#60: The Gray Lady Gushes for Good Verbs
Mr. Neary
York Times from three separate articles that include great verbs--
action words that are assertive, vivid, powerful, descriptive.
Sometimes these types of verbs constitute SAT words, but more times
than not they are common colorful words found in narratives.
In any case, find three examples (I have two samples below) and
provide the following:
--informal citation of the source
--copy of the sentence
--an explanation in which you identify the verb and discuss what
makes it great
Let's try to avoid duplicates and place all your entries on the same
response.
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SAMPLES
1. November 24, 2010: "Gangs Battle Police in Rio de Janeiro Slums" by
Myrna Domit
"Heavily armed criminals have blocked busy streets, robbed drivers and
burned at least nine cars since Sunday, according to the police and
the Brazilian news media." (Descriptive action verbs: blocked, robbed,
and burned--they help create a very visual sentence.)
2. November 11, 2010: "Somalia’s Wars Swell a Refugee Camp in Kenya"
by Josh Korn
"...the refugee population at Dadaab has swelled to nearly 300,000,
virtually all Somali, making it the largest refugee complex in the
world..." (Great Verb: swelled. This word yields a far greater
dramatic effect than would "grown" or "increased" or "risen." This
sample is better than #1, I might add, because it uses the descriptive
verb in a non-narrative sentence--if you know what I mean by that.)
Cat Mosier-Mills
City" by Anthony Shadid
"In the worst episode, 36 bodies were dumped in a square in a
neighborhood that sits along a fault line between the city’s Sunni
Muslim majority and its Alawite minority, said Mohammed Saleh, a 54-
year-old activist there who has tried to stanch the growing sectarian
tension." (Descriptive action verbs: dumped, stanch -- dumped implies
a very careless and unfeeling burial for these protestors, and
constrasts nicely with the crispness of "stanch", implying yet another
opposition in this situation.)
2. December 6, 2011: "Villagers Become Refugees in Myanmar as Rebels
Clash With Troops" by the New York Times
"The mountainous northern reaches of Myanmar, rich in jade and timber
and crisscrossed by traffickers dealing in heroin and
methamphetamines, are among the most unstable areas in Southeast
Asia." (Action verbs: "crisscrossed" -- this word nicely displays a
sense of chaos caused by the conflict, nicely contradicting the clear
statements of "rich in jade", and applying the same "road" metaphor
that is usually associated with the drug trade.)
3. December 6, 2011: "Pakistan: President Travels to Dubai for Medical
Tests" by Salman Masood
"Husain Haqqani, a close aide to Mr. Zardari and former ambassador to
Washington, was forced to resign last month after accusations that he
had orchestrated the memo, a charge the former ambassador denies
vehemently." (Action verb: orchestrated; these are exceptional verbs
because "orchestrated", instead of planned, sounds like a methodical,
precise, and deliberate operation by someone with the brains to do it,
like the villain in a spy movie.)
Alexa Lee
Authorities Crack Down" by Sharon LaFraniere
"Mr. Qiao said authorities did all they could to stymie him, keeping
his name off the ballot, threatening his student volunteers, even
forcibly collecting the red bookmarks he had printed with the
slogan..." (Great Verb(s): stymie. The word is very potent and a
great choice, rather than a simple "stop" or "prevent.")
2. "Egypt, the Beginning or the End?" by Thomas Friedman
"But that seems to have come at the expense of alienating some more
traditional-minded Egyptian voters - who still cling to the army as a
source of stability - and it seems to have hampered the secular
reformists in preparing to compete in the first round of
elections." (Descriptive Action Verb(s): alienating, cling.
Alienating gives the powerful image of a deep separation and
isolation. Cling portrays the crucial dependency of the "traditional-
minded Egyptian voters" on the army.
3. "Japan Split on Hope for Vast Radiation Cleanup" by Martin Fackler
"Its traditional wooden homes have begun to sag and collapse since
they were abandoned in March by residents fleeing the nuclear plant on
the edge of town that began spiraling toward disaster." (Great
Verb(s): sag, collapse, fleeing, spiraling. Wow, so many great
descriptive verbs! Sag and collapse give the impression that these
homes are ancient (like some woman...), but it is only due to the
great tsunami that struck Japan. Fleeing is a great visual verb
because one can picture the emotions of distress and the panic in the
scene. Spiraling illustrates an abysmal disaster - spinning deeper
and deeper forever.
