just flat and dull. Good writers know that active verbs and careful usage of be verbs make the language lively and accurate. Look at the sentences given below and tell me which of the two carries more powder:

There are lots of shopping malls in the town.

The town has lots of shopping malls.

There was a hissing sound from the bush.

We heard a hissing sound coming from the bush.

You will agree with me that the second sentences of the pairs carry more energy. That is because the first sentences of both the pairs are written with forms of be verbs. For those who do not have knowledge of grammar, the be verbs are words such am, is, are, was, were and will be.

Writing a passage using only active verbs is called writing in E Prime. E stands for English and Prime is a concept taken from mathematics. Let me give you a sample of E Prime writing. Prefer the active verb for it makes you language carry more vigour. Some writers become so fastidious in sticking to this rule that they go to the extremes in avoiding the be verbs and passive forms such that their language appears contrived and warped.

It is not that using be verbs dampens your writing. There are contexts in which only the be forms and passive verbs are appropriate. It depends on what you want to say, on what you focus, and finally what effect you want to bring about in the mind of the reader.

You are the craftsman, your tools are words and patterns, and the people you are working for are your readers. Don't you want to give them something worth the time they spend in reading what you have written?

ganeshan ramachandran