EPrime

E-Prime is a version of English that excludes all forms of the verb to be (am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been). It was developed in the 1960s by David Bourland Jr., a student of B. F. Skinner, as part of an effort to refine language to reduce misleading statements and dogmatic thinking. Proponents claim that removing copula verbs encourages speakers to attribute qualities, states, or beliefs to agents or perceptions, rather than asserting essential properties. This shift is said to improve clarity, encourage careful thinking, and reduce absolutist claims.

Origin and development: Bourland introduced E-Prime in the mid-1960s, publishing works such as A Guide to E-Prime and subsequent materials that laid out rules for avoiding to be forms and offered strategies for paraphrasing. The approach gained attention in writing pedagogy, cognitive psychology, and some branches of psychotherapy and philosophy of language.

Practice and usage: Typical methods include replacing to be constructions with action verbs, gerunds, or rephrased descriptions, and adding hedges that express perception or belief. Example: "The soup tastes salty" instead of "The soup is salty"; "I think this result suggests a correlation" instead of "This result is a correlation."

Reception and critique: Supporters view E-Prime as a practical tool for enhancing precision and critical reflection. Critics argue that it can produce awkward, verbose prose and that removing to be does not automatically eliminate bias or ambiguity. The method remains a specialized writing and thinking aid rather than a universal standard.