On Dec 8, 1:33 pm, "Mr. Neary" <tjne...@gmail.com> wrote:
Josh Klag
Legislative Elections" by Ellen Barry
"Standing in the light snow, Yana Larionova, 26, said she was not at
all surprised to see crowds choking footbridges to join the
demonstration on Bolotnaya Square, many of them wearing white ribbons
pinned to their coats.
Great Verb: choking- Although "choking" is a fairly plain word by
itself, the way it is used in this sentence makes it very vivid and
interesting. It fantastically portrays the image of people crowding
into the streets, leaving no room for movement.
2. December 7, 2011: "Military Flexes Its Muscles as Islamists Gain in
Egypt" by David D. Kirkpatrick
"Just three weeks ago, Cairo erupted in a week of bloody protests set
off in part by the military’s attempts to claim permanent powers to
intervene in civilian politics and to enshrine in the constitution
protection from public scrutiny."
Great Verbs: Erupted and enshrine- Erupted is a great verb for this
sentence, as it supplements the idea of a sudden wave of brutal
violence very well. Enshrine is also utilized perfectly in the context
of the military attempting to eliminate the people's freedom to
criticize them.
3. December 8, 2011: "Lead From Old U.S. Batteries Sent to Mexico
Raises Risks" by Elisabeth Rosenthal
"But for much of the past decade, at the vast recycling compound of
Industrial Mondelo here, batteries have been dismantled by men
wielding hammers, and their lead melted in furnaces whose smokestacks
vent to the air outside, where lead particles can settle everywhere
from schoolyards to food carts."
Great verbs: Dismantle and settle- Dismantle is a fantastic verb to
use in this context because it connotes the idea of makeshift and
messy methods, which supports the surrounding content of the article.
Settles is also a good verb, as it depicts the image of the dangerous
toxins spreading across the nation, even in the places that are
considered the safest.
Ben Cohen
"Cut off from the Internet, Russia’s best-known blogger will have to
wait until the next morning, when his lawyer will take him a stack of
printouts telling him what happened — whether the protest fizzled,
exploded into violence or made history." ( Descriptive action verbs:
fizzled, exploded-- Both the verbs are powerful descriptive words that
describe the success of Russian protests, and highlight the difference
between triumph and downfall.)
2. December 9, 2011: "94 People Die as Private hospital in India
Burns" by Lydia Polgreen
"There appeared to be many reasons why the fire in the plush 180-bed
hospital in Kolkata, formerly Calcutta, which started in the basement
early on Friday morning, roared out of control for many hours and
produced such catastrophic results." ( Descriptive action verbs:
roared-- This verb shows the severity of the fire, and gives a good
description of how it spread quickly and how much damage it did.)
3.December 9, 2011: "German Vision Prevails as Leaders Agree on Fiscal
Pact" by Steven Erlanger and Stephen Castle
"But it is viewed as unlikely to calm fears that Europe is unwilling
to muster the financial firepower to defend the sovereign debts of big
member states, including Italy and Spain, that have little or no
economic growth and have big debt bills coming due soon. " (Descritive
action verbs: muster-- This verb shows the weakness of Europe at this
time and gives a good view on how much Europe economy is really
struggling.)
On Dec 8, 1:33 pm, "Mr. Neary" <tjne...@gmail.com> wrote:
Ashley Gubernick
Burns" by By Lydia Polgreen and Hari Kumar
"In fact, it took firefighters more than 12 hours to subdue the blaze,
Fire Department officials said." (Descriptive action verb- subdue. In
elementary school we learned firefighters "put out" fires. This word
"subdue" described an action that most everyone relates to
firefighters, but is the more sophisticated term.
2. December 10, 2011: "Waiting to Leave, Last U.S. Troops in Iraq Stay
Vigilant" by Jack Heally
"Every other American soldier in Iraq, it seemed, was strapping duffel
bags to the roofs of armored trucks, dismantling bases and joining the
convoys hurtling south through the desert, toward the Kuwaiti border
and the promise of home." (Descriptive action verbs- strapping,
dismantling, hurtling. All three verbs help create a visual of the
scene in Iraq. This visual is juxtaposed to the scene we have all
been imagining for quite some time now of soldiers fighting in war.
Finally we can envision the soldiers strapping bags onto trucks,
dismantling bases, and hurtling towards "the promise of home." Though
this article is more about the soldiers that have to stay rather than
the ones who are leaving, this sentence created a great visual of
those who are able to go home.
