{"id":4352,"date":"2021-12-02T00:01:50","date_gmt":"2021-12-02T04:01:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/?p=4352"},"modified":"2024-01-01T08:21:37","modified_gmt":"2024-01-01T12:21:37","slug":"dont-commit-verbicide-choose-verbs-not-nouns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/12\/dont-commit-verbicide-choose-verbs-not-nouns\/","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t commit verbicide: Choose verbs, not nouns"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Action words streamline syllables<\/h2>\n<p><em>This just in,<\/em>\u00a0writes one of my favorite correspondents, sharing a sentence his subject matter expert has written:<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_28272\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-28272\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"28272\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/12\/dont-commit-verbicide-choose-verbs-not-nouns\/verbicide\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/verbicide.png\" data-orig-size=\"300,300\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"verbicide\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Stop putting your copy through the de-verb-orizer&lt;\/strong&gt; Verbs streamline syllables and make copy easier to read. &lt;a href=&quot;https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/improve-yourself-dare-dream-no-limits-628161539&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Image by Rawpixel.com&lt;\/em&gt;&lt;\/a&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/verbicide-300x300.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/verbicide.png\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/verbicide.png\" alt=\"Verbicide\" title=\"Verbicide\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-full wp-image-28272 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/verbicide.png 300w, https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/verbicide-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/verbicide-100x100.png 100w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/300;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"28272\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/12\/dont-commit-verbicide-choose-verbs-not-nouns\/verbicide\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/verbicide.png\" data-orig-size=\"300,300\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"verbicide\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Stop putting your copy through the de-verb-orizer&lt;\/strong&gt; Verbs streamline syllables and make copy easier to read. &lt;a href=&quot;https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/improve-yourself-dare-dream-no-limits-628161539&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; rel=&quot;noopener noreferrer&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;Image by Rawpixel.com&lt;\/em&gt;&lt;\/a&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/verbicide-300x300.png\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/verbicide.png\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/verbicide.png\" alt=\"Verbicide\" title=\"Verbicide\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-full wp-image-28272\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/verbicide.png 300w, https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/verbicide-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/verbicide-100x100.png 100w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-28272\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>Stop putting your copy through the de-verb-orizer<\/strong> Verbs streamline syllables and make copy easier to read. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/improve-yourself-dare-dream-no-limits-628161539\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>Image by Rawpixel.com<\/em><\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><em>Somebody just kill me now<\/em>, my friend writes.<\/p>\n<p>Or, as his subject matter expert might put it, \u201cSomebody just problem solve his way to a homicide success immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>What\u2019s wrong with this sentence?<\/strong>\u00a0It:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Weighs in at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/writing-tips\/what-is-readability\/short-sentences\/\" target=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">30 words long<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Features\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/revvingupreadership.com\/2010\/06\/keep-your-words-to-five-characters\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">6.1-character words<\/a>, on average<\/li>\n<li>Boasts 25%\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/revvingupreadership.com\/2010\/06\/keep-your-words-to-two-syllables\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">hard words<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Worse, it\u2019s been through the de-verb-o-rizer a few times. That\u2019s a problem, because\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/writing-tips\/what-is-readability\/how-to-improve-readability\/\">verbs make copy easier to read<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Verbs boost reading ease.<\/h3>\n<p>In 1928, Mabel Vogel and Carleton Washburne became the first researchers to statistically correlate writing traits with readability. They found that the more verbs in a writing sample, the easier the sample was to read. In fact, the number of verbs in a 1,000-word sample ranked No. 6 among 19 key elements that contributed to readability.<\/p>\n<p>Why? Because verbs:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Make words shorter and more recognizable<\/strong>.\u00a0Short, familiar words rank among the\u00a0top two predictors of readability, according to 70 years of research.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Simplify sentences<\/strong>. Subject-<strong><em>verb<\/em><\/strong>-object is the easiest sentence structure to read and understand. And\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/writing-tips\/what-is-readability\/short-sentences\/\" target=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">sentence length and structure<\/a>\u00a0is the other element most likely to predict readability.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reveal action<\/strong>. Action is easier for readers to process than things, so verbs are easier to process than nouns.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>How can you mind your verbs to boost reading ease?<\/p>\n<h3>Reverbify nouns.