Page 888 - Wordsmith A Guide to College Writing
P. 888
Limit Your Use of the Verb To
Be
2 Limit use of the verb to be.
The verb to be in all its many forms (is, are, was, were, has been, will
be, and so on) is a cornerstone of the English language, always there,
always reliable. But writers can rely on it too much and too often.
Look at the following sentence. Notice the improvement when the verb
to be is replaced by a more energetic verb.
Anita is a server at the Blue Moon Café.
Anita waits tables at the Blue Moon Café.
In some sentences, changing the verb to be can help eliminate words
and make sentences more concise.
Math is a subject that many students find intimidating.