3. December 10, 2011: "Congo Leader Is Declared Winner in Disputed
Vote" by Adam Nossiter
"Crowds, fleeing the roaming police, occasionally surged unexpectedly
through the streets in the hazy late-afternoon light." (Descriptive
action verbs- fleeing, surged. The word fleeing is used often when
talking about slaves and the underground railroad so it is not taken
lightly. The intensity the word brings to the sentence is more
significant than the phrase "running from," which could be a synonym
for "fleeing." The word "surged" could mean gushing or could mean
rising in number so it works really well in this sentence to mean both
and create a visual of the hazy late-afternoon.)
On Dec 8, 1:33 pm, "Mr. Neary" <tjne...@gmail.com> wrote:
James Lofton
Mr. Cameron was perceived as having made a poor gamble in opposing the
push by Mrs. Merkel and President Nicolas Sarkozy of France,
embittering relations and possibly damaging his standing at home.
(Descriptive action verbs: embittering- Using the word "embittering"
is a very easy way of reducing the number of words in a sentence and
adding potency to the phrase in which it is used. By adding the
prefixes to a relatively simple word, "bitter", the meaning of this
new and somewhat odd word is not hard to decipher yet sounds more
complex.
December 9, 2011:"4 Afghan Men Held in Acid Attack on Family" By
Alissa J. Rubin and Rob Norland
Their chief target was Mumtaz, 18. One of the attackers had asked for
her hand, and had been rebuffed by her father, a poor laborer named
Sultan Mohammed. (Descriptive action verb: rebuffed- The use of
"rebuffed" really adds another layer of description to the action that
had been committed without adding more words. It would be just as easy
to replace it with "rejected" or "denied" but "rebuffed adds the
notion that not only was the man turned away, but it was done in a
shameful or disgraceful manner.)
December 9, 2011: "Waiting to Leave, Last US Troops in Iraq Stay
Vigilant" By Jack Healy
They burned time talking about the virtues of cold pizza, whether to
brush their dog’s teeth, which muscle groups they’d exercise later
that night. (Descriptive action verb: burned- The use of "burned" as
opposed to "passed" really coincides with the situation which it is
describing. The men are in the middle of a war zone, passing time does
not provide the proper connotation as to the immediate risk they are
subject to. However, "burned", which in it of itself is a violent
action, really provides an added element of increased emotion.)
Melissa Lee
Charges” by Jim Yardley “The case seems certain to inflame passions
among the vast Tibetan diaspora in northern India.” (Descriptive
action verb: inflame—it connects the historical and current issue of
the Tibetans by symbolizing the “passions” of a burning fire that has
been further “inflamed”)
2. December 8, 2011: “Putin Contends Clinton Incited Unrest Over Vote”
by David M. Herszenhorn and Ellen Barry “Speaking to political allies
as he announced the formation of his presidential campaign, Mr. Putin
said that hundreds of millions of dollars in ‘foreign money’ was being
used to influence Russian politics, and that Mrs. Clinton had
personally spurred protesters to action.” (Descriptive action verb:
spurred—the verb emphasized the intensity of Putin’s accusations,
instead of saying Clinton had maybe made protestors act, it is a more
definite and firm tone)
3. December 8, 2011: “Taiwan Vote Draws Mainland Interest, and One
Mainlander” by Andrew Jacobs “The elections, which take place Jan. 14,
have piqued considerable interest in China, which is led by a
Communist government keen to dampen the democratic yearnings of its
people.” (Great verbs: piqued, dampen—the verb “piqued” nicely
represents the stimulation of interest in the Chinese elections, while
the contrasting “dampen” well describes the Communist aim towards
democracy)
On Dec 8, 1:33 pm, "Mr. Neary" <tjne...@gmail.com> wrote:
Lizzy Hilt
Vote” by David M. Herszenhorn and Ellen Barry“Prime Minister Vladimir
V. Putin accused Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday
of inciting unrest in Russia, as he grappled with the prospect of
large-scale political protest for the first time in his more than
decade-long rule.” (Good verb- grappled. This word is more descriptive
than struggled, etc.)
2.The silence was punctuated by occasional gunshots as cruising police
officers, guns pointing out from their patrol vehicles, fired in the
air to disperse the crowds. (Descriptive verb- punctuated. This verb
provides a more precise image in your head.)
3.December 9th, 2011: “94 People Die as Private Hospital in India
Burns” by Lydia Polgreen“Is nowhere, even an expensive, privately run
hospital designed for the country’s upwardly mobile classes, safe from
the disaster that seems to lurk on every railway line, highway on-ramp
and festival ground?” (Good verb- lurk. This word paints a better
picture in your head than “to be.”)
