Verbal Sentence Openers: How to Write Athletic Prose

Since English is my second language, I am very careful when I write my phrases, clauses, and sentences. In much of my writing I use ‘verbals’. As I strive to make my prose strong and athletic, I want to share what I’ve learned on this topic.

If a reader finds the following sentence beginning:

Zigzagging and weaving…

Without even mentioning a subject, the author forms an image in the mind of the reader, who has no choice but to run to see what is moving that way. The participatory forms of verbs ending in -ing (to zigzag and weave) not only reflect movement, but also create an expectation and incentive to satisfy curiosity. And that is what all authors strive for; that is, keep the reader busy, curious, guessing what’s next.

Scott Fitzgerald in a letter to his daughter quoted a line from Keat’s poem Eve of Saint Agnes, to point out how the participating verbs move and carry the sentence:

The hare limped trembling across the frozen grass.

Participle forms also end in -ed and -t, or -en (in some irregular verbs).

When you hear an imperative, pay attention, like when you hear: “Don’t do that!” Even when the command is smooth and conversational, the reader pays attention, as when Herman Melville lures the reader into his monumental Moby Dick with the imperative: “Call me Ishmael.”

Verbs and verbal expressions pack and release a unique type of energy that other parts of speech do not; that’s why master writers learn and master its use. Have you ever wondered what makes writing fast, galloping, and breathless? The answer is: express yourself with verbs and verbals.

Let’s define the Verbs:

Verbs are verb forms that are not used as verbs, but as:

Nouns: The General was fired for retiring. [Where ‘retreating’ is a gerund noun].

Subjects: Cooking was a pain. [Where ‘To cook’ is an infinitive acting as subject].

Adjectives: Flying airplanes can be dangerous. [Where ‘flying’ is an adjective that modifies ‘planes.’].

adverbs: The senator had no reason to lie. [Where ‘to lie’ is an infinitive functioning as an adverb].

That verbals are powerful to open sentences, there is no doubt. However, many writers, even successful writers, prefer to pepper their writing with proper adjectives and adverbs; for example: Without a doubt, the weak General was fired for being a coward.

Let us admit that the verb, in the English language, is king; and as in the game of Chess all the other pieces (including the queen), although important and powerful, are so only in relation to the king.

Sloppy writers use the verb ‘to be’ continuously, which is a sign of weak writing. So, to make your writing strong, follow this simple guideline: prefer strong verbs and verbs; Avoid weak verbs. And even when using ‘to be’ as a copula, find a way to reinforce it with verbs.

Scott Fitzgerald made a note in a notebook, which shows his preoccupation –or obsession, one might say– with verbs: Oblivion is forgiven.

Verbs come in different forms, and all of them are effective because they include a verb form. These verbs are so strong that master writers use them not only to open sentences, but also to open paragraphs, even books.