What are Action Verbs? – Examples & Definition

The verbs that express action are called action verbs. If the subject in a sentence can do the action only then, it is an action verb.

Definition of Action Verbs

For example,

1. He worked voluntarily for a non-profit organization.

2. I have cooked your favorite dish.

3. They will go for a party tonight.

4. We thought about our mistake and said sorry to him.

In the above examples, you can see that the words worked, cooked, go, thought, and said are action verbs because the subjects (he, I, they, and we) can do these actions.

A subject can DO an action verb

Transitive and Intransitive Verbs

These can be transitive or intransitive.

Transitive: These are the verbs in which the verb needs a direct object within a sentence. In this case, the object is being affected by the action verb.

For example,

1. She broke the glass.

2. Jack slapped the boy.

In the above examples, broke and slapped are transitive verbs that have the direct objects ‘the glass’ and ‘the boy’.

If you are not getting it, ask yourself ‘to what?’ or ‘to whom?’ For instance, in the first example, she broke ‘what?’ (the glass). In the second example, Jack slapped ‘to whom?’ (the boy).

Intransitive: These are the verbs in which the verb does not need a direct object within a sentence. These verbs are opposite of transitive because they do not transfer any action to the objects.

For example,

1. I walk early in the morning.

2. They went to the beach yesterday.

In the above examples, you can notice that the verbs ‘walk’ and ‘went’ do not have any direct objects. ‘In the morning’ and ‘to the beach yesterday’ are not the direct objects. Hence, ‘walk’ and ‘went’ are both intransitive verbs.

Tips for Identifying Transitive and Intransitive Verbs

To easily identify transitive and intransitive verbs, use the following tips:

• Transitive verbs require a direct object. Ask “What?” or “Whom?” after the verb to find the object.
  Example: “She wrote a letter.” (What did she write? A letter.)
• Intransitive verbs do not need a direct object. If asking “What?” or “Whom?” doesn’t make sense, the verb is intransitive.
  Example: “He sleeps early.” (No object is needed for the action.)

An Important Point

Other than action verbs, there are also non-action verbs in English vocabulary. As the name expresses, these verbs that do not show any action. It can represent an opinion, sense (i.e. look, taste, smell, feel, or sound), or a state of being. For instance, to consider, to need, to want, to believe, etc.

Examples

1. She wants a glass of water.

2. I believe what you say.

3. They prefer to stay here for two days.

In the above examples, the verbs ‘wants’, ‘believe’ and ‘prefer’ are non-action verbs as, there are no actions taking place within sentences.

Note: You cannot use non-action verbs in the progressive tenses.

Check Out: Causative Verbs.

Verbs That Can Be Both Action and Non-Action

Some verbs can function as both depending on the context. This shift happens when the meaning of the verb changes.

• Have:
  As a stative verb: “I have a car.” (possession, no action)
  As an action verb: “I’m having lunch.” (action, meaning eating)
• Think:
  As a stative verb: “I think you’re right.” (opinion, no action)
  As an action verb: “I’m thinking about my next vacation.” (mental activity)

Irregular Action Verbs

Some action verbs are irregular, meaning their past tense forms do not follow the regular “-ed” pattern. These verbs require memorization as they don’t conform to standard rules.

• Go – past tense: went
  Example: “I went to the park.”
• Run – past tense: ran
  Example: “She ran a mile.”

Check Out: What Is An Adverb?

What Did You Learn?

Action verbs are those that a subject can do. They can be transitive or intransitive verbs [i.e. some require a direct object (transitive) whereas, some action verbs do not need a direct object (intransitive)].