Action verbs are words that show what someone does or thinks in a sentence. They tell us about physical or mental actions, like running, thinking, or speaking. Learning action verbs in English with sentences helps students see how verbs work in real life. This helps build stronger vocabulary, better grammar, and clear sentence writing. These words are also called doing words, main verbs, or dynamic verbs. Understanding them is important for learning English, building good sentence structure, and helping with ESL learning.
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What Are Action Verbs?
Action verbs are words that show what someone is doing. They tell us about movements or everyday activities. These verbs are used when we talk about what people, animals, or things do. For example, in the sentence “She runs fast,” the word “runs” is an action verb because it shows her action. We use action verbs to talk about simple things like eat, walk, play, or write in daily life.
Types of Action Verbs in English
Action verbs are not all the same. Some show body movements, others show thoughts, and some need objects to complete their meaning. Let’s look at the main types with examples.
Physical Action Verbs
These verbs show actions we can see or do with our body.
Examples:
- run – She runs to school.
- jump – The children jump on the bed.
- eat – We eat breakfast every day.
- write – He writes a story.
- clap – They clap after the song.
Mental Action Verbs
These verbs show actions of the mind that we cannot see but can understand.
Examples:
- think – I think about the answer.
- decide – She decides to read a book.
- imagine – They imagine a big castle.
- remember – He remembers his teacher’s name.
- learn – We learn new words in class.
Transitive and Intransitive Action Verbs
Some verbs need an object, while others do not.
Transitive Verbs (need an object):
- read – She reads a book.
- eat – He eats an apple.
- play – They play football.
Intransitive Verbs (no object needed):
- sleep – The baby sleeps peacefully.
- go – We go early every day.
- cry – The child cries loudly.
Regular and Irregular Action Verbs
Verbs can change form in different ways when used in the past tense.
Regular Verbs (add -ed):
- play → played – She played tennis yesterday.
- wash → washed – I washed the dishes.
- walk → walked – He walked to school.
Irregular Verbs (change form):
- go → went – We went to the park.
- eat → ate – She ate an orange.
- sing → sang – They sang together.
List of Action Verbs with Meaning for Kids
- Run – To move quickly using your legs
- Jump – To push yourself into the air with your feet
- Write – To form letters or words on a surface
- Read – To look at and understand written words
- Speak – To say words using your voice
- Listen – To pay attention to sound
- Eat – To put food in your mouth and swallow it
- Drink – To swallow liquid
- Cook – To prepare food using heat
- Drive – To control a car or vehicle
- Sit – To rest your body on a chair or surface
- Draw – To make a picture using a pen or pencil
- Sing – To produce musical sounds with your voice
- Dance – To move your body with music
- Buy – To get something by paying money
- Sell – To give something in exchange for money
- Open – To make something not closed
- Close – To make something shut or not open
- Wash – To clean something with water
- Clean – To remove dirt or mess
- Build – To make something by putting parts together
- Break – To damage something so it cannot work
- Fix – To repair something broken
- Teach – To help someone learn
- Learn – To get knowledge or skills
- Work – To do a job or task
- Watch – To look at something carefully
- Talk – To say words in conversation
- Ask – To say something to get information
- Answer – To reply to a question
- Shout – To say something loudly
- Whisper – To speak very softly
- Pull – To use force to bring something closer
- Push – To use force to move something away
- Cut – To divide something using a sharp object
- Open – To make something not shut
- Close – To bring something to a shut position
- Paint – To apply color to a surface
- Drive – To operate a vehicle
- Swim – To move in water using arms and legs
- Climb – To go upward using feet and hands
- Shake – To move quickly back and forth
- Frown – To show sadness or anger with your face
- Kick – To hit with your foot
- Hit – To strike with force
- Dig – To make a hole in the ground
- Plant – To put seeds or plants in the ground
- Chop – To cut into pieces with a heavy tool
- Grow – To increase in size or age
- Call – To use a phone or shout someone’s name
- Text – To send written messages by phone
- Plan – To think about what to do
- Meet – To see and talk with someone
- Invite – To ask someone to come somewhere
- Celebrate – To do something fun for a special reason
- Complain – To say you are not happy with something
- Decide – To choose between options
- Forget – To not remember
- Remember – To keep something in your mind
- Search – To look for something
- Find – To discover something
- Begin – To start something
100 Action Words in English with sentences
Here are 100 action words (verbs) in English along with example sentences to help you understand their usage. These verbs are commonly used and practical for everyday conversation and writing.
Basic Action Verbs with Sentences
- Run – She runs every morning to stay fit.
- Walk – We walk to school together.
- Jump – The child jumped over the puddle.
- Eat – I eat breakfast at 8 a.m.
- Drink – He drinks coffee every day.
- Sleep – They sleep early on weekdays.
- Sit – Please sit down and relax.
- Stand – He stood by the window for hours.
- Read – She reads a new book each week.
- Write – I write in my journal every night.
- Speak – He speaks three languages fluently.
- Listen – We listen to music in the car.
- Sing – She sings beautifully.
- Dance – They danced all night.
- Cook – My mother cooks delicious meals.
- Clean – I cleaned my room yesterday.
- Wash – He washed the dishes after dinner.
- Drive – She drives to work every day.
- Swim – They swim in the lake during summer.
- Climb – We climbed the mountain together.
Daily Routine Action Words
- Brush – I brush my teeth twice a day.
- Comb – She combed her hair carefully.
- Open – He opened the door slowly.
- Close – Please close the window.
- Wear – She wears a uniform to school.
- Buy – We bought new shoes yesterday.
- Sell – They sell fresh fruit at the market.
- Pay – He paid the bill in cash.
- Bring – Can you bring me a glass of water?
- Take – I took a photo of the sunset.
- Catch – She caught the ball with one hand.
- Throw – He threw the ball to his friend.
- Build – They built a sandcastle.
- Break – He broke the glass by accident.
- Fix – I fixed the broken chair.
- Draw – She draws cartoons in her notebook.
- Paint – We painted the wall blue.
- Cut – He cut the paper with scissors.
- Tie – She tied her shoelaces.
- Fold – He folded the clothes neatly.
Action Words for Speaking and Emotions
- Call – I called her last night.
- Text – He texted me the address.
- Ask – She asked a good question.
- Answer – He answered quickly.
- Tell – Please tell me the truth.
- Say – They said they were sorry.
- Shout – He shouted for help.
- Whisper – She whispered a secret.
- Laugh – We laughed at the joke.
- Cry – The baby cried loudly.
- Smile – He smiled at the camera.
- Frown – She frowned when she saw the mess.
- Complain – They complained about the noise.
- Apologize – He apologized for being late.
- Thank – I thanked her for the gift.
- Blame – Don’t blame others for your mistakes.
- Praise – The teacher praised his efforts.
- Argue – They argued about the decision.
- Promise – She promised to help.
- Warn – He warned me about the dog.
Thinking and Learning Action Verbs
- Think – I think it will rain today.
- Know – She knows the answer.
- Understand – He understands the lesson well.
- Learn – We are learning French.
- Teach – She teaches math.
- Remember – I remember his birthday.
- Forget – Don’t forget your keys.
- Decide – We decided to stay home.
- Guess – Can you guess the number?
- Plan – I plan to travel next year.
- Hope – We hope for the best.
- Believe – She believes in miracles.
- Imagine – Imagine a world without war.
- Dream – He dreams of becoming a doctor.
- Wish – I wish you good luck.
- Doubt – I doubt he will come.
- Realize – I realized my mistake.
- Memorize – He memorized the poem.
- Explore – They explored the forest.
- Discover – She discovered a hidden talent.
Work and Motion Action Words
- Work – He works in an office.
- Earn – She earns a good salary.
- Spend – We spent the weekend at the beach.
- Save – I’m saving money for a car.
- Send – He sent an email.
- Receive – I received your letter.
- Move – We moved to a new house.
- Travel – They travel a lot.
