Point 25: "To Be" Verbs

Limit your dependence on "to be" and its relatives. "To be" verbs have a place in strong prose. For example, using "to be" for definitions makes perfect sense. Used excessively, however, "to be" can overwhelm your prose, draining its energy by replacing dynamic actions with states of being. Uncomfortable or tired writers sometimes fall into patterns of being verbs; I have seen students use 15-20 "to be" verbs in a single page of writing. Few arguments can survive such a dearth of action. Replacing "to be" with near-synonymous substitutes (to seem, to represent, and the like) will not save the day, though those verbs, used precisely, also have their place.