Rachel Hochberger
Budge" by Neil MacFarquhar- "Rather than responding to the motivations
and demands behind the antigovernment uprising, opponents and
political analysts say, the government has stubbornly clung to the
narrative that it is besieged by a foreign plot." (Good Verb- clung.
This is much more descriptive and powerful than held or kept, and
shows the struggle for power by the Syrian government.)
2. December 7th, 2011: "After Vote, Congo Braces for Expressions of
Discord" by Adam Nossiter- "With a contentious election still
unresolved more than a week after the voting, an uneasy quiet held
here on Wednesday, punctuated by occasional blasts of tear gas, hurled
rocks, gunshots and promises of more intense confrontations to
come." (Good Verb- hurled. Hurled gives a vivid picture of the violent
events unfolding, and helps you to actually visualize it happening in
your head.)
3. December 9th, 2011: "U.N. Chief Pays Surprise Visit to Somalia" by
Mohammed Ibrahim and Jeffrey Gettleman- "Somalia has lurched from
crisis to crisis since 1991 when the central government imploded and
hundreds of thousands of people perished in famine and civil
war." (Good Verb- lurched. It shows the unsteadiness and volatility of
Somalia's current situation. Imploded- It is a powerful verb that
gives a clear idea of the dangerous and worsening issues, and how the
country is in some ways crumbling into itself.)
Connor
Leigh
"This is the charge that President Obama is running a virulently antibusiness administration that spews out a steady flow of job- and economy-crushing regulations."
Great Verb(s): spews
This verb creates the sense of a continuous flow of something people are not pleased with
2. December 5, 2011: "How to Rescue Education Reform" by Frederick M. Hess and Linda Darling-Hammond
"To existing mandates, they would add heavy-handed, unproven teacher-evaluation requirements that could stifle innovative teaching and school design. "
Great Verb(s): stifle
To me this is more effective than using an generic verb like "stops." I think stifle better describes the way innovative teaching will be suppressed by new laws.
3. December 5, 2011: "Dr. Berwick's Pink Slip" by Joe Nocera
"...he became enamored with the ideas being promulgated by management gurus like W. Edwards Deming and companies like Toyota..."
Great Verb(s): promulgated
Gonna be honest, I didnt know what promulgated meant. So for anyone like me, heres the definition: promote or make widely known (an idea or cause)
I think this word is perfectly used and is stronger than simply saying people promoted an idea
Shefain Islam
"The measures are meant to slash the cost of government, combat tax evasion and step up economic growth, so the country can eliminate its budget deficit by 2013."
Descriptive action verb(s): slash, combat
These two verbs create harsh, almost violent images in your mind which goes hand in hand with the harsh reforms that Italy is planning on making to fix its debt problem. These words also describe the imperative nature of this issues.
2. December 4, 2011: "For Turkey, Lure of Tie to Europe Is Fading" by Dan Bilefsky
"As economic contagion tarnishes the European Union, a newly assertive Turkey is increasingly looking east instead of west, and asking a vexing question: Should Turkey reject Europe before Europe rejects Turkey?"
Descriptive action verb(s): tarnish
This verb describes the effect that the EU debt crisis has had on Europe in a very foreword and negative manner. Tarnish describes this situation perfectly and brings to mind a piece of shining metal, now rusted in the wear and tear of everyday life. Europe was the shinning piece of metal.
3. December 4, 2011: "What Gingrich Didn’t Learn in Congo" by Adam Hochschild
"Newt Gringrich seldom misses a chance to note that he is a historian. He lards his speeches with references to obscure events in the American past, talks about his time teaching at West Georgia College (not one of those effete Ivies), and has declared that the more than $1.6 million in fees he earned from Freddie Mac was for his work not, heaven forbid, as a lobbyist, but as a historian."
Descriptive action verb(s): lard
Again, like most of my verbs, this verb conjures very vivid images in my mind of a piece of meat being slathered by greedy or proud man heavily with lard, the excess lard collecting in heaps on the side of the meat. I liked to take this image and then apply to the context of the sentence, which I think the author intended the reader to do. In this case, the meat is the paper/speeches, the proud man is Gringrich, and the lard his is obnoxious allusions to the fact he is a historian.
Allie Martin
Friedman
"Presidents latwly seem to have just those 100 days to lay down a
transformal agenda and get it passes in their forst year- before the
have to tailor their politics to the midterm elections-and then, if,
as often hapens, their party loses the midterms they have to focus on
the next presidential election."
(I love the word "tailor" when it is used as a verb. Its much better
than "fixed" and creates a very interesting visual image.)
