Examples of Action Verbs, Types of Action Verbs & Definitions of Action Verbs – It is undeniable that learning English is one of the keys that can support self-quality in the era of globalization. Learning English can be done starting from the basic level first, such as learning the types of verbs in English.
In English, verbs are grouped into 7 types, namely intransitive , transitive , action , auxiliary , linking , regular , and irregular verbs . Each of these types of verbs has different uses, uniqueness, characteristics, and structures.
The way to use each of these verbs in forming an English sentence is also different. In this material, we will learn about one type of verb , namely Action Verb . Action Verb is a verb that shows what action is taken by the subject.
It will be discussed in detail, in detail, and comprehensively about what action verbs are , types of action verbs , examples of action verbs and their use in a sentence, as well as questions and discussion.
Definition of Action Verb
Action Verb or often referred to as Dynamic Verb is defined as a verb that describes the action of the subject in the sentence. In other words, the Action Verb shows what action the subject takes.
The action expressed by an Action Verb can be a physical action (for example, jump , run , walk , climb ) or a mental action (for example, think , hope , decide , learn , perceive , imagine , believe , expect , wish , want , prefer , and cry ).
Action Verb plays an important role in forming a sentence in English because without an Action Verb, a subject in a sentence does not have any meaning.
In addition, action verbs can help us identify and describe activities or actions carried out by the subject of the sentence clearly and precisely.
The action verb itself can be written in the past tense , simple form , or continuous (in progress). To be able to distinguish between the various existing tenses, Sinaumed’s can also read the book Tenses & Vocabulary That’s Easy which is below.
Types of Action Verbs
Action Verbs or also called Dynamic Verbs are classified into four types, namely activity verbs , process verbs , transitional events verbs , and momentary verbs . In this sub-topic of discussion, we will explain the differences and examples of each type of Action Verb.
1. Activity Verbs
Activity Verbs can be used as verbs that express current events ( present ) or as verbs that express ongoing ( continuous ) events. Activity verbs are usually used to explain “what the subject of the sentence does”.
The following will explain examples of using Activity Verbs. For Activity Verbs will be in bold, while the subject of the sentence will be in italics :
“ Rita and I will be playing basketball this afternoon” (Present Continuous Tense)
“ Karina will jump from the window if she comes late to school” (Present Tense)
Example of activity verbs:
“Abandon” – (leave or abandon)
“Look at” – (see)
“Play” – (play or play)
“Say” – (speak)
“Read” – (read)
“Listen” – (hear)
“Eat” – (eat)
“Help” – (help)
“Call” – (call or call)
“Drink” – (drink)
“Ask” – (ask)
In using adverbs well, Sinaumed’s also has to practice English vocabulary well using the Smart Picture Dictionary of English.
2. Process verbs
Just like Action Verbs, Process Verbs can also be used in the form of a verb that expresses present events or in the form of a verb that states an ongoing event . Process Verbs are usually used to explain “what happened to the subject of the sentence” or it can also be called explaining a process.
The following will explain examples of using Process Verbs. Process Verbs will be in bold, while the subject of the sentence will be italicized :
“With age, we are slowing down” (Present Continuous Tense)
“With age, we are slowing down” (Present Tense)
Example of process verbs:
“Grow” – (grow)
“Mature” – (mature or mature)
“change” – (change)
“widen” – (expand)
“slow down” – (weaken or slow down)
“deteriorate” – (worse)
3 . Transitional Events Verbs
Transitional Events Verbs are verbs that distinguish between the initial occurrence of an event and the complete occurrence of that event (until the event has ended). The continuous tense of Transitional Events Verbs shows the initial occurrence of events. Meanwhile, the present tense of Transitional Events Verbs describes repeated events or a single (finished) action.
For example,
Denia was leaving (when I came in). vs. Denia left
Examples of Transitional Events Verbs:
“Die” – (die)
“Lose” – (lose)
“Arrive” – (arrive)
“Land” – (land)
“Leave” – (go)
“Fall” – (fall)
Apart from being divided into four types ( activity verbs , process verbs , transitional events verbs , and momentary verbs ), Action Verbs are also divided into Transitive Verbs and Intransitive Verbs .
