“There is no great

writing, only great

rewriting.”

Louis D. Brandeis
 Would You Rather

Would you rather dance

quickly across burning coals
or squat for 2 hours next to a
garbage dump?

© A Better Way to Teach 2022

 Would You Rather

Would you rather eat a

boiled frog (with no
condiments or toppings) or
consume the world’s hottest
pepper?

© A Better Way to Teach 2022

 Would You Rather

Would you rather dance

These are quickly across burning coals
action or squat for 2 hours next to
verbs. a garbage dump?

© A Better Way to Teach 2022

 Would You Rather

Would you rather eat a

These are
are boiled frog (with no
action
vivid verbs. condiments or toppings) or
verbs. consume the world’s hottest
pepper?

© A Better Way to Teach 2022

 Linking Verbs
➔ Definition
◆ Linking verbs connect a subject
to the predicate
◆ They do not show action

➔ Examples:
am is are

was were been

being appear become

feel look seem

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 Linking Verbs
➔ Spot the linking verb in each
sentence.
◆ Cam Newton seems
devastated.
◆ Tupac is still alive.

◆ Kevin Hart’s career appears

to be back on track.

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 Vivid Verbs
➔ Definition
◆ Vivid verbs are action verbs that
are particularly descriptive.

➔ Examples:
barge flounder tiptoe

bounce flee veer

catapult prance waddle

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 Linking vs. Action
What do you
➔ Linking Verbs
notice?
King T’Challa seems nervous.
What’s the benefit of
using action verbs Erik Killmonger is angry and
instead of linking
violent.
verbs?
➔ Action/Vivid Verbs
King T’Challa nervously creeps
closer to his nemesis.

Killmonger spears T’Challa and

then thrusts him across the track.

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What do you notice?
There are linking and
action/vivid verbs in this “Life is a storm my young friend.
passage.
You will bask in the sunlight one
moment, be shattered on the rocks
What linking verbs do you see?
the next. What makes you a man is
What vivid verbs?
what you do when that storm
comes.”

Alexandre Dumas
The Count of Monte Cristo
What do you notice?
What verbs do you see in this
sentence? “Then suddenly he plunged
forward, wrung my hand, and
How do these specific verbs
relay a certain mood?
congratulated me warmly on my
success.”

Arthur Conan Doyle

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
(701)
What do you notice?
What verbs do you see in this
sentence?
What do you imagine this
scene to be like?
How would the sentence
change with different verbs?
“Mr. Button sank down upon a
chair near his son and concealed his
face in his hands.”
F. Scott Fitzgerald
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
50 Greatest Short Stories
338
Tip
Add more vivid verbs
to the next essay you Adding Vivid Verbs To
write!
Your Vocabulary
● Take out your independent reading
book.
● Skim through a few pages and
underline or highlight the vivid
verbs that you notice. If you’re not
allowed to write in the book, write
down some verbs on your handout.
 Mentor Sentence
“Then suddenly he plunged forward,
Imitate wrung my hand, and congratulated me
Write a sentence using the warmly on my success.”
sentence stem. Fill in
vivid verbs to the blanks Arthur Conan Doyle
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
that ARE NOT in the (701)
original sentence.
Add additional details if Imitation Sentence
you’d like.
Then suddenly she _____________ forward,
____________ my shoulders, and
______________.
 Mentor Sentence
“D’Artagnan dropped to his knees,
Mentor Sentence seized the king’s hand and kissed it.”
What vivid verbs to you notice?

Alexandre Dumas
Imitate The Man in The Iron Mask
23
Write your own sentence using the
sentence frame and YOUR OWN
vivid verbs and phrases in the
blanks.
Imitation Sentence
Julio Jones ________to the endzone
and
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___________________________.
Your Turn
Watch the video and then write 2-3
sentences about the video.

Use several vivid verbs to describe

the actions of the characters.

Animated Short (2:56)

What do you notice?
What do you notice about this
sentence?

What verbs do you see? “Mentor sentence.”

What do you imagine this Author

Book
scene to be like?
(page)