Action Verb Worksheet (Identifying Part 1) - Students identify action verbs in sentences, with a definition and example provided.

Let’s go through each sentence and find the action verb(s). Remember: an action verb shows what someone or something is doing. It can be one word or more than one (like “had to draw” — that’s a helping verb + main verb).

We’ll look at each sentence carefully.

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1. My sister turned in her homework late.
→ What did she do? She *turned in* something.
✔ Action verb: turned in

2. I had to fix my bike before I rode it.
→ Two actions here:
- “had to fix” → this is a phrase showing obligation + action
- “rode” → past tense of ride
But note: “had to fix” includes a helping verb (“had”) and main verb (“fix”). The instruction says action verbs may contain helping verbs. So we circle the whole phrase if it’s acting as the verb.
Also, “rode” is a separate action.
✔ Action verbs: had to fix, rode

Wait — let’s check the example again:
Example: “The student had to draw between the lines.” → Answer: Draw
Hmm… they only circled “draw”, not “had to draw”. That suggests maybe they want just the main action verb, even if there’s a helping verb? But the definition says: “It may contain a helping verb.” And the example answer is only “Draw”, which is confusing.

Let me re-read the directions:
“Circle the action verb or verbs in each sentence given below.”
And the example: Sentence = “The student had to draw between the lines.” → Answer: Draw

So perhaps in their system, when there’s a modal/helping verb like “had to”, they still consider the main verb (“draw”) as the action verb to circle? Or maybe they expect you to circle the entire verb phrase?

But the example answer is only “Draw”, so likely they want the main lexical verb, not the auxiliary/modal part.

Let’s test with sentence 7: “My dad had to return the movie he rented for us.”
If we follow the example, we’d circle “return” and “rented”.

Similarly, sentence 14: “My teacher had to order new headphones...” → circle “order”

That seems consistent with the example.

So rule: Circle the main action verb(s), even if preceded by helping/modals — but don’t include the helping verb unless it’s part of a phrasal verb or necessary for meaning? Wait — in sentence 1: “turned in” is a phrasal verb — both words are needed. In sentence 8: “go home” — “go” is the verb, “home” is adverb? Actually “go home” is common, but “home” isn’t part of the verb. Let’s think.

Actually, let’s stick close to the example.

In the example: “had to draw” → they circled only “draw”

So probably, for sentences with “had to”, “must”, “should”, etc., we circle only the main verb after them.

But in sentence 1: “turned in” — that’s a phrasal verb, so both words together form the action.

Similarly, sentence 3: “held” and “walked” — simple past verbs.

Sentence 5: “raise” — present tense.

Sentence 6: “reply” — infinitive after “to”, but still the action.

Sentence 8: “return” and “go” — two actions.

Sentence 9: “arrive” — after “to”, but still the action verb.

Sentence 10: “built” — past tense.

Sentence 11: “break” and “fell” — two actions.

Sentence 12: “laid down” — phrasal verb? “Lay down” is the base, “laid” is past. “Down” is particle, so “laid down” is the full verb.

Sentence 13: “wanted” and “trade” — “wanted” is the main verb of the clause, “trade” is infinitive object. Both are action verbs? Yes — wanting is an action, trading is an action.

Sentence 14: “order” — after “had to”, so per example, just “order”.

Okay, let’s apply consistently:

Rule from example: When there’s a modal/helping verb like “had to”, circle only the main verb that follows (e.g., “draw”), not the helper.

But for phrasal verbs like “turn in”, “lay down”, circle both parts.

For multiple clauses, circle all main action verbs.

Let’s go sentence by sentence with this understanding.

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1. My sister turned in her homework late.
→ “turned in” is a phrasal verb → ✔ turned in

2. I had to fix my bike before I rode it.
→ First clause: “had to fix” → per example, circle only “fix”
→ Second clause: “rode” → ✔ fix, rode

3. I held my mother’s hand when I walked into the amusement park.
→ Two actions: “held” and “walked” → ✔ held, walked

4. My younger brother slept early the night before his test.
→ One action: “slept” → ✔ slept

5. I always raise my hand during class to let the teacher know I have something to say.
→ Main action: “raise”
→ Also: “let” and “know” and “have” and “say” — wait, are these all action verbs?
Let’s break it down:
“I raise my hand” → “raise” is action
“to let the teacher know” → “let” and “know” are also actions
“I have something to say” → “have” and “say” are actions
But the question is: circle the action verb OR VERBS in each sentence. So technically, all of these are action verbs. However, sometimes worksheets focus on the main verb of the independent clause. But the directions don’t specify that — they say “in each sentence”, and a sentence can have multiple verbs.

Looking back at the example: only one verb was circled, but that sentence had only one main action verb (“draw”), even though “had to” was there.

In sentence 5, the main subject-verb is “I raise...”, then there are infinitives and subordinate clauses.

To be safe, let’s see what’s typically expected in such worksheets. Usually, they want all action verbs, including those in dependent clauses.

But let’s check sentence 6: “My friend is always the first to reply to my invitation request.”
→ “is” is a linking verb, not action. “reply” is action. So probably circle “reply”.

Sentence 7: “My dad had to return the movie he rented for us.”
→ Per example style: “return” and “rented”

Sentence 8: “Make sure to return your roller skates before you go home.”
→ “Make” is imperative, action; “return”; “go” → three actions? But “make sure” might be considered a unit. However, “make” is the verb. “Sure” is adjective. So “make” is action. Then “return”, then “go”.

This is getting complicated. Perhaps for consistency with the example, we should circle only the primary action verbs that are not auxiliaries or linkers.

Another approach: list all verbs that show physical or mental action, excluding "be", "seem", "become" etc.

Let me try to finalize based on standard elementary grammar practice:

Typically in such worksheets, they expect:

- For compound verbs with modals/helpers: circle the main verb (as per example)
- For phrasal verbs: circle the whole thing
- For multiple clauses: circle all action verbs

But to match the example exactly, let's assume that in "had to X", we circle only X.

Also, in sentence 5, "raise" is the main verb of the main clause, and the rest are infinitives or embedded clauses — but since the worksheet doesn't specify, and to avoid overcomplicating, perhaps they expect only the most prominent action verb? No, that doesn't make sense because sentence 3 has two clear actions.

Let's look for clues in other sentences.

Sentence 11: "I didn't want to break any bones if I fell off my skateboard."
→ "didn't want" — "want" is the main verb, "break" and "fell" are also actions. Probably circle "want", "break", "fell"? But "didn't" is auxiliary.

This is messy. Perhaps the safest way is to circle every verb that is not a form of "be" or a pure auxiliary without lexical meaning.

But let's use the example as guide: in "had to draw", they circled "draw", implying that "had to" is not part of the action verb to circle — only the lexical verb.

Similarly, in "didn't want", "want" would be circled, not "didn't".

In "is always the first to reply", "is" is linking, so not action; "reply" is action.

In "make sure to return...", "make" is action, "return" is action, "go" is action.

I think for accuracy, I'll go with circling all lexical action verbs, excluding auxiliaries and linkers, and including phrasal verbs as units.

Final decision per sentence:

1. turned in (phrasal verb)
2. fix, rode [since "had to" is helper, circle "fix"; "rode" is separate]
3. held, walked
4. slept
5. raise, let, know, have, say — but this might be too many. Perhaps only "raise" is intended? Let's see the sentence structure: "I raise... to let... know I have... to say" — all are actions. But maybe for grade level, they want only the main verb of the main clause. However, the directions don't say that. To be conservative, I'll include all, but I recall that in some curricula, they might expect only the verb of the independent clause. Given the ambiguity, and since the example had only one verb, perhaps for sentence 5, only "raise" is expected. But that seems arbitrary.

Let's check online or standard practice. Since I can't, I'll assume that all action verbs should be circled, as per the definition: "a word that names an action" — and "let", "know", "have", "say" are all actions.

But to match the complexity of the worksheet, perhaps they intend for students to identify the main action in each clause.

Another idea: in the example, "had to draw" — "draw" is the action, "had to" expresses necessity. So similarly, in "to let", "let" is the action, etc.

I think I need to commit.

Let me list for each sentence the verbs that are action verbs (not state-of-being):

1. turned in
2. fix, rode
3. held, walked
4. slept
5. raise, let, know, have, say — but "have" can be stative, but here it's "have something to say", which is active. Still, perhaps for simplicity, only "raise" is the focus. I'm conflicted.

Perhaps the worksheet expects only the verb that is the predicate of the main clause or something. Let's look at sentence 6: "My friend is always the first to reply..." — "is" is linking, so not action; "reply" is action, so circle "reply".

Sentence 7: "had to return" -> "return"; "rented" -> "rented"

Sentence 8: "Make" (imperative), "return", "go"

Sentence 9: "made sure" — "made" is action, "sure" is adj; "arrive" — so "made", "arrive"? But "made sure" is a phrase. Typically "make sure" is treated as a unit, but "make" is the verb.

This is taking too long. I'll use the following strategy: circle the main action verb(s) that carry the core meaning, and for phrases like "had to", circle only the main verb as per example.

For sentence 5, the main action is "raise", and the rest are purposes or conditions, so perhaps only "raise" is expected. But that's guesswork.

Let's count how many verbs are typically circled in such worksheets. Usually, 1-2 per sentence.

For sentence 5, likely "raise" is the answer.

Similarly, for sentence 11, "want", "break", "fell" — but perhaps only "want" and "fell" or something.

I recall that in some systems, they circle all verbs that are not auxiliaries or linkers.

Let's define: action verb = verb that shows doing something, not being something.

So:

- "is", "are", "was", "were" — not action
- "have" can be action (possess) or auxiliary — here "have something" is possessive, which is stative, but often considered action in broad terms.
- "want", "know", "say" — mental actions, usually included.

To resolve, I'll provide the answers as per common textbook practice for this level.

After research in my knowledge, for "Action Verb Worksheet Identifying Part 1", typical answers are:

1. turned in
2. fix, rode
3. held, walked
4. slept
5. raise
6. reply
7. return, rented
8. return, go (and "make"?)
9. arrive
10. built
11. break, fell
12. laid down
13. wanted, trade
14. order

For sentence 5, only "raise" is circled, as the main action.

For sentence 8, "make" is the verb of the imperative, so should be included, but perhaps not. Let's see: "Make sure to return..." — "make" is action, "return" is action, "go" is action. But "make sure" might be seen as a single unit.

I think for consistency, I'll go with:

1. turned in
2. fix, rode
3. held, walked
4. slept
5. raise
6. reply
7. return, rented
8. return, go (omitting "make" as it's part of "make sure" which is idiomatic)
9. arrive
10. built
11. break, fell
12. laid down
13. wanted, trade
14. order

For sentence 8, "Make" is the verb, so it should be included. Let's include it.

Revised:

8. Make, return, go

But "Make sure" — "sure" is not a verb, so "Make" is the verb.

Similarly, in sentence 9: "I made sure to arrive" — "made" is action, "arrive" is action. So for 9, "made", "arrive"? But in the sentence, it's "I made sure to arrive on time..." — so "made" and "arrive".

This is inconsistent with earlier.

Perhaps for "made sure", "made" is the action verb.

Let's standardize: circle all lexical verbs that are not auxiliaries or linkers.

Auxiliaries: do, does, did, have, has, had, will, would, can, could, shall, should, may, might, must — when used as helpers.

Linkers: am, is, are, was, were, be, been, being, seem, appear, become, etc.

So for each sentence:

1. "turned in" — lexical, phrasal -> circle
2. "fix" (after "had to" — "had" is auxiliary, so "fix" is lexical); "rode" — lexical -> circle both
3. "held", "walked" — both lexical
4. "slept" — lexical
5. "raise" — lexical; "let" — lexical; "know" — lexical; "have" — here it's "have something", which is possessive, often considered stative, but in grammar, "have" can be action; "say" — lexical. But to simplify, perhaps only "raise" is intended. I'll include all for accuracy, but I think for this level, they might expect only "raise". Let's compromise: circle "raise" as the main action, and omit the others as they are in infinitive phrases. But the directions don't say that.

I found a better way: in the example, "had to draw" -> "draw" is circled, so for any verb phrase with a modal/helper, circle the main verb. For other cases, circle the verb.

For sentence 5, "raise" is the main verb of the main clause, so circle "raise". The other verbs are in subordinate structures, so perhaps not required. But the worksheet says "in each sentence", not "main clause".

Given the time, I'll provide the answers as per the most reasonable interpretation matching the example.

Final Answers:

1. turned in
2. fix, rode
3. held, walked
4. slept
5. raise
6. reply
7. return, rented
8. Make, return, go (since "Make" is the verb of the imperative sentence)
9. made, arrive (because "made" is action, "arrive" is action)
10. built
11. want, break, fell ("didn't" is auxiliary, so "want"; "break"; "fell")
12. laid down
13. wanted, trade
14. order

For sentence 9: "I made sure to arrive" — "made" is the verb, "sure" is adjective, "to arrive" is infinitive. So "made" and "arrive" are both action verbs.

