Precision Verbs and Concrete Nouns: Cutting Weak Modifiers

Let’s do a routine check on your writing real quick. If your drafts are full of phrases like “ran quickly,” “said angrily,” or “very big house,” we need you to hear this with love: Your prose is mid. Not broken. Not hopeless. Just…mid. But don’t worry! Mid is fixable.

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Your Adverbs Are Giving “Participation Trophy”

To borrow from the words of Ernest Hemingway, “All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.” And the truest sentences? They don’t need a pile of modifiers propping them up like a wobbly IKEA shelf.

TME has a guide to improving prose by swapping filler fluff for language, and now we’re here to share it with you.

The Problem: Modifier Stacking Is a Crutch

Here’s what happens when writers lean on adverbs and adjectives: Every sentence becomes a committee meeting. The verb shows up, but it brought three assistants who all do the same job.

Before: She walked slowly through the very large, really old building.

After: She crept through the cathedral.

Same scene. Half the words. Ten times the atmosphere.

Stephen King didn’t mince words about this in On Writing: “The road to hell is paved with adverbs.” No, really, the man was onto something. When you use a vague verb and then duct-tape an adverb onto it, you’re telling the reader what happened instead of showing them. And that’s exactly why “show, don’t tell” is basically just a call to use better vocabulary.

Precision Verbs: Let Your Actions Do the Talking

A precision verb is a verb so specific it doesn’t need backup. It carries the emotion, the speed, and the texture all on its own.

Think of it like ordering coffee. “I’d like a hot coffee drink” is technically correct, but it gives nothing. “I’ll take an oat milk cortado” paints the whole picture.

Here are some “show, don’t tell” examples using precision verbs:

Mid: He ate his food quickly.

Main character energy: He inhaled his ramen.

Mid: She looked angrily at the group chat.

Upgraded: She glared at the group chat.

Mid: He talked quietly to her at the bar.

Upgraded: He murmured into her ear at the bar.

See the difference? Each precision verb (inhaled, glared, murmured) does the heavy lifting that the adverb was desperately trying to do. Your writing gets tighter, faster, and way more vivid.

Concrete Nouns: Specificity Is the Whole Vibe

Now let’s talk nouns. Concrete nouns work the same way. They replace vague, adjective-dependent nouns with something the reader can actually picture.

Toni Morrison once said, “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” That book should not be full of “nice flowers” and “cool cars.” It should be full of peonies and vintage Mustangs.

Mid: The big house on the nice street.

Upgraded: The Victorian on Maple Avenue.

Mid: She carried a small bag with her stuff.

Upgraded: She clutched a beaded clutch with her keys and lipstick.

Mid: The bad date ordered an expensive drink.

Upgraded: The bad date ordered a highball of Yamazaki without blinking.

Specificity is what makes writing feel real. It’s one of the most underrated writing tips for beginners, and it costs you nothing but a second of thought.

Precision verbs and concrete nouns are how you give your writing a main character spotlight. Your modifiers had a good run. Time to let your verbs and nouns take the lead.

If you’ve finished a draft and want to make sure your manuscript is pulling its weight, we’re here to help. Send your manuscript to themanuscripteditor.com for a complimentary 800-word sample edit, and let’s make your words’ meaning unmistakably yours.