2. December 11, 2011: "Democracy in the Brotherhood's Birthplace" by
Nicholas Kristof
"Some Salafi leaders have made extremist statemaents-suggesting tht
women and Christians are unfit to be leaders, rasing questions about
the peace treaty with Israel, and denouncing the great Egyptiand Nobel
laureate in literature for sacrilage."
(The word "denounced" is such a strong word and has more emotion in it
than "went against." It also shows a sense of convition toward the
opinion)
3. December 11, 2011: "Two Self-Declared Leaders Help Keep Congo on
Edge" by Adam Nossiter
"He has a srtong hold on the streets of this teeming downtrodden
capital of nearly 10 million; he immediately declared himself the
president after the electoral commision designated Mr. Kabila as the
winner"
("Designated" is a great verb and is much more official than saying
"they said." It also has a more professional tone, which is ironic
onsidering the chaos in the Congo)
On Dec 8, 1:33 pm, "Mr. Neary" <tjne...@gmail.com> wrote:
Addy
Egypt" by: David Kirkpatrick
"Just three weeks ago, Cairo erupted in a week of bloody protests set
off in part by the military's attempts to claim permanent powers to
intervene in civilian politics and to enshrine in the constitution
protection from public scrutiny."
showing the dramatic level at which the events in egypt are unfolding)
2. December 8, 2011 "Libyan Civilians Hold on to a Deadly Legacy in an
Uprising's Aftermath" by C.J. Chivers
"He retrieved a rifle, took the boy to the front courtyard, inserted a
magazine, chambered a round, and set the weapon's selector lever on
automatic"
(Strong use of rythme, each verb kind of punched into the sentence,
creating a feeling of empending doom.)
3. December 8, 2011 "Joining a Dinner in a Muclim Brotherhood Home" by
Nicholas Kristof
"Sondos rails at the Western presumption that the Muslim Brotherhood
would oppress women"
(Strong descriptive verb-- Rails, a rarely seen verb that express pent
up emotion and anger. Masterfully used.)
On Dec 8, 1:33 pm, "Mr. Neary" <tjne...@gmail.com> wrote:
Quincy Shuda
1. December 6, 2011: “Sharp Spate of Killings Traumatizes a Syrian
City” by Anthony Shadid
uprising began nine months ago, dozens of corpses were recovered from
the streets of Homs this week, some of them dismembered, decapitated
and bearing signs of torture, activists and residents said
Tuesday." (In this case they're used as adjectives, but the words
"dismembered" and "decapitated" are strong, visual words, while also
throwing in some alliteration. The verb "bearing" used the phrase with
"signs of torture" also contributed to a powerful message, rather than
just "showing" or "having".)
2. December 7, 2011: "Plot to Smuggle Qaddafi Son Into Mexico Is
Disrupted, Government Official Says" by Randal C. Archibald
"The announcement provided yet another odd twist in the life of the
younger Qaddafi, 38, who has trekked across the globe veering from an
ill-fated career in professional Italian soccer, to Hollywood
producer, to would-be peace negotiator as his homeland spun out of
control. (Good verbs: trekked, veering, spun. "Trekked" is a verb that
most people know the meaning of, yet it is a much stronger word than
many of the ones we would commonly think to use. "Veering" and "spun"
are the same thing - they provide a more detailed meaning that fits
the scene rather than a generic replacement word.)
3. December 4, 2011: "Carbon Emissions Show Biggest Jump Ever
Recorded" by Justin Gills
"The increase solidified a trend of ever-rising emissions that
scientists fear will make it difficult, if not impossible, to
forestall severe climate change in coming decades." (Two verbs, "
solidified" and "forestall" are used in this sentence. They are great
vocabulary words, whose meanings are not difficult to understand.
These verbs are very concrete, in the way that they get the message
across clearly and effectively without the need for unnecessary
descriptions.)
