Verbs are the actions in a sentence. A verb is an action word. It tells what someone or something is doing.
Example |
We sing a song. "sing" is what the subject is doing. |
"sing" is the verb, or the action word. |
Verbs tell us what is happening. A verb is a doing or a being word.
Example |
From behind a tree, the cat pounced suddenly. |
"pounced" is the action that the cat did. |
The English Language is full of interesting and exciting verbs. When writing creatively, use powerful verbs instead of boring, ordinary verbs. Learn how to write attention grabbing verbs to describe characters, mood and feelings in all of your writing here.
The old man went into the room.
Compare the above to the example below. Pay attention to how the powerful verb paints a picture in your mind of the old man in this sentence.The old man stomped into the room.
We now see in our mind's eye what the old man is doing. The verb stomping creates a mood. We ask ourselves, “Is he angry?”, “Is he dancing?”, “Is he stomping out a bug or a fire?”
You will find a printable list of strong alternatives for commonly used verbs here. (
Verbs add creativity to our writing. Learn how to develop your creative literacy skills and enhance your writing style by doing the seven worksheets listed here.
As we have seen above, a verb is an action word. It tells what someone or something is doing.
To find the verbs in a sentence Ask yourself, "Is the subject doing it?"
Writing Tip: Listen to what you write by reading it aloud. This will help you to hear your work. You will hear what sounds correct and what sounds funny.