Book Review: Verb Your Enthusiasm

Verbs are the underrated stars of the English language. They hold it all together. A complete sentence cannot exist without one, yet a single verb can create complete meaning. (See?) In this brilliant exploration of language, grammar, and style, Sarah L. Kaufman illuminates how all of us, professional writers and novices alike, can master the art of the verb and unlock the infinite potential of written expression.

When she was the dance critic at The Washington Post, Kaufman was challenged to translate the dynamic language of movement into words. Verbs showed her the way. Good verbs power great storytelling; they leap off the page, fire our senses, and transform our perceptions.

Verb Your Enthusiasm is a clarion call for all of us to get back to basics: to mean what we say, and say what we mean. Across eleven chapters, Kaufman proves how strong verbs can make your own writing—be it an email, a text, a report, or an ad—more efficient and effective, and investigates theories of language that will change how you read and write. But this isn’t a grammar guide, and it surely isn’t a set of rules. Great writing comes from a mix of inspiration, passion, and intelligence—from your unique discernment and imagination. Searching for the right verb might even reveal something true about yourself. All that in a word. So go. Write. Verb.

Verb Your Enthusiasm: How to Master the Art of the Verb and Transform Your Writing will be published April 28, 2026. Penguin Press provided an early galley for review.

The blurb from the publisher states "this isn't a grammar guide", but that is not 100% true. Chapter 2 does a very good job providing a refresher course on the parts of speech as well as the various types of verbs one can encounter and employ. I found it a nice reminder of things I might have forgotten.

I also found the chapter on passive voice useful. That is a trap many of us writers fall into without even realizing it.

Two more things I wanted to call out. First, I like that each chapter ends with a "good habits" section, which proposes some exercises for the reader to perform to further drive home the discussions. Second, I enjoyed the appendix that included a small index of "vintage verbs". Those were a lot of fun.