⚠️ “The Writer Uses…” — Why the Most Common Verb Is Often the Weakest

⚠️ “The Writer Uses…” — Why the Most Common Verb Is Often the Weakest

The misconception

“Uses” is so common in student responses that many students assume it is correct. “The writer uses a metaphor.” “The writer uses descriptive language.” “The writer uses effective imagery.” These sentences all identify something. None of them explains anything.

The correction

“Uses” is not wrong — it is vague. It tells the examiner what device is present, but not what the writer did with it or why it produces the effect it does. A mark-scheme verb replaces “uses” and adds meaning in the same breath:

• “The writer uses a metaphor” → “The writer employs the metaphor of stagnant water, perhaps suggesting the character’s situation has no visible means of escape.”
• “The writer uses repetition” → “The writer foregrounds repetition here to construct an impression of ritual — this is not the first time this argument has been had.”
• “The writer uses imagery” → “The writer constructs the imagery of machinery to position the human body as something that can be broken like a component — and, the writer may imply, replaced just as easily.”

Each upgrade does two things: it replaces the vague verb with a precise one, and it forces the sentence to go on and explain the effect. The mark-scheme verb obligates the analysis.

A note on “talks about” and “puts across”

These are conversational verbs. They belong in speech, not in analytical writing. Replace them entirely: “talks about X” → “addresses the question of X” or “directs the reader’s attention to X”. “Puts across Y” → “conveys Y” or “constructs Y.”