Passive versus Active Verbs

• Is

• Am

• Are

• Was

• Were

• Be

• Being

• Been

• Have

• Has

• Had

• 
  Do

• Does

• Did

• Shall

• Will

• Should

• Would

• May

• Might

• Must

• Can

• Could

1. State-of-being verbs

These are passive as opposed to powerful:Am I saying these should never appear in your writing? Of course not. You’ll find them in this piece. But when a sentence lies limp, you can bet it contains at least one of these. Determining when a state-of-being verb is the culprit creates a problem—and finding a better, more powerful verb to replace it—is what makes us writers. [Note how I replaced the state-of-being verbs in this paragraph.]

The Strong Verbs List

• Absorb

• Advance

• Advise

• Alter

• Amend

• Amplify

• Attack

• Balloon

• Bash

• Batter

• Beam

• Beef

• Blab

• Blast

• Bolt

• Boost

• Brief

• Broadcast

• Brood

• Burst

• Bus

• Bust

• Capture

• Catch

• Charge

• Chap

• Chip

• Clasp

• Climb

• Clutch

• Collide

• Command

• Commune

• Cower

• Crackle

• Crash

• Crave

• Crush

• Dangle

• Dash

• Demolish

• Depart

• Deposit

• Detect

• Deviate

• Devour

• Direct

• Discern

• Discover

• Dismantle

• Download

• Drag

• Drain

• Drip

• Drop

• Eavesdrop

• Engage

• Engulf

• Enlarge

• Ensnare

• Envelop

• Erase

• Escort

• Expand

• Explode

• Explore

• Expose

• Extend

• Extract

• Eyeball

• Fight

• Fish

• Fling

• Fly

• Frown

• Fuse

• Garble

• Gaze

• Glare

• Gleam

• Glisten

• Glitter

• Gobble

• Govern

• Grasp

• Gravitate

• Grip

• Groan

• Grope

• Growl

• Guide

• Gush

• Hack

• Hail

• Heighten

• Hobble

• Hover

• Hurry

• Ignite

• Illuminate

• Inspect

• Instruct

• Intensify

• Intertwine

• Impart

• Jostle

• Journey

• Lash

• Launch

• Lead

• Leap

• Locate

• Lurch

• Lurk

• Magnify

• Mimic

• Mint

• Moan

• Modify

• Multiply

• Muse

• Mushroom

• Mystify

• Notice

• Notify

• Obtain

• Oppress

• Order

• Paint

• Park

• Peck

• Peek

• Peer

• Perceive

• Picture

• Pilot

• Pinpoint

• Place

• Plant

• Plop

• Pluck

• Plunge

• Poison

• Pop

• Position

• Power

• Prickle

• Probe

• Prune

• Realize

• Recite

• Recoil

• Refashion

• Refine

• Remove

• Report

• Retreat

• Reveal

• Reverberate

• Revitalize

• Revolutionize

• Revolve

• Rip

• Rise

• Ruin

• Rush

• Rust

• Saunter

• Scamper

• Scan

• Scorch

• Scrape

• Scratch

• Scrawl

• Seize

• Serve

• Shatter

• Shepherd

• Shimmer

• Shine

• Shock

• Shrivel

• Sizzle

• Skip

• Skulk

• Slash

• Slide

• Slink

• Slip

• Slump

• Slurp

• Smash

• Smite

• Snag

• Snarl

• Sneak

• Snowball

• Soar

• Spam

• Sparkle

• Sport

• Sprinkle

• Stare

• Starve

• Steal

• Steer

• Storm

• Strain

• Stretch

• Strip

• Stroll

• Struggle

• Stumble

• Supercharge

• Supersize

• Surge

• Survey

• Swell

• Swipe

• Swoon

• Tail

• Tattle

• Toddle

• Transfigure

• Transform

• Travel

• Treat

• Trim

• Trip

• Trudge

• Tussle

• Uncover

• Unearth

• Untangle

• Unveil

• Usher

• Veil

• Wail

• Weave

• Wind

• Withdraw

• Wreck

• Wrench

• Wrest

• Wrestle

• Wring

• Yank

• Zing

• Zap