Stick Mainly to the Simple Tenses

First, verb forms change to convey not just the action, but the time it is happening in. English has evolved a complex structure of tenses that break time into precise portions. Open table as spreadsheet Tense Example Present Simple present Present continuous Present perfect Present perfect continuous Past Simple past Past continuous Past perfect Past perfect continuous Future Simple future Future perfect I will consider I will have considered A future action, often as a single event A future action completed by a particular time Future continuous I will be considering A future action over a span of time I considered I was considering I had considered I had been considering Past action, often as a single event Action over a span of time in the past Action during a past period that stopped in the past, but sometimes also continues Action happening continuously in the past I consider I am considering I have considered I have been considering Action happening now Action happening now and ongoing Past action, possibly over a number of points in time, which can continue into the present Action happening continually from the past to the present and possibly ongoing Time frame examples

Future perfect I will have been A future continuous action completed by a continuous considering particular time The strength of this part of our grammar is that you can be ultra-precise about when the action you are reporting takes place. But don't over-complicate your tenses without cause, and stick mainly to the simple tenses in each time frame.

Embrace Modal Auxiliary Verbs

The precision of verbs doesn't stop with tense. We can add some supporting verbs to supply even more information. The first of these are the modals, words such as: can, could, may, might, must, shall, should, will and would. These never stand alone, but are used to indicate the mode of another verb: how or under what conditionsof permission, possibility, ability, necessity, likelihood or obligationthe main verb's action happens. Our staff must attend training sessions. The new procedures should reduce waiting times in our stores.

Modal verbs are your friends. They give you great scope to qualify the action in your writing. You can use them to be a bit more diplomatic, or to modify something you might not be sure about. Our staff could attend training sessions. The new procedures might reduce waiting times in our stores.

Avoid the Verb to be

There are three other supporting verbs, but these have a double life. They can support another verb but can also function independently. As support verbs, to do helps make questions, to have forms the perfect tenses, and to be forms part of the passive voice. Did you review the customer complaint? I have reviewed the customer complaint. The customer complaint was reviewed. The first two are essential to our grammar when we need to ask questions or adjust tense. But beware of the verb to be. This is the most overdone verb in the English language. Most people don't even recognise it as a verb, simply because they intuitively grasp that it doesn't represent action. Yet it functions in our grammar like any other verb, working its way through all the tenses: Person Present Past Perfect I You It We am are is are Future Continuous was have / had been will be am being were have / had been will be are being was has / had been was has / had been will be is being will be is being

He/ she is

were have / had been will be are being

They are were have / had been will be are being Open table as spreadsheet The action this verb represents is the rather abstract action of existing. The new policy is a vast improvement. The customer was late with his payment. Unlike modals, the verb to be is not your friend and it will deaden your text. Kill to be wherever you can and replace it with something more vigorous. Which verbs sound more vital and alive to you? am was were be being is are assess review consider write present speak Nouns and verbs are the core of our grammar. Just about every sentence boils down to things doing actions. Our next two parts of speech are also important because they give us more information about these first two.

Add Adjectives and Adverbs for Detail and Colour

An adjective is a describing word that supplies more information about a noun. It tells us what kind of noun it is, how many there are, or which one it is. Most commonly, adjectives come immediately before the nouns they qualify. Corporate leaders gave their views about the white paper. The new procedures have produced minor changes in operational statistics. Adjectives can also come after some verbs, particularly the verb to be: I am happy.

 I remain upset. Adjectives have an obvious practical function, but they can introduce a subjective element that is not always appropriate for workplace writing: The customer is a hysterical man with an appalling attitude. Of course, adjectives can for the same reason give your writing some life and colour, so try to strike a balance. Under-use leaves your text dry and bloodless. Just as adjectives qualify nouns, most adverbs modify verbs, although they can modify other words as well. They usually tell us how, when, where, why and for what purpose an action is happening. Unlike with adjectives, however, you have a lot more flexibility about where you place an adverb. Sometimes it can come before, and sometimes after, the verb. The new approach effectively eliminated pay roll errors. The 2005 level increased slightly in 2006. The key to placing adverbs is to throw emphasis where it best supports your meaning. Notice that moving the adverb can change the sense of the sentence. The new approach eliminated pay roll errors effectively. The 2005 level slightly increased in 2006. All these versions are grammatically correct. They just say different things. Like adjectives, adverbs add life and colour, so much so that officialese shuns them. You can read hundreds of pages of an organisation's writing without encountering a single adverb of quality. Officialese authors would rather write inefficient phrases such as provide consistency in the administration of instead of administer consistently, and on an annual basis instead of annually.

Use a Balanced Proportion of the Open-Class Words

Now let's apply all of this to a practical purpose: evaluating your writing. The open-class words are important not just because they are the core meaning words, but also because by changing their form you can change them from one part of speech to another. Open table as spreadsheet Verb Noun Adjective to decide to identify decision identity decided Adverb decidedly

to consider consideration considerate considerately identifiable identifiably approved successful provided expected approvingly successfully provisionally expectedly to approve approval to succeed success to provide provision to suggest suggestion to expect expectation

suggestive suggestively

to respond response responsive responsively Such shifts are the key to unlocking your writing style. Dead and dreary workplace writing tends to use a high proportion of nouns and verbs, few adjectives, and almost no adverbs. More importantly, abstract nouns outweigh concrete nouns, and the verb to be is run almost to death. Let's look at a sample, focusing solely on the open-class words: The division understands that the terms and conditions of appointment were noun verb noun noun noun aux discussed by the Board in a thorough manner and it was noted that the

verb noun adjective noun aux verb consultant was remunerated preparation fees. noun aux verb adjective noun This is a total of eight nouns, seven verbs and auxiliary verbs, two adjectives and no adverbs. Read it aloud and you can hear how dull it sounds. Now level the playing field: The division understands that the Board thoroughly discussed contract noun verb noun adverb verb adjective conditions, and noted that the company paid the consultant preparation fees. noun verb noun verb noun adjective noun Now we have a more even balance: six nouns, four verbs, two adjectives and one adverb. We've got rid of three instances of the verb to be and reduced the proportion of abstract nouns. Read it aloud and hear the shift in tone. This is ultimately the point of learning about grammar. It can help you to adjust the balance between different kinds of words and tilt your writing in different directions. The style you choose will depend on your audience. If you are writing a technical paper for a scientific journal, you will have a higher proportion of abstract nouns and more instances of the verb to be. If you are writing about the same subject to the public, you will need to reduce these elements. The first approach isn't wrong, nor the second one right. Each uses a style that will do the job for its intended readers. Knowing your grammar will help you understand what makes up each