Repetitive Sentences (Pt. 2)
Since you all liked the first one, here’s some more replacements for commonly used phrases! Replace the pronoun in brackets with your character’s. :)
(They) thought
Thought is a tricky word to replace, but let’s try! (Remember that internal thoughts are written in italics!)
Use narration instead:
(They) reflected on the situation.
(They) frowned at the desk, thinking.
(They) meditated on the decision before them.
Use a different format:
Hm, (they) thought. I don’t know if that’s right.
I don’t like they sound of that, (they) mused.
(They) considered the idea. I suppose that would work.
(She) got
A commonly used phrase when a character has received or is retrieving something.
Add another verb to rearrange the sentence:
Getting up, (she) took the umbrella.
Grabbing the keys, (she) quickly left the house.
(She) reached for (her) coffee, yawning.
Describe the object and action in more detail:
(She) took the glass crown off it’s pedestal, as it reflected millions of little beams of light all around the room.
The gold bars felt heavy and cold in (her) hands as (she) quickly shoved them into the bag.
As the kettle whistled, (she) grabbed her favourite mug, a hand-made clay cup made by (her) daughter.
(He) was confused
A phrase that you would use in multiple settings, like when a character is unraveling a mystery, getting something explained to them, etc.
Imply it (show, not tell):
(His) brows furrowed as (he) tried to listen.
(He) frowned, biting (his) lip.
Sighing, (he) rubbed his temples.
Use dialogue:
“I don’t get it,” (he) grumbled.
“What do you mean?”
(He) rolled (his) eyes. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
There, some more useful ways to change up a boring sentence! I try to design these posts so that the are very moldable. Instead of offering just synonyms, I try to give you ways to manipulate your sentence to make it more unique! I hope that it helps you out. Happy writing!
