PrintOne of the distinctions of effective writers is their facility with active verbs. Active verbs carry analytical meaning with efficiency, and when selectively applied to a student’s accomplishments, simplify the goal of categorizing and interpreting the kinds of merits that a student has accrued. They can also help present a student as positive and energetic, admired and respected, mature and serious. In these excerpts from sample letters in Chapter 5, note how the active verbs are used creatively and repeatedly to uplift the student:
Although Janet struggled to see her own potential earlier in her college career, encouragement from her advisor as well as her labmates, coupled with her own growing desire to succeed, transformed this once tentative student into an important contributor to the lab.
Mr. Lerner challenged his class to find multiple ways to make a bulb light using only one battery, one bulb, and one wire.
She developed a solution, built the necessary coalition, developed creative compromises, and worked through to the proposal’s enactment.
For a partial list of some of the active verbs most commonly and effectively used in recommendation letters, consult the list below.
Active Verbs that Establish Potential, Define Character, and Underscore Accomplishment
| Accepted Achieved Adapted Adjusted Administered Advised Allocated Analyzed Appraised Approved Arranged Assembled Assessed Assigned Assisted Balanced Budgeted Built Calculated Catalogued Checked Clarified Classified Collected Communicated Compared Compiled Composed Computed Conceived Conducted Confronted Constructed Consulted Contracted Controlled Converted Conveyed Coordinated |
Correlated Counseled Created Critiqued Defined Delegated Demonstrated Denounced Designed Detailed Determined Developed Devised Diagnosed Directed Discovered Displayed Dissected Distributed Drafted Earned Edited Effected Empowered Encouraged Enforced Engineered Enlarged Enlightened Enlisted Established Estimated Evaluated Examined Executed Expanded Experienced Experimented Explained |
Facilitated Formed Formulated Founded Generated Governed Grouped Guided Handled Headed Helped Honored Implemented Improved Improvised Increased Indexed Informed Initiated Innovated Inspected Inspired Installed Integrated Interviewed Investigated Jointed Judged Juried Justified Kept Keynoted Lectured Led Linked Maintained Managed Mapped Measured |
Mediated Modeled Moderated Monitored Motivated Navigated Negotiated Nominated Normalized Noted Observed Operated Ordered Organized Originated Overcame Participated Performed Persuaded Pioneered Planned Positioned Predicted Prepared Presented Presided Prioritized Produced Programmed Promoted Protected Provided Qualified Quantified Queried Questioned Quizzed Recognized Recommended |
Reconciled Recorded Recruited Reinvented Reorganized Reported Researched Retrieved Reviewed Revised Scheduled Screened Served Shaped Simplified Solved Sorted Sparked Strategized Strengthened Supervised Systematized Tabulated Tended Timed Trained Transcribed Transformed Translated Underscored Undertook Unified Utilized Validated Valued Verified Volunteered Witnessed Wrote |
Further Study
For more lists of active verbs, visit these websites: