.

3Exercice 2

Decide whether the words in bold are subjects, direct objects or indirect objects

1. She sent her friend an email . Indirect Object

2. Sally will help you with your housework. Direct Object
3. Where did you put the keys? Subject
4. He gave them a bag full of money. Indirect Object
5. Alice wrote a book on the French revolution . Subject
6. I need your help. Direct Object
7. He offered her a flower. Direct Object
8. My father bought us a new TV set. Indirect Object
9. John sold me his car. Direct Object
10. I wish you good luck Indirect Object

Action verbs

An action verb tells what the subject of our sentence is

doing. Action verbs can be used to express physical or
mental actions.

Action verbs have a power that is not found in other

word types. Action verbs have impact and provide
instant information. They help the reader picture the
subject engaged in the activity in a clear, precise
manner. Additionally, action verbs aid the flow of an
article or talk eliminating the need for throwaway
transitional words such as “also.”

There are thousands of action verbs. Here are a few

examples:

Accumulate

Run
Merge

Organize

Jumped

Divide

Officiate

Allocate

Research

File

Arrange

Spoke

Assemble

Place

Plan

Act

Enforce

Enlist

Command
Thought

Observed

Built

Closed

There are two types of action verbs; transitive and

intransitive.

Transitive verbs
Transitive verbs always have a noun that receives the
action of the verb. This is called the direct object.
Some examples of transitive verbs are:

 Malcom broke the window.

 Becky gave Sandy a present.
 The dog wolfed down his dinner.
In our examples the object receiving the action are the
window, which was broken, the present, which was
given, and the dinner which was eaten. The final
example shows show action verbs are able to convey a
clear picture of an activity and enhance the sentence.

Intransitive verbs
Intransitive verbs do not have a direct or direct object.
For example, Jack walked slowly to school. No object
receives the action. We have used an adverb, slowly, to
modify the verb.

Because action verbs are so powerful, you definitely

want to use action verbs in your resume and CV.
As we stated earlier, action verbs help the reader
picture you in the role you are applying for. They
provide your resume with impact and create strong
impression. There are many types of professions, which
have a number of action verbs that are common within
the particular business section. Spending some time
researching industry action verbs for the industry you
are interested in can add more power to your resume.

Most business consultants state that the average hiring

manager spends only a few seconds with each resume;
typically the first look is basically a quick scan. Action
verbs have a tendency to catch the reader’s eye,
especially when industry specific words are used. This
can lead to the employer spending more time with the
resume.

Improve your English grammar, vocabulary and more

with EF English Live Get started for free

Many companies require applicants to submit their CV

and resumes through an online portal. Many of the
resumes submitted are scanned by the computer which
is programmed to look for and flag resumes containing
specific keywords, phrases, and action verbs. Often the
resume is scored by the computer, prior to being sent
to the hiring manager. The use of the correct words can
be the difference in how highly the computer rates your
submission. Many of the major job search portals use
similar search algorithms to select resumes to forward
to employees.
One caution about using action verbs in a resume,
while you want the resume to have impact you also
want it to be accurate. Choose action verbs that
accurately describe your skills, roles, and experience.

There are two types of action verbs; transitive and

intransitive.

Transitive verbs
Transitive verbs always have a noun that receives the
action of the verb. This is called the direct object.
Some examples of transitive verbs are:

 Malcom broke the window.

 Becky gave Sandy a present.
 The dog wolfed down his dinner.
In our examples the object receiving the action are the
window, which was broken, the present, which was
given, and the dinner which was eaten. The final
example shows show action verbs are able to convey a
clear picture of an activity and enhance the sentence.

Intransitive verbs
Intransitive verbs do not have a direct or direct object.
For example, Jack walked slowly to school. No object
receives the action. We have used an adverb, slowly, to
modify the verb.

Because action verbs are so powerful, you definitely

want to use action verbs in your resume and CV.

As we stated earlier, action verbs help the reader

picture you in the role you are applying for. They
provide your resume with impact and create strong
impression. There are many types of professions, which
have a number of action verbs that are common within
the particular business section. Spending some time
researching industry action verbs for the industry you
are interested in can add more power to your resume.

Most business consultants state that the average hiring

manager spends only a few seconds with each resume;
typically the first look is basically a quick scan. Action
verbs have a tendency to catch the reader’s eye,
especially when industry specific words are used. This
can lead to the employer spending more time with the
resume.

Improve your English grammar, vocabulary and more

with EF English Live Get started for free

Many companies require applicants to submit their CV

and resumes through an online portal. Many of the
resumes submitted are scanned by the computer which
is programmed to look for and flag resumes containing
specific keywords, phrases, and action verbs. Often the
resume is scored by the computer, prior to being sent
to the hiring manager. The use of the correct words can
be the difference in how highly the computer rates your
submission. Many of the major job search portals use
similar search algorithms to select resumes to forward
to employees.

One caution about using action verbs in a resume,

while you want the resume to have impact you also
want it to be accurate. Choose action verbs that
accurately describe your skills, roles, and experience

Linking Verbs

A linking verb is a verb that describes the subject.

Linking verbs connect the subject to a predicate noun
or a predicate adjective. Linking verbs do not describe
any direct physical or mental action of the subject or
any action controlled by the subject.

Unlike action verbs, there is only a very short list of

words that are true linking verbs. Interestingly these
words are always linking verbs.

Here is the list:

Be, am, is, are, was, were, has been, any other form of
the verb “be”, become, and seem.

There are other verbs that can be both linking verbs

and action verbs. All of the sense verbs; look, smell,
touch, appear, sound, taste, and feel can be linking
verbs. Other examples of verbs that can be linking
verbs and action verbs include turn, remain, prove, and
grow.

Some examples of linking verbs:

 She is a lawyer.
 He seems like a nice guy.
 I have become tired of your lateness.
Linking verb and Action Verb Exercise
It is good to do exercises to help you to consolidate
what you have learned. Here is a short exercise where
you need to identify the type of verb used in the
sentence.

1. Janet walked to the mall.

2. Pierce seems to be sad.
3. Isabelle experimented with her paints.
4. The fruit smells spoiled.
5. Joan ran in the marathon.
6. Beethoven was an amazing composer.
7. Jack organized the documents
8. Izzy looks ill.
9. The first cup of coffee every morning tastes great.
10. Penelope skated across the ice rink.
11. Everyone was tired after the bike race.
12. Marcia grew to be very tall.
Answers

1. action verb / 2. linking verb / 3. action verb / 4. linking

verb / 5. action verb / 6. linking verb / 7. action verb / 8.
linking verb / 9. linking verb / 10. action verb / 11.
linking verb / 12. action verb

Article related: Regular and irregular verbs