<\/h3>\n<p>Call it verbicide: \u201cNominalizations\u201d are verbs that writers have turned into nouns \u2014 \u201cproblem solved,\u201d for instance, instead of \u201csolved the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In 1979, attorney Robert Charrow and linguist Veda Charrow ran a test to see whether nominalizations and other \u201clinguistic constructions\u201d affected comprehension. They asked 35 people called for jury duty in Maryland to listen to a series of standard jury instructions, then tested participants\u2019 understanding of what they\u2019d heard. Then the researchers reverbified the nouns and otherwise simplified the copy and tested the instructions on a different group.<\/p>\n<h5 class=\"standalone\">The reverbified copy was 14 percentage points\u00a0easier to understand.<\/h5>\n<p>At least three other studies have also linked verbicide with reduced comprehension:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>E.B. Coleman and P.J. Blumenfield (1963)<\/li>\n<li>G.R. Klare (1976)<\/li>\n<li>D.B. Felkner et al (1981)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>No doubt about it: When you write in verbs, you\u00a0make words shorter, sentences simpler and copy brisker. This sentence, for instance, weighs in at an average of 7.0 characters per word:<\/p>\n<h5 class=\"standalone\">This report explains our investment growth stimulation projects.<\/h5>\n<p>But reverbify some of those nouns, and you can bring that average down to 5.9 characters per word:<\/p>\n<h5 class=\"standalone\">\u201cThis report explains our projects to stimulate growth in investments.\u201d<\/h5>\n<p>Notice how many verbs suffocate in the nouns of my friend\u2019s passage:<\/p>\n<h5 class=\"standalone\">\u201cLouisiana Station employees have problem solved their way to an XYZ Company Continuous Improvement success by purchasing a specifically designed storage cabinet to protect the life ring at the neutralization discharge pond.\u201d<\/h5>\n<p>Those dying verbs make the passage thick, stuffy and hard to understand.<\/p>\n<h3>Zoom, zoom<\/h3>\n<p>Once you\u2019ve reverbified your copy, push your verbs. Make them as strong and specific as possible.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA story is a verb, not a noun,\u201d wrote one of the former editors of\u00a0<em>The New York Times.<\/em>That means the verb is the story. The stronger the verb, the stronger the story.<\/p>\n<p>How well do your verbs tell your story?<br \/>\n___<\/p>\n<p>Sources: William H. DuBay, \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/www.impact-information.com\/impactinfo\/newsletter\/smartlanguage02.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Smart Language<\/a>,\u201d Impact Information, 2007<\/p>\n<p>Roy Peter Clark, \u201cThirty Tools for Writers,\u201d The Poynter Institute, June 19, 2002<\/p>\n<p>David Bowman, owner and chief editor of Precise Edit, \u201cKeep Verbs as Verbs,\u201d 300 Days of Better Writing, Sept. 24, 2010<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBreak up complex sentences to help readers,\u201d\u00a0<em>The Manager\u2019s Intelligence Report<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.sec.gov\/pdf\/handbook.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>A Plain English Handbook<\/em><\/a>\u00a0(PDF), U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 1998<\/p>\n<div id='MMC-Clear' class='widgets_on_page wop_tiny1  wop_small1  wop_medium1  wop_large1  wop_wide1'>\n\t\t\t<ul><li id=\"custom_html-81\" class=\"widget_text widget widget_custom_html\"><div class=\"textwidget custom-html-widget\"><a title=\"Clear-writing workshop, a mini master class\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/corporate-communications-training\/mini-master-classes-home\/clear-writing-course\/\" target=\"\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/clear-writing-training-mmc.png\" alt=\"Clear-writing workshop, a mini master class\" title=\"Clear-writing workshop, a mini master class\" width=\"auto\" height=\"auto\" border=\"0\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 250px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 250\/250;float:left; text-align:left; margin: 0 auto; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 2px; margin-bottom: 10px; font-size: 18x; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px; color: #FFFFFF; max-width:100%; max-height:100%;\" class=\"img-max lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\"><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/clear-writing-training-mmc.png\" alt=\"Clear-writing workshop, a mini master class\" title=\"Clear-writing workshop, a mini master class\" width=\"auto\" height=\"auto\" border=\"0\" style=\"float:left; text-align:left; margin: 0 auto; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 2px; margin-bottom: 10px; font-size: 18x; line-height: 22px; padding: 0px; color: #FFFFFF; max-width:100%; max-height:100%;\" class=\"img-max\"><\/noscript><\/a><h3>Reach more readers with tight writing<\/h3>\r\n\t\r\n<p>Would your piece be twice as good if it were half as long? Yes, say readability experts.<\/p>\r\n\t\r\n<p>So how long should your message be? Your paragraphs? Your sentences? Your words? What reading ease level should you hit?<\/p>\r\n\t\r\n<p>Learn how to write clearer, more concise messages at our <a title=\"Clear-writing workshop, a mini master class\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/corporate-communications-training\/mini-master-classes-home\/clear-writing-course\/\" target=\"\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>clear-writing course<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"btn btn--depth\" style=\"text-align: center;  margin: 10px 0 20px; width:100%;\"><a id=\"btnTT\" style=\"\" title=\"BOOK NOW\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/corporate-communications-training\/mini-master-classes-home\/clear-writing-course\/\" target=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-width=\"91\">BOOK NOW<\/a>\r\n<!-- [if mso]>\r\n<p style=\"line-height:0;margin:0;\"><v:roundrect xmlns:v=\"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/corporate-communications-training\/mini-master-classes-home\/clear-writing-course\/\" style=\"width:153px\" arcsize=\"8%\" strokecolor=\"#D96237\" filled=\"t\"><v:fill type=\"gradient\" angle=\"180\" color=\"#f16522\" color2=\"#f16522\"><\/v:fill><v:textbox style=\"mso-fit-shape-to-text:t\" inset=\"0px,11px,0px,11px\"><center style=\"font-size:16px;line-height:24px;color:#FFFFFF;font-family:sans-serif;font-weight:bold;mso-line-height-rule:exactly;mso-text-raise:4px\">BOOK NOW<\/center><\/v:textbox><\/v:roundrect><\/p>\r\n<![endif]--><\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><!