Action words, also known as action verbs, are words that describe the physical or mental activities performed by a subject. They tell the reader or listener exactly what someone, an animal, or an object is doing, adding movement and energy to language. Types of Action Words
Physical Actions: Tangible movements you can perform with your body or see happening.
Mental Actions: Internal processes that occur within someone’s mind.
Transitive Actions: Verbs that pass an action to a direct object to complete the sentence’s meaning.
Intransitive Actions: Verbs that express a complete thought on their own without needing an object. Everyday Examples Physical Actions Run: The athlete runs across the finish line. Clap: The excited audience claps loudly. Kick: Greg is kicking the soccer ball now. Mental Actions Think: She thinks about her upcoming travel plans. Remember: He remembers the answers for his exam. Consider: We should consider all of our available options. Action Words vs. Stative Words
Action words are distinct from stative words, which describe a state of being, an opinion, or a perception rather than a physical movement. For example, in the sentence “I want pizza,” want is a stative verb. In “I eat pizza,” eat is an action word. Because action words describe ongoing processes, they can be used in continuous tenses (like “I am running”), whereas stative words typically cannot.
Watch these vocabulary lessons to see and hear examples of common action verbs:
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