- Arrive – She arrived late.
- Leave – He left early.
- Enter – We entered the building quietly.
- Exit – Please exit through the back door.
- Push – He pushed the door open.
- Pull – She pulled the curtain.
- Throw – I threw the trash away.
- Pick – He picked a flower.
- Drop – She dropped her keys.
- Shake – They shook hands.
- Carry – He carried the box upstairs.
- Help – Can you help me, please?
Using Action Verbs in Tenses
Action verbs can be used in different tenses to show time. They change forms to tell if something happens now, in the past, or in the future. Let’s look at examples in each tense.
Simple Present Tense Examples
- She writes a letter.
- They play football.
- I eat an apple.
- He reads a book.
- We watch a movie.
Past Tense Examples
- He walked to school.
- We sang together.
- She went to the market.
- They played in the park.
- I drank water.
Future Tense Examples
- I will read the story.
- They will travel tomorrow.
- She will cook dinner.
- We will watch TV later.
- He will play the guitar.
Present Continuous Tense Examples
- She is writing a letter.
- They are playing football.
- I am eating an apple.
- We are reading together.
- He is running fast.
Past Continuous Tense Examples
- He was walking to school.
- We were singing together.
- She was cooking dinner.
- They were playing in the park.
- I was reading a story.
Negative Sentences with Action Verbs
- She does not like tea.
- We do not play in the rain.
- He did not run fast.
- They will not eat pizza.
- I am not writing now.
Questions with Action Verbs
- Do you like pizza?
- Did she finish homework?
- Will they come early?
- Is he reading a book?
- Were they playing outside?
Strong Action Verbs for Better Writing
Strong action verbs make your writing more powerful and clear. Instead of using weak or vague words, these verbs show energy and purpose. They help readers understand exactly what is happening.
Examples of strong action verbs in writing:
- Achieve – She achieved her goals through hard work.
- Create – The artist created a beautiful painting.
- Discover – Scientists discovered a new species of bird.
- Transform – The book transformed my thinking.
- Overcome – He overcame many challenges in life.
Action Verbs for Resumes and CVs
When writing a resume or CV, action verbs are very important. They highlight your skills and show what you can do. Instead of saying “responsible for,” you should use verbs that prove action and results.
Examples of resume action verbs:
- Led – Led a team of five to complete a project.
- Improved – Improved customer satisfaction by 20%.
- Designed – Designed a new training program.
- Implemented – Implemented a new system to save time.
- Achieved – Achieved sales targets for three years in a row.
Action and Non Action Verbs List
Verbs can show actions or states. Action verbs tell what someone does, while non-action verbs show feelings, thoughts, or conditions.
What Are Action Verbs?
Action verbs show things people or objects can do. They describe physical or mental activities.
Examples of Action Verbs
- run – She runs every morning.
- jump – The kids jump on the bed.
- eat – We eat dinner at 7 p.m.
- write – He writes a story.
- sing – They sing beautifully.
- dance – She dances at parties.
- play – The children play in the park.
- read – I read a book before bed.
- swim – He swims in the pool.
- drive – My father drives to work.
What Are Non-Action Verbs?
Non-action verbs describe a state, condition, or feeling. They do not show physical activity and are not usually used in continuous (-ing) form.
Examples of Non-Action Verbs
- know – I know the answer.
- believe – She believes in herself.
- love – I love chocolate.
- hate – He hates waiting in line.
- think – I think you are right.
- remember – Do you remember her name?
- like – They like music.
- need – We need help.
- want – I want a new phone.
- seem – She seems tired.
FAQs on Action Verbs
An action verb is a word that shows what someone or something is doing. It tells about an action.
Example: run, jump, eat.
An action verb shows action (like kick), while a linking verb connects the subject to more information (like is in “She is happy”).
Almost! Most sentences need a verb, and action verbs are common in everyday sentences to show what’s happening.
No, they can show mental actions too.
Example: think, guess, believe.
Run, walk, play, jump, eat, read, write, draw, sing, and clap.
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