I am reading
Harvey Stanbrough's Seven Writerly Sins and
in it he mentions a writing style that isn't exactly wrong, just wordy, a bit
annoying, and an odd use of the verb "gave."
Stanbrough uses this example;
"I gave a quick look at Nick Campbell, and he gave me a subtle nod for me to
continue." He suggests, "I glanced at Nick Campbell and he nodded,
indicating that I should continue," or just "I glanced a Nick
Campbell and he nodded."
I prefer the latter because I try to avoid
"ing" constructions, because they tend contribute to odd constructions and wordiness, too.
Stanbrough points out that the word
"give" is "most often a transitive verb, meaning you actually give
(or hand or grant) something to someone." You can see how an affectation
like the one in his example could be a problem if it's not used very, very judiciously.
By the way,
Harvey gives this Seven Writerly Sins booklet away to those who subscribe to his newsletter or
follow his other free services. Lean more at http://harveystanbrough.com.
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Carolyn Howard-Johnson edits, consults. and speaks on issues of publishing. Find her The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success (How To Do It Frugally series of book for writers)
. Learn more about her other authors' aids at www.howtodoitfrugally.com/writers_books.htm , where writers will find lists and other helps including Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips 
on the Resources for Writers page. She blogs on all things publishing (not just editing!) at her Sharing with Writers blog. She tweets writers' resources at www.twitter.com/frugalbookpromo . Please tweet this post to your followers. We all need a little help with editing. (-:
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