An action verb says what the subject of the sentence is doing. They are capable of conveying emotion beyond the literal meaning of the word. The impact of an action verb is determined by the meaning and the purpose contained within the word. Using action verbs effectively results in improved communication and writing abilities.

Action verbs are categorized as regular verbs or irregular verbs. A regular verb is any verb that forms its main parts by adding alphabets to it based on which letter ends the original verb. For example, words ending with:

• E, just add D – [taste – tasted, devise – devised]
• Y, change Y to ED – [party – partied, carry – carried]
• C, add KED – [panic – panicked]
• P, G or M, double the consonant – [hop – hopped, beg – begged, ram – rammed]

One area in which action verbs play a crucial role is the writing of cover letters and resumes because the use of action verbs highlights accomplishments. They make statements more to the point and are usually more persuasive.

Irregular verbs do not follow the same rules or patterns as regular verbs. Some don’t change, some change entirely while others change the letters in the centre, thus the word irregular. Examples of irregular verbs and their changed structure are:

• Beat – beat
• Arise – arose
• Buy – bought
• Do – did

WRITING TIPS

Writing can be exciting but it can also be hard work and there are specific rules to abide by to make your writing effective.

1. Recognize what you are writing about or what you want to communicate. This gives an awareness of objective and will keep you attentive when writing.
2. Regardless of what the subject, try to answer all the questions that your reader might want answered. Provide the who, what, when, where, how and why. Consider your reader’s potential questions which will assist in structuring your writing.
3. Write plainly and precisely, considering the reader. customize your writing to suit the reader’s needs. Also avoid long sentences and paragraphs. Be to the point!
4. Make use of paragraphs, bulleted points and sub-headings where necessary. By doing this, you are offering your reader with a map and they will better comprehend what you are trying to communicate.
5. Always explore about what you are writing. No matter how much you know there is always something new to learn and you want to communicate as much information as possible to your readers.
6. Mind your grammar and spelling. Make use of strong nouns and verbs. Employ strong adjectives instead of weak ones complemented by the word ‘very’.
7. Focus on the subject you are writing and avoid diverging to other subjects. This will cause your readers to question what you are really writing about.
8. Always reread your writing. Read it aloud. Wherever you find errors rewrite it and read reread until you are comfortable.