Word of the Day: Act
A person who does something intentionally or with forethought acts or takes action. The word “act” can be used as a noun or as a verb.
In these examples, “act” is a verb:
- Bertha acted quickly when she learned she was in trouble.
- If you don’t act now, you’ll miss the opportunity to buy that car on sale.
- Dennis is acting strangely today. What’s wrong with him?
- That’s not the way a person in his position is supposed to act. He should resign.
- My computer is acting up again. I might have to take it in to get fixed. (act up = to misbehave)
In these examples, “act” is a noun:
- Acts of kindness helped the tornado victims recover from the disaster.
- A terrible act of vandalism cost the homeowners thousands of dollars.
- In a final act of desperation, they kicked out the windows to escape from the fire.
- An Act of Congress becomes a law when it’s signed by the President. (an Act = a law in the United States)
The word “act” is also used for performers on a stage, in a theater, or in movies. This word can take on many different grammatical forms:
- She really knows how to act. (infinitive)
- She’s a great actress. (noun)
- She received an award for her acting skills. (adjective)
- She has acted in several films. (present perfect tense)
- He wants to be a professional actor. (noun)
- Acting is his passion. (gerund)
- He’s currently acting in a play put on by the college he attends. (present continuous tense)
Essential English Dictionary
Visit the Popular English Words Beginning with A page to see the list of all words starting with letter A. For seeing the HiCafe dictionary, visit the Popular English Words with Meaning page.
