Edit Article

Action verbs[1] are a part of everyday life...whether properly or improperly used. This wiki hopes to give you some helpful tips to using them properly and effectively.

Ad

Steps

  1. Use Action Verbs Step 1.jpg
    1
    Know why you want to use them.[2] You want to get your message across and action verbs do this in the most illustrative way.
    Ad
  2. Use Action Verbs Step 2.jpg
    2
    Learn about the different types of action verbs:
    • Transitive[3] - "Expressing an action carried from the subject to the object; requiring a direct object to complete meaning."
      • Would you please hand me that paper? ("hand" is transitive)
    • Intransitive[4] - "Designating a verb or verb construction that does not require or cannot take a direct object, as snow or sleep."
      • "I don't care what they say to me!" ("say" is intransitive. The "to" is the giveaway).
  3. Use Action Verbs Step 3.jpg
    3
    Learn about the different 'voices' of verbs.[5]
    • Active voice[6] - "The verb form in which the subject of the sentence performs or causes the action expressed by the verb."
      • example: I sent the email.
    • Passive voice[7] - "A verb form or voice in which the grammatical subject receives the verb's action."
      • example: The email was sent.
  4. Use Action Verbs Step 4.jpg
    4
    Develop well rounded sources of action verbs to prod your 'muse' when needed.
    Ad


We could really use your help!

Can you tell us about
dogs?
Yes
No
dogs
how to adopt a rescue dog
Can you tell us about
pool tables?
Yes
No
pool tables
how to level a pool table
Can you tell us about
asparagus?
Yes
No
asparagus
how to store asparagus
Can you tell us about
horses?
Yes
No
horses
how to run up stirrups
Thanks for helping! Please tell us everything you know about
...
Tell us everything you know here. Remember, more detail is better.
Tips
Provide Details.
Please be as detailed as possible in your explanation. Don't worry about formatting! We'll take care of it. For example:
Don't say: Eat more fats.
Do say: Add fats with some nutritional value to the foods you already eat. Try olive oil, butter, avocado, and mayonnaise.
Submit

Related wikiHows

How to
Understand Parts of Speech

How to
Use a Comma in a Compound Sentence

How to
Learn Perfect English As a Native English Speaker

How to
Avoid Colloquial (Informal) Writing

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.lessontutor.com/eesverbs.html
  2. ↑ http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/543/01/
  3. ↑ http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/transitive
  4. ↑ http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/intransitive
  5. ↑ http://www.yourdictionary.com/voice
  6. ↑ http://grammar.about.com/od/ab/g/activevoiceterm.htm
  7. ↑ http://grammar.about.com/od/pq/g/pasvoiceterm.htm

Article Info

Categories: English

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 11,216 times.

Did this article help you?
Yes No

Become
an Author!

Write an Article