Action Words
Remember!
Action words or verbs are words that express an action or state of being. They describe what people, animals, places, or things are doing.
For example,
For example,
- Jump, walk, play, and swim are actions.
- Think, believe, and want are mental states.
- Is, was, be express states of being.
To find the action words in a sentence, ask "What is the subject doing?" and the word that answers the question is the action word. For example,
- The girl (subject) walked (action word) to school.
- The dog (subject) is sleeping (action word).
- My brother (subject) thinks (action word) before he acts.
Action words contrast with naming words like nouns that name people, places, and things. But some words like play and walk can be used as either nouns or verbs.
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Action Words Quiz
Read each sentence. Choose the action word.
FAQs:
Q: What are action words?
A: Action words or verbs describe what someone or something is doing. They express physical or mental actions.
Q: What are some examples of action words?
A: Examples of action words include run, jump, play, think, feel, swim, talk, sleep, walk, eat, cry, sing, dance, etc.
Q: How can you identify action words in a sentence?
A: Action words are verbs that tell what the subject is doing. You can ask "What is the subject doing?" and the verb that answers is the action word.
Q: How are action words different from naming words?
A: Naming words like nouns name people, places, and things. Action words describe the actions those people, places, or things are doing.
Q: Can a word be used as both a naming word and an action word?
A: Yes, some words like walk, play, and swim can be used as either nouns or verbs depending on how they are used in the sentence.
Resources
- Journeys: Benchmark Advance Reader's Notebook Consumable Vol. 1 Grade 1, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
- Sitton Spelling and Word Skills Level 1, Educators Publishing Service Inc., 2018.
- Spectrum Language Arts, Grade 1, Spectrum, 2014.