Below are phrases in which a form of “to be” plus an adjective (or a preposition and a noun) and, often, a preposition can easily be replaced by a simple form of the verb (occasionally accompanied by a preposition), resulting in a more concise statement:
1.
Before: “She is able (or unable) to think for herself.”
After: “She can (or cannot) think for herself.”
2.
Before: “This rule is applicable to both scenarios.”
After: “This rule applies to both scenarios.”
3.
Before: “They are authorized (or empowered) to speak on our behalf.”
After: “They may speak on our behalf.”
4.
Before: “The company is benefited by this policy.”
After: “The company benefits from this policy.”
5.
Before: “The agreement is binding upon both parties.”
After: “The agreement binds both parties.”
6.
Before: “The compound is derived from a chemical reaction.”
After: “The compound derives from a chemical reaction.”
7.
Before: “We are desirous of your reply.”
After: “We desire your reply.”
8.
Before: “She is in agreement with us.”
After: “She agrees with us.”
9.
Before: “He will be in attendance at the event.”
After: “He will attend the event.”
10.
Before: “Their behavior is indicative of what you can expect from them.”
After: “Their behavior indicates what you can expect of them.”
11.
Before: “He is in error in his account of the incident.”
After: “He errs in his account of the incident.”
12.
Before: “It was in existence at that moment.”
After: “It existed at that moment.”
13.
Before: “She is influential on his artistic style.”
After: “She influences his artistic style.”
14.
Before: “I am in possession of some incriminating evidence.”
After: “I hold some incriminating evidence.” (In this case, “I possess . . .” in place of “I am in possession of . . .” would imply ownership, not temporary possession, which is what the original sentence implies.)
15.
Before: “My colleague is in receipt of the document.”
After: “My colleague received the document.”
16.
Before: “The mechanism will soon be operative.”
After: “The mechanism will soon operate.”
17.
Before: “The company was in violation of several regulations.”
After: “The company violated several regulations.”
18.
Before: “The committee was productive of a thorough report.”
After: “The committee produced a thorough report.”
19.
Before: “This advertising campaign will be effectively promotive of the product.”
After: “This advertising campaign will effectively promote the product.”
20.
Before: “We are supportive of your efforts.”
After: “We support your efforts.”
your effort for us is tremendous. i really appreciate your endeavor.
but it is my suggestion that you must do also something for the people
who’s basic are not as strong as others.
thanks
@Amandah: that’s nice, thanks for letting us know!
Thanks for sharing.
BTW: Congratulations on being listed in the May/June issue of Writer’s Digest! I received my issue yesterday and saw Daily Writing Tips listed in WD’s “101 Best Websites for Writers” section.
No 6. “The compound is derived from a chemical reaction” is the correct usage. This usage is specific to chemistry. Also a compound does not derive or derive from anything, a compound is derived by people (or another compound, usually called the reactant) . It would be correct to say that Tom derived the compound from a reaction, or that the compound is derived from the reactant (in case of which the compound is known as the derivative of the reactant). This is a case when plain English has to be overlooked in favor of the correct usage in the respective field.