Powerful Verbs: rusty spotted cat

2 - The Grammar Bit

The Grammar Bit!

Read the three scintillating sentences opposite. They each contain one (or more) powerful verbs (bold).

A verb is a word that indicates action or a state of being.

Some sentences contain verbs that are just a little boring! They don’t give lots of information about the action or make the text very exciting. Instead, we can use powerful verbs to describe precise actions so that the reader is able to visualise an image in their mind’s eye.

With your talk partners, discuss the effectiveness of each powerful verb. Do they help you visualise precisely what is happening?

Scintillating Sentences

1) The kitten-like cat surveyed the situation before leaping to life.

2) Prowling the forest floor, the curious and daring rusty-spotted cat explored his habitat.

3) Dipping his toes into the water, the feline waded through the rainforest stream.

Did you know?

In India, rusty-spotted cats have been found living in abandoned houses –   feeding on rats and mice.