4. Transitive Verbs
Transitive Verbs always describe an object in a sentence in the form of a noun. The special feature of transitive verbs is that nouns receive action from verbs. Transitive Verbs are able to convey a clear picture of an activity and can clarify sentences. The following will describe examples of the use of transitive verbs.
Examples of transitive verbs:
“Andrew broke his leg”
(In the example above, broke is a transitive verb that describes the noun his leg . The object in the sentence, namely his leg, received an action that was broken [ was broken ]).
“The children ate his dinner deliciously”
(In the example above, ate is a transitive verb that describes the noun his dinner . The object in the sentence, namely his dinner, receives the action of being eaten [ was eaten ]).
“Miranda cut her hair”
(In the example above, cut is a transitive verb that describes the noun her hair . The object in the sentence, namely her hair, receives an action, which is cut [ were cut ]).
5. Intransitive Verbs
In contrast to transitive verbs, intransitive verbs do not give any action to objects. In other words, the object in a sentence is not explained or not described by intransitive verbs. The following will describe examples of the use of intransitive verbs.
Examples of Intransitive Verbs:
“When I came by to Mia’s house last night, she felt so anxious and sad upon knowing that her dog had died.”
(In the example sentence above, there is no word that follows “died”, considering that died is one of the intransitive verbs. Intransitive verbs can also be written in the form of past tense , simple continuous tense , or simple tense ).
“At 9 PM I will leave”
(Actually, leave can be a transitive verb when followed by an object. However, because in the sentence above the word leave is not followed by any other words, it is classified as an intransitive verb).
Examples of action verbs
In the example that will be presented below, the verb which is an Action Verb will be bolded while the subject will be italicized .
“ Stephany studies English every Saturday night.”
(Stephani studies English every Saturday night).
“ Ginting and Kevin are playing badminton in Tokyo Olympics 2020.”
(Ginting and Kevin are playing badminton at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics).
“ She was accepted at the Imperial College London. And she will start her first year in this summer.”
(He has been accepted to Imperial College London. And he will start his first year of studies this summer).
“ I visited my colleagues in Seoul for a while and then went home.”
(I visited my colleagues in Seoul for a while then went home).
“Last summer, my family bought me a new car.”
(Last summer, my family bought me a new car).
“Mark was late because of the rain. So, I waited almost for an hour alone in the park”
(Mark was late because of the rain. So I waited for him alone for almost an hour in the park).
“ We ate dinner then walked around the garden.”
(We had dinner then walked around the park).
“ The lightning struck the tree in the middle of the night. Gratefully there was no victim in that accident.
(A bolt of lightning struck a tree in the middle of the night. Luckily there were no fatalities as a result of this incident).
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This section will also mention examples of action verbs and their meanings.
| Base Form / Infinitive (V1) | Simple Past
(V2) |
Past Participle (V3) | What is the meaning of the word |
| accelerate | accelerated | accelerated | speed up |
| accomplished | . | . | complete or reach a goal |
| adjust | adjusted | adjust | adapt |
| analyze | analyzed | analyzed | analyze |
| answer | answered | answered | answer |
| anticipate | anticipated | anticipated | anticipate |
| argue | argued | argued | debate |
| assume | assumed | assumed | assume |
| bring | brought | brought | bring |
| buy | purchased | purchased | buy |
| change | changed | changed | changed |
| choose | chose | chosen | choose |
| collect | collected | collected | gather |
| drink | drank | drunk | drink |
| drives | drove | driven | driving |
| eat | ate | eaten | Eat |
| fall | fell | fallen | fell |
| closed | closed | closed | close |
| read | read | read | read |
| ride | rode | ridden | drive |
| get | got | got (English)
gotten (America) |
get |
| leave | left | left | go or leave |
| help | helped | helped | help or assist |
| earn | earned | earned | produce |
| keep | kept | kept | put or save |
| edit | edited | edited | edit |
| deliver | delivered | delivered | deliver |
| hits | hits | hits | hit |
| climb | climbed | climbed | climb or ride |
| laugh | laughed | laughed | laugh |
| listen | listen | listen | hear |
| node | nodded | nodded | nodded |
| cry | cried | cried | cry |
| fixed | fixed | fixed | repair |
| come | came | come | come |
| insult | insulted | insulted | insult |
| throw | threw | thrown | throw away |
The difference between action verbs and linking verbs
At a glance, linking verbs and action verbs are almost the same because they are verbs that describe a subject in a sentence. However, there are significant differences between Action Verbs and Linking Verbs.
