Let’s dialogue about verbing words - Verbosity about verbs: The big blunders

Booher's Rules of Business Grammar - Dianna Booher 2009

Let’s dialogue about verbing words
Verbosity about verbs: The big blunders

When it comes to sports, you know what they say: no guts, no glory. When it comes to writing, a sentence without a verb is no sentence at all. Really. That’s why the “really” I just wrote is no sentence. A sentence, by definition, must have a subject (what you’re talking about) and a verb (what a subject does, has, or is). Verbs carry the action of the sentence.

For the most part, people put regular verbs in sentences without a problem. It’s the irregular verbs that create the headaches. So we’ll tackle the troublesome ones here.

1. Let’s dialogue about verbing words

TURNING PERFECTLY FINE NOUNS INTO VERBS

In case you haven’t noticed, a number of new words are trending into the vocabulary, many of them verbs. They are impacting the way we handle our clients, text-message our buddies, and even incent our employees.

Managers become particularly adept at globalizing new trends and fast-tracking their way around obstacles like generally accepted grammar usage to gain competitive advantage. In fact, these managers often incentivize outstanding performers by complimenting them on their reports and proposals containing such usages. They often dialogue about important projects and hope the entire team nets the essentials.

Then, whether downsized or right-sized, teams can strategize organizational initiatives, prioritize divisional goals, operationalize tactical plans, utilize their best resources, marginalize any deficiencies in their systems, institutionalize project outcomes, optimize their opportunities, mobilize human talent, and capitalize on their investments.

Enough said.

Before you add an —ing or an —ize to a noun or coin a completely new word, consider checking the dictionary to see if a perfectly precise one already exists for the concept you want to convey.

Memory tip

Save your memory! Use the strong, precise verbs that already exist.