Jeremy Rhome
Brazil” by Simon Romero
“Brazil’s kinetic economy sputtered in the third quarter, officials
announced Tuesday, ending a long stretch of growth and pointing to
some of the headwinds now facing Brazil and big economies in Asia,
notably India and China.” (Verb: sputtered – the same point could have
been conveyed with a simpler verb but using this one spiced up the
entire sentence)
2. December 6th 2011: “Hezbollah Leader Backs Syria President in
Public” by Nada Bakri
“Hezbollah, the single most powerful group in Lebanon, has faced a
growing challenge amid the eight months of tumult in Syria.” (Verb:
tumult – after hearing about the Arab spring for a year now, I have
never heard it be described as a “tumult”, this verb carries a certain
punch that is lacked in other verbs that could be used)
3. December 7th 2011: “Libyan Civilians Hold on to a Deadly Legacy” by
CJ Chivers
“Around Misurata, rebels began firing into the night sky, celebrating
a milestone in the slow, inevitable dismembering of the Qaddafi
clan.” (Verb: dismembering – Usually used to describe a body torn
apart but has been used differently here, is greatly better than using
simple words like “loss” or “defeat”)
Erica
Discord" by Adam Nossiter
"With a contentious election still unresolved more than a week after
the voting, an uneasy quiet held here on Wednesday, punctuated by
occasional blasts of tear gas, hurled rocks, gunshots and promises of
punctuated, hurled; help create a visual in the reader's mind and
paint a vivid picture! The word punctuate is a harsh-sounding word
that fits in with context of the sentence better than 'interrupt', and
hurled is far more descriptive than the words thrown or tossed.)
2. December 9, 2011: "After Russian Vote, Putin Claims Clinton Incited
Unrest" by David M. Herszenhorn and Ellen Barry
"Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin accused Secretary of State Hillary
Rodham Clinton on Thursday of inciting unrest in Russia, as he
grappled with the prospect of large-scale political protest for the
incite and grapple; the word incite insinuates change, and is a far
better alternative to a word like 'inspire', and grapple is a
descriptive verb that represents Putin's struggle.)
3. December 8, 2011: "Factional Splits Hinder Drive to Topple Syria
Leader" by Dan BilefskyEarlier this month, the Syrian National
Council, and the rebel Free Syrian Army, which is waging an insurgency
against the Syrian government, agreed to coordinate their
actions." (Great verb: waging; good verb to show the intensity of the
battle between the rebels and the Syrian government.)
On Dec 8, 1:33 pm, "Mr. Neary" <tjne...@gmail.com> wrote:
Colin Castro
"All over the sprawling metropolis on Friday afternoon the streets were lined with glum and silent supporters of the man who finished second in the national count, the veteran opposition leader Étienne Tshisekedi."
Thoughts: With all the great adjectives here, I thought the verb 'lined' was perfect because all of the Congolese were disappointed and silenced by this likely rigged elections, and the verb lined seems almost empty and lifeless. I just think of quiet, reserved people all together but not interacting.
2. Somalis Still Flood Yemen, Going From Worse to Bad, By: Laura Kasinof, 12/9/11
"But driven by famine and war in their own country, Somalis in greater numbers than ever are making the perilous journey across the Arabian Sea to this crumbling nation. They brave overcrowded boats, sometimes stormy seas, and smugglers ready to cast them overboard to lighten a listing craft."
Thoughts: I find these adjectives to be powerful in describing the Somalian trip to Yemen, I like the verbs driven and and brave. The sentences are showing how their lives are in difficult situations and how the circumstances literally drive them out of their home, and how they have to abandon what they know and show the courage to brave the trip.
3. Syria, Under Siege Inside and Out, Does Not Budge, By: Neil MacFarquhar, 12/7/11
"Rather than responding to the motivations and demands behind the antigovernment uprising, opponents and political analysts say, the government has stubbornly clung to the narrative that it is besieged by a foreign plot. The government offers meager crumbs of political change, they say, avoiding the sweeping reforms that might defuse public anger and ease its international isolation."
Thoughts: I find the verbs in this sentence great, especially clung and besieged in the idea that Syria is desperately flaunting and grasping to the bizarre lie that it's under some great attack and that all the violence is really an act of protection. I also like how in the second sentence, MacFarquhar writes Syria offers meager crumbs, and attempts to dodge or hide from sweeping reforms that would calm public outburst and international isolation. That's why I find the verbs defuse and ease splendid when used here.
Michael Wong
countries, [and] alleviate Europe's economic slump.
The use of alleviate here is effective because unlike the verbs to
help or sure up, as many news article use, alleviate suggests that
additional funding is not the cure to Europe's financial sickness
rather something to relieve the pressure, implying that with such
measures more could then be accomplished.
2.The Next First (and Only) 100 Days, By Thomas Friedman 'Presidents
lately seem to have just those first 100 days to lay down a
transformational agenda and get it passed in their first year- before
they have to tailor their politics to the midterm elections.
The idea of tailoring generally implies fine tuning, as with a scissor
to hair or the re-sizing of a suit, yet here it is almost funny to
think of the President doing that to his political statements- but it
holds true and makes sense as a verb.
3.Professor Vs. Professor, By Ross Douthat "... in which the smarter
and better-spoken candidate reveals exposes his rival as a tongue-tied
boob."