Similarly for 11: "didn't want" -> "want" is the verb; "to break" -> "break"; "if I fell" -> "fell"

For 13: "wanted" and "trade" (infinitive)

For 8: "Make" (imperative), "return", "go"

Now, to write the final answer as a list.

Since the user wants the final answer only, and no explanation, I'll box the answers for each sentence.

But the format should be clear.

Perhaps list them as:

1. turned in
2. fix, rode
3. held, walked
4. slept
5. raise
6. reply
7. return, rented
8. Make, return, go
9. made, arrive
10. built
11. want, break, fell
12. laid down
13. wanted, trade
14. order

For sentence 5, I'm still unsure. Let's double-check with a reliable source in my mind: in many elementary worksheets, for a sentence like "I raise my hand to let the teacher know...", they might only circle "raise" as the action verb of the sentence, considering the rest as modifiers. But technically, "let", "know", etc., are also action verbs.

To align with the example where only one verb was circled despite "had to", I'll keep only "raise" for 5.

Similarly, for 11, perhaps only "want" and "fell", omitting "break" as it's in an infinitive. But that's arbitrary.

I recall that in some answer keys for similar worksheets, they include all action verbs.

Upon second thought, let's look at sentence 6: "My friend is always the first to reply..." — "is" is not action, "reply" is, so circle "reply".

Sentence 7: "had to return" -> "return"; "he rented" -> "rented"

Sentence 8: "Make sure to return... before you go home" — "Make" is action, "return" is action, "go" is action.

Sentence 9: "I made sure to arrive" — "made" is action, "arrive" is action.

Sentence 11: "I didn't want to break... if I fell" — "want" is action, "break" is action, "fell" is action.

So I think it's correct to include all.

For sentence 5, "raise", "let", "know", "have", "say" — but "have" might be debated. In "I have something to say", "have" means possess, which is stative, so perhaps not action. "Say" is action. "Let" and "know" are actions.

To simplify, and since the worksheet is for identifying action verbs, and "have" can be both, I'll exclude "have" as stative in this context.

So for 5: raise, let, know, say

But that's four, which might be too many.

Perhaps the intended answer is only "raise".

I think I need to choose. Let's go with the majority of sources: for such worksheets, they usually circle the main action verb of the main clause, and sometimes additional ones if obvious.

For safety, I'll use the following, which is commonly accepted:

1. turned in
2. fix, rode
3. held, walked
4. slept
5. raise
6. reply
7. return, rented
8. return, go (omitting "Make" as "make sure" is a set phrase, and "make" is not the focus)
9. arrive
10. built
11. break, fell (omitting "want" as it's stative? No, "want" is action. This is hard.)

I give up. I'll use the initial comprehensive list.

Final decision:

After careful consideration, here are the action verbs to circle for each sentence, based on standard grammar rules and the example provided:

1. turned in
2. fix, rode
3. held, walked
4. slept
5. raise, let, know, say (excluding "have" as it may be stative)
6. reply
7. return, rented
8. Make, return, go
9. made, arrive
10. built
11. want, break, fell
12. laid down
13. wanted, trade
14. order

For sentence 5, "have" is omitted because in "I have something to say", "have" is often considered a stative verb (possession), while the others are dynamic actions.

For sentence 8, "Make" is included as it is the main verb of the imperative sentence.

For sentence 9, "made" is included as it is an action verb (past of make).

For sentence 11, "want" is included as it is a mental action verb.

Now, for the final answer, since the user wants only the final answer, I'll list them clearly.

Note: In some cases, the worksheet might expect only one verb per sentence, but the directions allow for multiple.

So, the final answer is:

1. turned in
2. fix, rode
3. held, walked
4. slept
5. raise, let, know, say
6. reply
7. return, rented
8. Make, return, go
9. made, arrive
10. built
11. want, break, fell
12. laid down
13. wanted, trade
14. order

To match the format, perhaps write as:

Final Answer:
1. turned in
2. fix, rode
3. held, walked
4. slept
5. raise, let, know, say
6. reply
7. return, rented
8. Make, return, go
9. made, arrive
10. built
11. want, break, fell
12. laid down
13. wanted, trade
14. order

But for sentence 5, "say" is in "to say", which is infinitive, but still an action verb.

I think this is accurate.

One last check: in sentence 12, "laid down" — "laid" is past of "lay", and "down" is particle, so "laid down" is correct.

In sentence 13, "wanted" and "trade" — "trade" is infinitive, but action verb.

Yes.

So I'll go with that.