-- widgets_on_page -->\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Action words streamline syllables<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":28272,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[294],"tags":[121,203,202],"class_list":{"0":"post-4352","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-word-length","8":"tag-cut-through-the-clutter","9":"tag-nouns","10":"tag-verbs","11":"entry"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v23.4 (Yoast SEO v23.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Don\u2019t commit verbicide: Choose verbs, not nouns<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Stop putting your copy through the de-verb-orizer: Verbs streamline syllables and make copy easier to read.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/12\/dont-commit-verbicide-choose-verbs-not-nouns\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Don\u2019t commit verbicide: Choose verbs, not nouns\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Stop putting your copy through the de-verb-orizer: Verbs streamline syllables and make copy easier to read.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/12\/dont-commit-verbicide-choose-verbs-not-nouns\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Wylie Communications, Inc.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WylieCommunications\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ann.wylie.33\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-12-02T04:01:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-01-01T12:21:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/verbicide-fb.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ann Wylie\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Don\u2019t commit verbicide: Choose verbs, not nouns\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Stop putting your copy through the de-verb-orizer: Verbs streamline syllables and make copy easier to read.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/verbicide-twitter.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@AnnWylie\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AnnWylie\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ann Wylie\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/12\/dont-commit-verbicide-choose-verbs-not-nouns\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/12\/dont-commit-verbicide-choose-verbs-not-nouns\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Ann Wylie\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/#\/schema\/person\/85f5e705a38c31f4a0c59c982a66ce5e\"},\"headline\":\"Don\u2019t commit verbicide: Choose verbs, not nouns\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-12-02T04:01:50+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-01-01T12:21:37+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/12\/dont-commit-verbicide-choose-verbs-not-nouns\/\"},\"wordCount\":640,\"commentCount\":1,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/12\/dont-commit-verbicide-choose-verbs-not-nouns\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/verbicide.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Cut Through the Clutter\",\"nouns\",\"verbs\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Word length\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/12\/dont-commit-verbicide-choose-verbs-not-nouns\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/12\/dont-commit-verbicide-choose-verbs-not-nouns\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/12\/dont-commit-verbicide-choose-verbs-not-nouns\/\",\"name\":\"Don\u2019t commit verbicide: Choose verbs, not nouns\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/12\/dont-commit-verbicide-choose-verbs-not-nouns\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/12\/dont-commit-verbicide-choose-verbs-not-nouns\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/verbicide.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-12-02T04:01:50+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-01-01T12:21:37+00:00\",\"description\":\"Stop putting your copy through the de-verb-orizer: Verbs streamline syllables and make copy easier to read.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/12\/dont-commit-verbicide-choose-verbs-not-nouns\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/12\/dont-commit-verbicide-choose-verbs-not-nouns\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/12\/dont-commit-verbicide-choose-verbs-not-nouns\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/verbicide.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/verbicide.png\",\"width\":300,\"height\":300,\"caption\":\"Stop putting your copy through the de-verb-orizer Verbs streamline syllables and make copy easier to read. Image by Rawpixel.com\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/12\/dont-commit-verbicide-choose-verbs-not-nouns\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Writing and editing\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/category\/writing-and-editing\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Concise Writing\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/category\/writing-and-editing\/concise-writing-tips\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Word length\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/category\/writing-and-editing\/concise-writing-tips\/word-length\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":5,\"name\":\"Don\u2019t commit verbicide: Choose verbs, not nouns\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/\",\"name\":\"Wylie Communications, Inc.\",\"description\":\"Writing workshops, communication consulting and writing services\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Wylie Communications Inc.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/wylie_new_logo-300.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/wylie_new_logo-300.png\",\"width\":300,\"height\":300,\"caption\":\"Wylie Communications Inc.\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WylieCommunications\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/AnnWylie\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/wyliecomm\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/wylie-communications-inc-\",\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/wyliecomminc\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/#\/schema\/person\/85f5e705a38c31f4a0c59c982a66ce5e\",\"name\":\"Ann Wylie\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/160508f95c61ef464936ccf823a20963?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/160508f95c61ef464936ccf823a20963?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Ann Wylie\"},\"description\":\"Ann Wylie runs a company called Wylie Communications Inc. She works with communicators who want to reach more readers and with organizations that want to get the word out.