Not only is this sentence great because it manages to communicate that
this ideal of the I can do what you can do better is ridiculous by
making the language whimsical, but also the use of expose makes the
sentence much better because it make us Imagine one debater in a swift
flurry of argument magic, showing that his opponent is "a tongue-tied
boob."
Kaleigh Link
Robert f. Worth
"Iranian protesters shouting “Death to England” stormed the British
Embassy compound and a diplomatic residence in Tehran on Tuesday,
tearing down the British flag, smashing windows, defacing walls and
briefly detaining six staff members in what appeared to be a state-
sponsored protest against Britain’s tough new economic sanctions
against Iran." (Descriptive action verbs: tearing, smashing, defacing
- tearing, smashing, and defacing create a visual of destruction)
2. Turkey: More Trade Measures Imposed Against Syria
By BLOOMBERG NEWS
Published: December 7, 2011
"Relations between the two countries have deteriorated since August,
when Mr. Assad failed to take steps to end a deadly crackdown on
dissent." (great verb: deteriorated - gives a visual of the
relationship melting/disappearing right in front of your eyes.)
3.December 5, 2011
Voters Watch Polls in Russia, and Fraud Is What They See
By MICHAEL SCHWIRTZ and DAVID M. HERSZENHORN
"Mr. Duda raced home and uploaded the clip to YouTube." (descriptive
action verb: raced - raced is a better word than ran or hurried, raced
gives the sense of urgency, of utmost importance, that whatever he
raced home to do had to be done right away.)
On Dec 8, 1:33 pm, "Mr. Neary" <tjne...@gmail.com> wrote:
Sarah M
Religion” by David KirkPatrick
“Ten months after a broad popular uprising overthrew President Hosni
Mubarak, the Salafis’ new brand of religious populism has propelled Al
Nour and its allies to claim more than a quarter of the vote in the
first round of parliamentary elections, surprising even the most
seasoned Egyptian analysts and Western diplomats.” (Great verb:
Propelled. This word represents the positive and prosperous growth of
the party
2.December 11, 2011: “Two Self-Declared Leaders Keep Congo on Edge” by
Adam Nossiter
“By Saturday, burned-out, looted cars lined a principal avenue in 20-
Mai, while the remains of burning tires were smoldering in the
neighborhood’s streets.” (The precise verb “lined” juxtaposes the
chaos of the ruined cars, while the descriptive verb “smoldering” adds
to the intense imagery of the scene).
3.December 11, 2011: “Tear Gas Canister Killed Palestinian Protester,
Activists Say” by the Associated Press
“Military officials say they are using the gas to quell violent
demonstrations.” (The descriptive verb “quell” is an accurate
representation of the way in which the people are trying to stop the
demonstrations, and contributes to the style and tone of the action).
Alex Freedman
Cleanup" by Martin Fackler
"Critics counter that the effort to clean Fukushima Prefecture could
end up as perhaps the biggest of Japan’s white-elephant public works
projects — and yet another example of post-disaster Japan reverting to
the wasteful ways that have crippled economic growth for two
decades." ("Critics counter" uses good alliteration and grabs the
reader on a point that could be payed a lot less attention.)
2. December 8th, 2011 - "Israeli Strikes Kill Two Palestinians in
Gaza" by Isabel Kershner and Fares Akram
"And in a move that could increase Israeli-Palestinian tensions,
Jerusalem’s city engineer issued an order on Thursday for closing
within a week a rickety footbridge leading to the holy compound
revered by Jews as the Temple Mount and by Muslims as the Noble
Sanctuary, which houses Al Aksa Mosque." (The verb "revered" captures
the emotion and passion of the Jews and Muslims, putting the
importance of the location into perspective for outsiders.)
3. December 7th, 2011 - "Joining a Dinner in a Muslim Brotherhood
Home" by Nicholas Kristof
"When I raised American concerns that Egypt under the Muslim
Brotherhood and the more extremist Salafis might replicate Iran, he
was dismissive: “The experience of Iran will not be repeated in
Egypt.” (The verb allows the point to get across clearly but doesn't
use a simple verb.)
Dec 8, 1:33 pm, "Mr. Neary" <tjne...@gmail.com> wrote:
Steven Wood
Ladd and Edward Fiske
"The Occupy movement has catalyzed rising anxiety over income
inequality; we desperately need a similar reminder of the relationship
between economic advantage and student performance." (scientific
action verb: catalyzed, a great descriptive and colorful word that
very specifically describes what is occurring.)
