Verbs

Verbs are doing words. First of all, a sentence that doesn't contain at least one verb isn't a complete sentence. Make sure every single one of your sentences has a verb in it. Even if you are just describing a tree; what is the tree doing? "The old, ancient tree was stood tall in the park."

Also, make sure you choose the best verb that you possibly can for your sentence. Think about what kind of atmosphere you want to create:

• Amal skipped along to class
• Amal shuffled along to class

Which of the above sentences makes Amal seem like she enjoys college? Why do you think this? Remember, selecting a different verb can drastically change a sentence!

You can usually tell if something is a verb because you can change the tense of it (when it is happening). For example: "Amal skipped along to class." and "Amal was skipping along to class."

The author uses the verb "skipped" in the sentence, "Amal skipped to class." The verb skipped makes me imagine that Amal is excited about her next class. The author may have chosen to use this verb to show that Amal is the type of student who enjoys her time at school.