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 3 Sure-Fire Tricks To Improve Your Writing   Education 1. Use more expressive verbs than had, have, went and did For instance : I had an ice cream cone. Devoured, savored, treated myself to I went to the store. I drove, I biked, I hightailed it, I hurried to, I zoomed over to, I dashed into, I moseyed my way on over to... (Notice that lackadaisical words like "mosey" or "saunter" may use more words while the verbs indicating quickness get on with it concisely.) 2. Use active phrasing Instead of: The discussion was started by me... I set the discussion in motion I threw out the first question, launching the debate. I volleyed back and forth with the other panel members I cast, hurled, tossed out comments, took the plunge, instigated, embarked, got down to it. Eliminate "had had" if at all possible by substituting another verb. "Had had" is the "past perfect tense," meaning all of the actions are in the past. As I read the following sent