Booher's Rules of Business Grammar - Dianna Booher 2009

“She went missing”
Verbosity about verbs: The big blunders

SUCKING THE LIFE OUT OF STRONG VERBS

The other extreme from creating new verbs on a whim involves smothering strong verbs with weaker ones.

Almost every day, TV broadcasters make announcements like this: “Sidney Lancaster went missing yesterday after leaving work at 6:00 in his red Toyota.” Went missing? Is this like gone fishing or gone to the movies? Whatever happened to “Sidney is missing”? We don’t know that he went anywhere. In fact, he may have been dragged kicking and screaming by an ax murderer.

How many times a week do reporters tell you to “take a listen”? Is this like walking into a department store and taking a number?

Okay, okay, I’ll lay off reporters and broadcasters. These phrases from the e-mails of your colleagues may sound familiar as well. The following are not errors; they just weaken your writing.

Call and make a reservation. (Call and reserve?)

Run a test to see if … (Test to see if?)

Carry out experiments to … (Experiment?)

Perform an analysis of … (Analyze?)

Provide for the elimination of … (Eliminate?)

They experienced a reduction in … (They reduced?)

Make a visual examination of … (Investigate? Examine? See? Inspect?)

Strong verbs deserve a life of their own. Why sap their strength by turning them into nouns?

Memory tip

The next time you hear, “She went missing,” think voluntarily? AWOL? Hear that phrase as a reminder for strong verbs of your own.