Verbs are the engine of our writing. They excite, engage, and inspire.

Verbs should be strong and active. Yet many writers accidentally hide their verbs. This process (called nominalization) turns verbs into nouns and leaves a weak verb in their place. For example: "We will make an announcement," should read as "we will announce." It’s shorter and the verb is changed from the weak "make" to the much stronger "announce."

To find hidden verbs in your writing, look for endings such as these: -ment, -tion, -sion, and -ance. Also, be mindful of weak verbs such as give, have, make, reach, and take.

Don't hide your verbs. Be proud of them! They're your tools. As long as you use the right tool for the job, your writing will improve.

ProWritingAid will find hidden verbs in your text so you can quickly find them and reveal them in all their glory. Try our writing improvement software.

Next improve your writing tip: Improve Your Writing Tip #3: Favor active verbs.