2. December 4, 2011: "What Gingrich Didn’t Learn in Congo" By ADAM
HOCHSCHILD
"He lards his speeches with references to obscure events in the
American past" (Action verb: lards, Though this verb is not commonly
known, an obscure verb such as this always adds power to a sentence)
3. December 8, 2011: "In Syria, Expelling the Peacemakers" By
STEPHANIE SALDAÑA
"The devastating fate of the Christians in Iraq has already served as
a warning." (Descriptive action verb: devastating, such a powerful
verb that carries a remarkable amount of description with it)
Zoe Bermudez
December 9, 2011
"Pessimism as Europe Leaders Meet; Rate Cut"
A move by Europe's central bank to bolster the region's economy was overshadowed by worries that political leaders will not act boldly enough to contain the region's debt crisis at a two-day summit meeting that began here Thursday.
(Descriptive verbs: bolster, overshadowed, contain- create visual effect for the reader)
December 9, 2011
"Factions Split Hinder Drive to Topple Syria Leader"
Even as the government of President Bashar al-Assad intensifies its crackdown inside Syria, differences over tactics and strategy are generating serious divisions between political and armed opposition factions that are weakening the fight against him, senior activists say.
(Powerful action verbs: intensifies, generating, weakening and also within the title; split, and topple. All these verbs are very assertive and government oriented.)
December 9, 2011
"Iran Shows Video It Says Is of U.S. Drone"
Iran paraded what its military described as a captured C.I.A. stealth drone on national television on Thursday and lodged an official diplomatic protest, portraying the visual images as an intelligence and propaganda windfall in its conflict with the West over its nuclear program.
(Visually descriptive verbs: paraded, described, lodged, portraying- all verbs that show a way of displaying or creating a visual.)
Drew Vollmer
"There have been seagoing pirates throughout history — from plundering
Vikings to 17th-century raiders who pillaged Spanish
galleons." (Descriptive Action verbs: plundering, pillaged. These two
words are simple and quite easy to understand but still give a used
very well given the context of the article. The article focuses on
Somalian pirates, and after hearing the words plundered and pillaged,
the first thing that came to my mind was an image of evil, anarchist,
pirate crew ravaging the coastal waters.)
2. November 30th, 2011 "Egypt and the Arab Spring" by Abdul Alkaka
"The people hanker for the past glory of conquering Islam, which
requires a successful military regime." (Excellent verb: hanker. Most
verbs in this article were quite monotonous and overused verbs that
any 5th grader could think of. But the final sentence included the
spectacular verb "hanker", rather than "ask for", "beg", or "plead".
The verb was so unique and descriptive of Egyptians' current feelings
that it truly caught my eye."
3. December 10th, 2011 "Two Self-Declared Leaders Help Keep Congo on
Edge" by Adam Nossiter
"Two self-declared presidents jostle for attention, and mayhem
ensues." (Suberb Action verb: jostle. The verb jostle is quite
descriptive. Not only does it imply conflict, but rather a specific
type of conflict. The understanding given when hearing the word
"jostle" is often of a skirmish, or squabble of hit-and-run violence.
This imagery is very much like the battle tactics of these African
civil wars, and thus gives beautiful description pertaining to the
subject in mind.)
Maureen McDermott
World War II"
by Unknown
"The Americans at Bastogne, led by paratroopers of the 101st Airborne
Division, found themselves surrounded. During the siege, Bastogne was
shelled heavily and reduced to ruins." (Descriptive action verbs:
surrounded, shelled, reduced, led - creates a very visually appealing
sentence. The verb shelled, especially, puts a very powerful image
into my head.)
2. December 13, 2011: "President of Congo Denies Reports of Election
Fraud"
by Adam Nossiter
"To reporters summoned to a serene riverside residence here, in a
district well away from the capital's muddy streets and falling-down
bungalows, Mr. Kabila calmly brushed off the challenge. (Descriptive
action verbs: summoned, away, brushed off. The verbs summoned and away
juxtapose each other really nicely especially in the context of this
sentence. They really bring out how the president lives compared to
the people.)
December 13, 2011: "Turkish Border Business Miss the Syrian
Neighbors"
by Dan Bilefsky
"In the old bazaar of this ancient city, long entwined with Syria, the
loud chatter of Syrians' bartering in Arabic has given way to
unfamiliar silence" (Descriptive action verbs: entwined, chatter,
bartering. These three verbs create a strong image of a very friendly
and popular bazaar and are only made even more powerful by the last
words describing the silence that followed as a result of the Syrian
crackdowns. The way they are used just stand out and are
really powerful)