Action Verb describes an action performed by the subject. Meanwhile, linking verbs do not reveal an action taken by the subject. Linking Verbs only show where the subject is in a sentence, not what the subject does in the sentence. But in English, there are examples of verbs that have two functions, namely as action verbs and linking verbs
Example: run , grow , look , and some other verbs.
Learn how to pronounce the various adverbs above to make it easier for you to read through the English Pocket Dictionary (2021), which is accompanied by thousands of entries, grammar, and much more.
Practice Questions Action Verbs
In the exercise questions below, choose a sentence that you think uses “action verb” in the example sentence that will be presented.
1. Which sentence has an action verb?
A. The thieves opened the back door when we fell asleep.
B. My mother seems upset.
C. It is your birthday present.
D. The apple is on the table.
2. Which sentence has an action verb?
A. The meatballs taste too salty.
B. I listened to your song last night.
C. My homework is madness.
D. The vanilla cupcakes taste heavenly.
3. Which sentence has an action verb?
A. My sister and I walk to school every day.
B. My boyfriend is Simon.
C. You sound weird.
D. I felt so sick yesterday.
4. Which sentence has an action verb?
A. his daughter remained in New York two days ago.
B. I continue to write my thesis.
C.Mrs. Amanda drives a fancy car.
D. You are so cool.
5. Which sentence has an action verb?
A. My sister and I ate pizza as my dinner yesterday.
B. Jake appeared out of nowhere last night after he had been missing for nearly a week.
C. Sometimes I act childish to Sam
. D. Diana acted so unfriendly to me this morning which I don’t know the cause.
6. Which sentence has an action verb?
A. Your dog smells so badly.
B. I think you left the house three days ago.
C. Your bag is beautiful.
D. Your favorite foods are on the table.
7. Which sentence has an action verb?
A. The army climbed down the tree.
B. My memory becomes stronger if I get enough sleep.
C. The mango trees grow well every day.
D. You look so pale today, are you okay?
Find various other English questions related to action verbs along with other topics that can help you hone your English skills in the Super ITP TOEFL Tricks Score 600+ book below.
Answers to Action Verbs Questions
1. A . The thieves opened the back door when we fell asleep.
(“seem” and “be [is]” which are found in sentences B, C, and D for question number 1 are included as linking verbs).
2. B. _ I listened to your song last night.
(“taste” and “be [is]” found in sentences A, C, and D for question number 2 are linking verbs).
3. A . My sister and I walk to school every day.
(“sound”, “felt [past form of feel]”, and “be [is]” which are found in sentences B, C, and D for question number 3 are included as linking verbs).
4. C . Mrs. Amanda drives a fancy car.
(“remain”, “continue” and “be [are]” which are found in sentences A, B, and D for question number 4 are included as linking verbs).
5. A . My sister and I ate pizza as my dinner yesterday.
(“appear” and “act” in sentences B, C, and D for question number 5 are linking verbs).
6. B. _ I think you left the house three days ago.
(“smell” and “be [is, are]” which are found in sentences A, C, and D for question number 6 are included as linking verbs).
7. A . The army climbed down the tree.
(“become”, “grow”, and “look” which are found in sentences B, C, and D for question number 7 are included as linking verbs).
So, is the explanation about the Action Verb along with its types, characteristics, examples and problems quite easy to understand? If you want to pursue learning English, but are confused about finding the right reference, don’t worry! Because sinaumedia as #FriendsWithoutLimits will provide various quality and useful reference books so that you can learn English more deeply.