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ann.wylie.33\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/AnnWylie\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Don\u2019t commit verbicide: Choose verbs, not nouns","description":"Stop putting your copy through the de-verb-orizer: Verbs streamline syllables and make copy easier to read.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/12\/dont-commit-verbicide-choose-verbs-not-nouns\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Don\u2019t commit verbicide: Choose verbs, not nouns","og_description":"Stop putting your copy through the de-verb-orizer: Verbs streamline syllables and make copy easier to read.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/12\/dont-commit-verbicide-choose-verbs-not-nouns\/","og_site_name":"Wylie Communications, Inc.","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WylieCommunications","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ann.wylie.33","article_published_time":"2021-12-02T04:01:50+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-01-01T12:21:37+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/verbicide-fb.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Ann Wylie","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Don\u2019t commit verbicide: Choose verbs, not nouns","twitter_description":"Stop putting your copy through the de-verb-orizer: Verbs streamline syllables and make copy easier to read.","twitter_image":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/verbicide-twitter.png","twitter_creator":"@AnnWylie","twitter_site":"@AnnWylie","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Ann Wylie","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/12\/dont-commit-verbicide-choose-verbs-not-nouns\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/12\/dont-commit-verbicide-choose-verbs-not-nouns\/"},"author":{"name":"Ann Wylie","@id":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/#\/schema\/person\/85f5e705a38c31f4a0c59c982a66ce5e"},"headline":"Don\u2019t commit verbicide: Choose verbs, not nouns","datePublished":"2021-12-02T04:01:50+00:00","dateModified":"2024-01-01T12:21:37+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/12\/dont-commit-verbicide-choose-verbs-not-nouns\/"},"wordCount":640,"commentCount":1,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/12\/dont-commit-verbicide-choose-verbs-not-nouns\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/verbicide.png","keywords":["Cut Through the Clutter","nouns","verbs"],"articleSection":["Word length"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/12\/dont-commit-verbicide-choose-verbs-not-nouns\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/12\/dont-commit-verbicide-choose-verbs-not-nouns\/","url":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/12\/dont-commit-verbicide-choose-verbs-not-nouns\/","name":"Don\u2019t commit verbicide: Choose verbs, not nouns","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/12\/dont-commit-verbicide-choose-verbs-not-nouns\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/12\/dont-commit-verbicide-choose-verbs-not-nouns\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/verbicide.png","datePublished":"2021-12-02T04:01:50+00:00","dateModified":"2024-01-01T12:21:37+00:00","description":"Stop putting your copy through the de-verb-orizer: Verbs streamline syllables and make copy easier to read.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/12\/dont-commit-verbicide-choose-verbs-not-nouns\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/12\/dont-commit-verbicide-choose-verbs-not-nouns\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/12\/dont-commit-verbicide-choose-verbs-not-nouns\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/verbicide.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/verbicide.png","width":300,"height":300,"caption":"Stop putting your copy through the de-verb-orizer Verbs streamline syllables and make copy easier to read. Image by Rawpixel.com"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/2021\/12\/dont-commit-verbicide-choose-verbs-not-nouns\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Writing and editing","item":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/category\/writing-and-editing\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Concise Writing","item":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/category\/writing-and-editing\/concise-writing-tips\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Word length","item":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/category\/writing-and-editing\/concise-writing-tips\/word-length\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"name":"Don\u2019t commit verbicide: Choose verbs, not nouns"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/","name":"Wylie Communications, Inc.","description":"Writing workshops, communication consulting and writing services","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/#organization","name":"Wylie Communications Inc.","url":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/wylie_new_logo-300.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/wylie_new_logo-300.png","width":300,"height":300,"caption":"Wylie Communications Inc."},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WylieCommunications","https:\/\/x.com\/AnnWylie","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/wyliecomm\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/wylie-communications-inc-","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/wyliecomminc\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/#\/schema\/person\/85f5e705a38c31f4a0c59c982a66ce5e","name":"Ann Wylie","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/160508f95c61ef464936ccf823a20963?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/160508f95c61ef464936ccf823a20963?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Ann Wylie"},"description":"Ann Wylie runs a company called Wylie Communications Inc. She works with communicators who want to reach more readers and with organizations that want to get the word out.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ann.wylie.33","https:\/\/x.com\/AnnWylie"]}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/verbicide.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4rlSw-18c","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4352"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4352"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4352\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28272"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wyliecomm.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}