8 Strategies to Reduce “Be” Verbs

Many writers tend to overuse “be” verbs: is, am, are, was, were, be, being, been. While we need these words, too many can make your writing sound weak. This article provides specific methods to eliminate them. However, don’t focus on getting rid of every one just for the sake of it—though when I taught English, I had students rise to the occasion. Instead, focus your attention on creating stronger sentences and improving your writing, which sometimes means eliminating a “be” verb or two.

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Effective Transitions that Aid Your Reader’s Comprehension

When writing an essay or a nonfiction book, you need to have transitions connecting your topics together. This blog post describes how to do that in easy to follow steps, and then provides examples from essays and nonfiction books. As a student, if you struggle with organization, this lesson can help you. As an author, checking your transitions is something you can do during your self-editing process.

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