Question

revising sentences to use strong verbs

revise the sentences by replacing the underlined phrases with those using strong, active verbs.

<u>i was crossing</u> the blacktop toward the school as the buses <u>were pulling in</u> .

<u>i was embarrassed</u> and i looked around for somewhere to hide, but <u>there was nowhere to go</u> .

Explanation:

Identify weak phrases in the first sentence

The underlined phrases are "I was crossing" and "were pulling in".
"I was crossing" uses a weak past continuous form. A strong, active verb replacement is "crossed" or "strode".
"were pulling in" can be replaced by a stronger active verb like "rumbled" or "arrived".

Identify weak phrases in the second sentence

The underlined phrases are "I was embarrassed" and "there was nowhere to go".
"I was embarrassed" uses a passive state-of-being construction. A strong verb replacement is "cringed" or "blushed".
"there was nowhere to go" can be replaced with an active verb construction like "no refuge existed" or "nowhere offered shelter".

Answer:

Question 1

<blank>I crossed</blank> the blacktop toward the school as the buses <blank>rumbled in</blank>.

Question 2

<blank>I cringed</blank> and I looked around for somewhere to hide, but <blank>no refuge existed</blank>.