Dear Legal Writer, Wanna write more persuasively? Use fewer “to-be” verbs.

Verbs come in two types:

1: ACTION verbs—

These propel your reader forward by presenting action.

2: TO-BE verbs (also called, “state-of-being” verbs)—

These trap your reader in place by describing a static condition.

EXAMPLES

The defendant was in violation of the contract. 🚫
The defendant violated the contract. 👍

The evidence is supportive of the plaintiff’s claim. 🚫
The evidence supports the plaintiff’s claim. 👍

The testimony is contradictory to the physical evidence. 🚫
The testimony contradicts the physical evidence. 👍

***
Here are the “to-be” verbs to avoid:

To be: am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been
To seem: seems, seemed
To become: becomes, became
To appear: appears, appeared
To feel: feels, felt
To remain: remains, remained
To exist: exists, existed

***
So, next time you’re writing, hunt down those pesky “to-be” verbs & swap ‘em out for stronger action verbs.

Beyond propelling your reader forward . . .

✔️ Action verbs are more concise.
✔️ Action verbs simplify your syntax.
✔️ Action verbs show rather than tell.

So try making the to-be-to-action-verb swap the next time you write.

💌 Amanda

#DearLegalWriter

🗳️ Do you try to avoid “to-be” verbs when you write?